Food gifts are a great way to give something personal and unique. They also make the recipient feel extra special, because they know you spent your valuable time and effort making it just for them.
We’ve already established my lack of crafting skills and sadly, that extends into the realm of wrapping up Mason jars or assembling gift baskets. So our topic this week is:
What are your favorite food gift ideas?
My favorite food gift ideas have all come from Tasty Kitchen. I love Bakerella’s lovely Cowgirl Cookies (I bow to her genius). The cookie mix looks so lovely layered in the jar, and for me, that’s already most of the decorating done for me. In fact, Bakerella’s original blog post includes instructions on how to package them, complete with downloadable labels and instruction tags in pink or brown so you can gift these to boys or girls. I think these are perfect for a family with kids.
My other absolute favorite is this Cranberry Butter from MissyDew. It’s so quick and simple and everyone I’ve given it to has loved it.
Betsy loves their tradition of giving cinnamon rolls. She says, “Delivering something to a friend’s door is great, because you get a chance to stop in and say happy holidays. I remember making those rounds with my mom, and it was always a fun, happy experience. Also, everyone can use an easy breakfast during the busy season. I’ve had friends come to expect the cinnamon rolls and look forward to the special delivery.”
It’s a cliché that bears repeating because it’s true: It’s the thought that counts. People appreciate whatever they receive and often we worry too much that what we make isn’t impressive enough or packaged nicely enough. Those who truly love us will always be grateful for us—the gift is simply a nice bonus. But it’s always nice to learn new ways we can make our gifts a little bit more special for them because we love them too.
So if you have any great tips for food gifts or just suggestions for pretty packaging, we’re eager to learn!
26 Comments
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sanchana on 2.25.2014
I agreed that the Gift Idea Art Crystal Glass Decorative This is a beautiful and useful for everyone.Thanks for sharing…3d laser crystal gifts
gift bags on 12.24.2013
These presents audio amazing – I’d really like to get any of them! My spouse and I like to mix up liven combinations and put them in designed jugs for presents. So far, the most well-known ones have been Jose’s rib rub and my Saccharin sea sodium combination.
Misha on 12.11.2013
I have several friends who have come to expect one of my cookie trays. I make around 20-25 different cookies and candies and also include a jar of my homemade salsa. Not everyone can have sweets so for them I pack a gift bag with some of my salsa, bar cheese and hot pepper jelly. I include the cream cheese, crackers and tortilla chips in the gift bags so they can begin eating as soon as they receive it.
I am very interested in the Bloody Mary mix and the Sriracha Sea Salt Blend if recipes could be shared please.
Angela Williams Duea on 12.10.2013
These gifts sound wonderful – I’d love to receive any of them! My husband and I like to mix up spice blends and put them in decorated jars for gifts. So far, the most popular ones have been Joe’s rib rub and my Sriracha sea salt blend.
Erika (TK) on 12.11.2013
Sriracha sea salt blend? Sign me up!
Becky on 12.9.2013
I am giving away loaves of banana bread and PW Spaghetti Sauce- an easy dinner for a busy time of year. I am also planning on giving away a sweet Chex mix called “Addictive Crunch” (you make a simple caramel sauce to bake into a mixture of Chex mix, peanuts and Crispex cereal, it lives up to its name!) to some of my other co-workers.
Connie on 12.6.2013
I have the best bloody mary mix recipe you will ever taste and you just add clamato juice(1/2 mix 1/2 clamato per glass, and of course wonderful relishes when you mix them up ;o) I mix up many batches and bottle in very nice re-usable bottles and decorate with ribbon and berries with beautiful tags for holidays. Our friends and family just love them!
Erika (TK) on 12.6.2013
Need. That. Recipe. My husband loves Bloody Mary and is always searching for a better mix!
mikell on 12.6.2013
I make a decadent dark hot fudge sauce, and put it in cute jars that I dress up with fabric and ribbons. People always love it, and friends have claimed to hide it from their families!
This year I’m thinking of giving a duo of the hot fudge and a jar of salted caramel sauce. Hope the like it as much as I do!
Haley @ The Girly Girl Cooks on 12.5.2013
I love giving and getting homemade gifts! I love making homemade hot chocolate gifts in mason jars. I’ve always wanted to try making a sugar scrub or homemade vanilla. I love the thought and effort it takes to give a homemade gift!
Lisa B on 12.5.2013
Peanut Brittle. We have become known for it & our neighbors, friends ask when it is coming. I also look for new gift jar recipes. May try the one above to switch it out this year. We’ve rec’d the spice mix for roasting with a recipe before & I’d forgotten about that one. Another good option. Anyone have any other gift jar recipes? Love them because we have to mail all of our family gifts.
Jayne on 12.5.2013
I love to give cupcakes/muffins. Also hot chocolate mix. And spice mix for roasting etc. I am trying to figure out something nice for this year. I don’t know how transportable cheesecake is but I’m thinking some cute 3-layer chocolate cheesecake. Still figuring out.
Kristi @ 30 Pounds of Apples on 12.4.2013
Last year I made homemade mulling spice mix and packaged them in cute little boxes for my friends and family at Christmas. Each pouch of spice is good for a half gallon of cider or a bottle of wine. Here’s the link! http://www.30poundsofapples.com/2012/12/homemade-mulling-spice-mix-and-a-giveaway/
Betsy (TK) on 12.5.2013
Love the idea of homemade mulling spice! Hot cider is always perfect for the holiday season!
Laurie - Simply Scratch on 12.4.2013
I love giving {and getting} homemade gifts. I made different citrus sea salts for my family last year. Super easy and inexpensive too!
Erin Thoma on 12.4.2013
Last year I gave homemade vanilla extract in cute bottles. This year I’m thinking of Martha Stewart’s recipe for Blueberry Buckle. I always make that for our Christmas breakfast so thought others may appreciate not having to make a breakfast one day during the Holidays.
Brenda McAlpine on 12.4.2013
I used to make photo calendars for my husband’s side of the family, but now we make food. We make cookies and pierogies (think potato ravioli — carb HEAVEN). The pierogies are a family dish that doesn’t get made often because it’s pretty labor-intensive. So we give each person on our list a dozen frozen pierogies. We pack them in an ice chest with dry ice and everyone takes theirs home from our Christmas Eve gathering.
Mary Mc on 12.4.2013
I’ve certainly made batches of cookies, fudge, and Chex Mix over the years, but the one I did the most for years was bean soup mix. I started giving this to about 15 people. I would go to several grocery stores to get all types of dried beans, lentils, and legumes. I think I got up to 35 – 40 different kinds. I would get large garbage bags and throw everything in together to mix them together. I would measure out 2 cups and put that and the recipe in a baggie. I also canned tomatoes and put a jar of that with the beans. That was fine until things really got out of hand. When I ended up giving away about 100 bags at Christmas in successive years, the canned tomatoes were a thing of the past to give away. There was always a funny picture that I put on the baggies.
In the last couple of years, I have given cookies. Nutella fudge, chex mix, salted nuts, cheese straws, some type of jelly, one of my canned asparagus or dilly beans, and mixed olives with different things in them among other things to about 15 people.. This year, I may give out one cookie or candy and a couple of casseroles to recipients. I take food to a number of elderly folks. I made seven rigatoni pasta with veal meatballs and tomato sauce this morning. Not sure what will come next!
Betsy (TK) on 12.5.2013
Wow, Mary! You are a homemade gift giving machine! That made me hungry! Thanks for sharing all the ideas.
Mary W on 12.4.2013
I love food and I love giving gifts! My usual go to gift is a French Pear Pie. One year I made over a dozen and drove around delivering them all in one day. It was so much fun to feel like Santa with my list of friends, naughty or nice
And who doesn’t love pie?
Beckie on 12.4.2013
I have different type baskets. One of my favorites was a basket with some homemade cookies and small loaves of bread, along with commercially made local products. (Tennessee made).
Betsy (TK) on 12.5.2013
Love the small loaves idea. Nothing like homemade bread!
Mindy on 12.4.2013
In college, I started doing a mini “tower of treats” for my friends as gifts because 1) I love to bake, 2) I didn’t know what to get them all, 3) who doesn’t love cookies?! I would choose 3 types of cookies (usually one with chocolate, one spicy, and one unique), put a couple in white paper candy boxes, stack ‘em up and attach them with a pretty ribbon. Everyone always loved it!
Helena Mouta on 12.4.2013
A good friend of mine just had her birthday a week ago and I gave her a basket full of homemade goodies: a little bottle of lemon and garlic flavored oil, a large jar filled with rosemary caramelized nuts, a homemade green tea blend with lovely warm spices, a honey and dried fruit topping for yogurt, a jar of homemade pumpkin jam and a small bottle of a sweet homemade liqueur. All in a nice basket I got in Ikea, lined with a pretty Portuguese themed tea towel (I live in Portugal). I know she loved it and these things are some of my favorite gifts to give. They are a little bit of me, even though they may nor always be perfect.
Betsy (TK) on 12.5.2013
What a beautiful gift! Knowing a friend took time to put together such lovely little collection of things makes a gift like that so special.
Erika (TK) on 12.4.2013
Helena, I want to be your friend. What a wonderful, thoughtful gift! Those are the presents I love to receive—the ones that contain a little bit of the giver.