My favorite homemade food gifts for Christmas, the sweet and savory edible gifts I make every year for family, friends and neighbors.
My grandmother baked for everyone. Every Christmas her kitchen turned out caramel corn, sometimes loose and sometimes pressed into popcorn balls, along with plenty of other holiday goodies to give away to family and friends. She is the one who taught me to bake, and I think she also taught me that a gift you make yourself says something a store-bought one cannot.
Baking and gifting are my two love languages, so homemade food gifts for Christmas are where the two meet. By the middle of December my kitchen counter is covered in jars, ribbon and cellophane bags. (The cook keeps the broken pieces. That is the rule.)
These are the edible gifts I come back to every holiday season. Every one has been made in my own kitchen, most can be made ahead, and none of them needs much more than a bit of time and a few good jars or holiday tins.
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Chocolate Gifts
If I could only make one edible gift, it would be my fleur de sel truffles. Dark chocolate finished with a few flakes of French sea salt looks far fancier than the effort it takes. Pack them in a small box lined with tissue, and keep them cool until you gift them.
My dark chocolate caramelized almond bark is the easier cousin. The almonds are caramelized, stirred into melted dark chocolate and spread out to set, then you add the chocolate, let it set again and break it into pieces. It travels well and fills a tin beautifully.
And for the friend who keeps ice cream in the freezer all winter (I know you are out there), a cute jar of my salted dark chocolate hot fudge sauce tied with ribbon is the gift that actually gets used. Add a tag that says to keep it in the refrigerator and warm it gently before serving.
Old-Fashioned Sweets
My grandmother’s caramel corn is the recipe I make most, because it tastes exactly like her kitchen. She made it both ways, loose and in popcorn balls, and to this day I cannot decide which I like better. A big cellophane bag tied with plaid ribbon is all it needs.
Homemade caramels are one of those sweets people rarely make for themselves, which is exactly why they make such a great gift. My soft, buttery pecan caramels wrapped one by one in wax paper keep well at room temperature, and a little box of them disappears fast on Christmas Eve.
My homemade marshmallows are softer and lighter than anything from a bag. Cut them into squares, dust them with powdered sugar and stack them in a clear jar. And if you would rather give cookies, my Viennese whirls dipped in chocolate are a lovely change from the usual sugar cookies, and they hold their shape in a tin.
For a cookie tray, my nutmg logs and raspberry and apricot rugelach are two of my favorites, and Fairy Food, the sponge candy I grew up with, is always a surprise.
Savory Food Gifts
Not everyone has a sweet tooth, and by mid-December even those of us who do are craving something salty. My Union Square Cafe bar nuts are sweet, spicy and salty all at once, and I tuck them into cellophane bags tied with string for hostess gifts and party favors. My rosemary and tarragon spiced nuts (my favorites snack) are wonderful with cheese and a glass of wine.
My spicy pretzels are made for big batches, so one afternoon fills a whole row of mason jars. And my homemade Jingle Jangle is better than Trader Joes packed into tins and send to family and friends.
Homemade Drinks to Give
For a festive bottle, my homemade cranberry cordial turns a bag of fresh cranberries into a jewel-red liqueur that is lovely on its own or in a glass of something sparkling. It needs time to steep, so make it early.
Irish cream is another favorite. I make a few bottle every year and one with a handwritten label is always welcome. It is made with cream, so it goes straight into the refrigerator.
For the hot chocolate lovers on your list, a jar of my homemade hot chocolate mix with a few of those marshmallows tucked on top makes Christmas morning a little sweeter. You will find more ideas in my gifts for hot chocolate lovers.
How to Make a Homemade Christmas Food Gift Basket
A basket of homemade gifts for the whole family is one of the nicest things you can give, and it is easier than it looks. Choose one sweet thing, one savory thing and one thing to drink, so there is something for everyone. A jar of hot fudge, a bag of bar nuts and a bottle of cranberry cordial is a combination I come back to again and again.
Line a basket or a small wooden crate with a tea towel, which becomes part of the gift, and add a little wooden spoon or a pretty spreader. Tie it all with ribbon, and write a tag for each jar that says what it is and how to keep it. That handwritten tag is the personal touch people remember.
Tips for Packaging and Shipping Edible Gifts
Mason jars, clear cellophane bags and vintage tins are my favorite containers. Old tins turn up at thrift stores all year long, and they make a gift look as if it came straight from your grandmother’s pantry. If you can’t find any go to the Dollar Tree.
If you are shipping, choose gifts that travel well. Nuts, pretzels, caramel corn, caramels, almond bark and hot chocolate mix all hold up in the mail, while truffles, hot fudge and Irish cream are better delivered by hand. Ship early in the week so nothing sits in a warehouse over the weekend, and pack tins snugly with tissue so they do not rattle.
Most of these can be made ahead. Start the cordial first, then the nuts, pretzels and caramels, and save the truffles and marshmallows for the last week before Christmas.
Until Next Time
There is something about a warm kitchen in December, with the oven on and the counter full of jars waiting for ribbon, that takes me straight back to my grandmother’s. I hope you find a recipe or two here to start a tradition of your own, or to carry on one from your family.
Tell me: what is the homemade food gift you look forward to every year? Is it something you make, or something someone makes for you?
For more ideas for everyone on your list, see my Christmas gift guide, and for the parties on your calendar, my Christmas hostess gifts.
You can also keep up with me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. And last but not least, if you like Pinecones & Acorns share it with a friend!
You Might Also Enjoy:
Gifts for Hot Chocolate Lovers
On My Radar~ Hostess Gifts
