Sometimes the best holiday gift you can give is homemade. All around the world, people are baking delicious foods to share with their loved ones and to give as gifts for the holidays.
We compiled a list of recipes that make delicious gifts for this holiday season. To personalize your gift, decorate brown kraft paper bags for each person. A gift bag, a pile of your friend’s favorite goodies, and a heartfelt note is the perfect way to show appreciation for the special people in your life.
Gingerbread
These classic cookies are made with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and molasses. Gingerbread dough can be cut into traditional gingerbread men or any other shape with cookie cutters.
If you want to get creative, you can create a gingerbread house from scratch. Make some icing to hold the walls and roof together. Then decorate the gingerbread house with your favorite candies, such as candy canes, candy drops, and anything else that sounds good to you.
Cookies
There are so many types of cookies that it is hard to choose just one to bake. From chocolate chip cookies to gingersnap cookies to almond cookies, whichever you choose, your friends and family are sure to love them.
If you can’t decide on which type to make, bake a few and give a variety of cookies as a gift. For example, three gingersnap, three almond cookies, and three traditional chocolate chip cookies in one goodie bag. That way, whoever gets your present will get to taste all your favorite holiday cookies. Make a couple of extra so you can taste test the batch before wrapping them up.
Fruitcake
Fruitcake is pretty infamous, some people love it where others hate it. Fruitcake has been around for hundreds of years, so you might as well keep the tradition alive.
This holiday treat is made with nuts, fruit, and rum. Fruitcake is a pretty dense dessert as it can weigh around two pounds. Love it or hate it, fruitcake is part of a tradition and has become pretty popular over the last few years.
Snowflake Mix
Snowflake mix includes peanuts, pretzels, and cereal mixed together and then covered with white chocolate. Put this in a cellophane bag with some tissue paper around it. Add a few bows and your gift is ready to go.
Chocolate Bark
Chocolate bark is so easy to make that anyone can do it. All you need to do is melt some chocolate and spread some goodies on top of it. Here are a few ideas to put on top of the bark:
- Smoked almond and crushed dried ancho pepper
- Shredded coconut, toasted almonds, and sea salt
- A mixture of dried fruit
- Oreo cookies and Andes mints
- Gingerbread cookies and crystallized ginger
- Raspberries and toasted almond
Once your bark is finished, wrap it up nicely and put it in brown paper kraft bags for your friends and family. Decorate the bag for each person with their favorite colors, holiday greeting, or theme. Not only will they love the chocolate bark, but they will appreciate the personal touch you added to the bag.
Winter Orange Pomegranate Ice Tea
Not a candy or a chocolate person? That’s okay. This winter ice tea takes just 10 minutes to make. Find a decorative bottle for a final touch. Some of the ingredients are orange, cinnamon, cloves, black tea, and pomegranate juice. You can’t go wrong with this drink.
Cherry-Almond Fudge
Fudge makes the perfect holiday gift. The nice thing about fudge is you can add different ingredients depending on what you like. If you don’t like almonds, no problem. Take them out.
Try different combinations such as chocolate and hazelnut, pumpkin and butterscotch, and chocolate and peanut butter.
Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Spoons
Everyone loves hot cocoa around the holidays, but have you ever made candy cane hot cocoa spoons? Dip candy canes into melted chocolate and then let it harden. Once they are ready, you can stir the hot cocoa with the chocolate covered candy cane. It will add extra chocolate plus a minty flavor to your cocoa. For a bonus, make your own hot cocoa mix and give it as a gift in a decorative mason jar.
Cheddar-Herb Bread Mix
Do you have a friend or family member who loves to bake? Give them ingredients to this delicious cheddar-herb bread. The ingredients are:
- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro or parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Simply combine all the ingredients in a bag and close it tight. Add a bow on the top with a personalized name tag. It is an easy gift to make that your friends are sure to love.
Fig and Ginger Truffles
These truffles are very sweet, so if you have a friend who is all about sweets, then this is the perfect option. The figs and ginger are blended together and then covered with dark chocolate. They are relatively easy to make, but they do need to chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes or until they are set.
Rosemary Infused Vinegar
The infused vinegar can be used throughout the year on salads, slow-cooked meats, and in other dishes that you would normally use vinegar in. It is a gift that keeps giving all year long.
Kumquat Limoncello
To switch up your limoncello this year, use kumquats instead of lemons. Kumquats are winter citrus that have a lot of flavor. Find a decorative clear bottle so you can show off the fruit and bright yellow color.
Curried Lentil Soup in a Jar
Put all the ingredients to make a delicious soup in a mason jar. Your friend or family member will appreciate the gesture, and chances are you already have most of the ingredients on hand. Wrap the jar with ribbon and place it into a gift bag.
Homemade Goodie Gifts
Spice things up this holiday season by giving homemade goods to your friends and family. Finish personalizing the gift by decorating paper gift bags for each person on your list.