Easy Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas {Food}

This is a collection of many easy homemade Christmas gift ideas (food). There is also inspiration for many simple gifts in a jar as well as DIY baking kits and boxes and even gift baskets. Lots of tips are included for packaging and shipping as well. You can make these in advance or last minute. Many of these options are so fun, creative and cool that they can even be used for best friends, spouses, kids, teenagers, Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays.

*Thank you American Greetings for sponsoring today’s post so that I can share this post with all of you. As always, all opinions are mine.*

What are some homemade food gift ideas?

• DIY Baking kits- These are a great option for something simple and easy, but well put together. You can include kits for anything from hot cocoa, cookies, or general baking.
• Cakes- This is more elaborate, but can be a lot of fun. Receiving an entire homemade cake for a gift, whether it's for your birthday or a special holiday can mean a lot to the recipient.
• Cupcakes- Simple or festive, these can bring a lot of joy, not to mention a lot of happy taste buds.
• Cookies- There are hundreds of options. The flavors, shapes, decorations, and even the packaging can say a thousand words.
• Candies and chocolates- Some prefer candy over warm, baked goods, so this is a wonderful and simple option, especially if you need to make a large number. Include homemade candy bars, fudge, truffles, caramels.
• Homemade jams, spreads and preserves- These always taste so much better than the store-bought versions anyways.
• Sweet sauces- These are great for friends and neighbors and you'll enjoy the short time it takes to create them in the kitchen.
• Pie fillings- Many people use these for more than pies and will be ever so grateful you made a jar just for them.
• Breakfast items- Like homemade granola, energy bars, muffins, scones, donuts, sweet breads, and pastries.
• Nuts- Whether it is chocolate covered peanuts or Candied Nuts (Glazed Nuts), if you package it just right, these make great presents.
• Brownies- I have so many great recipes that you can try out.

What makes a good homemade gift?

Sometimes a homemade gift means more to someone than anything you can buy at the store but you really have to think about the person you are making it for. Ask yourself a few questions. First, who are you making it for? Will it be for a neighbor you haven't met yet? A best friend you've known all your life? A family member, teacher, or a friend of your child's? Second, what are their likes and dislikes? Do they like vanilla or chocolate, savory or sweet, breads or cookies? If you don't know yet, make your best guess based on what you do know. Be sure to know allergies as well. The last thing you want to give is a bag full of nuts to someone that has a major allergy to them. Third, what is the occasion? Why are you giving them a gift? Is it their birthday, an anniversary, Christmas, or other holiday? Answering these questions will help you determine the flavors, colors, and overall look. But most of all, what matters is that you made it and it came from the heart.

How to package edible gifts?

I have a detailed post on Food and Cookie Packaging Ideas that you should check out. Plus, you can do this on a budget! Basically you can use anything like a box, bag, jar, tin, containers but you can't just throw everything in there in a jumble. Be creative, be precise, and use little things that make a big difference, such as ribbon, stickers, crepe paper, printed recipe cards and instructions, cute tags.

Tips for making this process easy

We all know these days that there just isn't enough time in the day to do all we want or need to do. It may seem like an impossible task, especially during the holidays, to make homemade gifts for neighbors and friends but it can be done!

• Choose 1-3 different treats- Then double, triple, or quadruple the batch. By doing this you save time and money.
• Make extras- Especially during the holidays, because there is always someone that you forgot to include in your list until the last minute.
• Be realistic on how much time you have- Some treats take more time and effort than others. Plan your time wisely and realize that if you know time is short, choose treats that are both fast and easy to make and perhaps no bake. Don't go making 25 four layered masterfully decorated cakes!
• Make a list- Of all the ingredients and packaging material you will need. Then go to the store, or even easier, go online to shop.
• Commit and organize- You can do this! Plan out a specified breakdown/ schedule of time and tasks to get it all done. Where there's a will, there's a way.
• Don't do this last minute- Please do not wait until the day before you are needing to hand out the treats to make them all. You need to give yourself some grace. In fact, if you want to give holiday jam out this year, that's something you plan months in advance and then just spiffy the jars up to give away. Think ahead.
• Pick treats with the similar ingredients- This way you have less individual items to buy and more you can do with them.

DIY Baking Kits and Boxes

Cupcake Decorating Kit- This is such a fun kit and so easy to make. You will need a jar filled with the dry ingredients of a cupcake recipe and the recipe card. You could start with a simple Vanilla Cupcake or Chocolate Cupcake, or for the more experienced baker you can include these Raspberry Cupcakes. Then, add in things like cupcake liners, decorating sprinkles and candies, a piping bag and tips. You may want to add in a favorite frosting recipe cards as well, like my classic Buttercream Frosting or Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Arrange it all prettily in a nice box and you're done!

DIY Hot Cocoa Gift Box- Make your own hot cocoa mix by mixing the dry ingredients in a jar from these recipes: White Hot Chocolate, Mexican Hot Cocoa, Crockpot Hot Cocoa. Attach a recipe card to the bottles with the dry mix. Make sure your box also includes a variety of toppings, marshmallows, chocolate spoons and peppermint spoons for stirring, some cookies and truffle balls. You can also try other beverage mixes like Gingerbread Latte, Mocha Latte, Eggnog Latte, Eggnog, Apple Cider, or Caramel Latte. Although you can't put it in a box, this Christmas Punch is another option.

Cookie Decorating Kit- Add all the dry ingredients for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Red Velvet Cookies, and Cut Out Sugar Cookies into individual jars and then add all the other fixings like cookie cutters, baking utensils, sprinkles to the box. You can even make a Gingerbread House decorating box!

Homemade Baking Kit- This is a more general gift for people who are passionate bakers. Include items such as measuring cups, measuring spoons, oven mitts, kitchen towels, spatula, sprinkles, a homemade mix of some kind, along with a recipe card. You can add the dry ingredients to Buttermilk Pancakes, Chocolate Waffles, Pancake Muffins, or Stained Glass Cookies. A bigger item to be added for an extra special surprise could be a hand-held mixer or Kitchenaid mixer.

DIY Chocolate Bark Kit- For this, simply include the recipe card and all ingredients. You can go with the classic Chocolate Bark or change it up a bit with this Peanut Butter Chocolate Bark or this White Chocolate Bark. In all of these you can include different toppings, such as nuts, sprinkles, candy, or marshmallows.

Tea Gift Box- You can have some fun with this box by including your favorite tea bags or tea recipes, like my Masala Chai Tea or Green Tea Latte, a mixing spoon, sweetener, and a few different cookie options. You can also include other sweeteners like a small bottle of maple syrup, honey, or agave. Then, add a small bag of spices like cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, or star anise. Go fancy by adding a tea cup with a saucer or even a small tea pot. Pictured below are the following cookies: Iced Oatmeal Cookies, Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies, Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Football Party Snack Kit- It's game day and time to have lots of snacks and fun watching football with your buddies and family. In this simple kit, you can include items like a serving tray, candy, decorations, popcorn, chips, a tablecloth, cups and other football themed items to make the party more fun. You could even include some homemade candy such as Spicy Chocolate Fudge Footballs. This is lovely to bring along when you are an invited guest and want to contribute.

Cakes

There are so many flavors and styles of cakes to choose from such as bundt cakes, layer cakes, tiered cakes, sheet cakes.

Decorated Cakes and Bundt Cakes- Pictured below is the scrumptious Lemon Bundt Cake, decorated with Lemon Glaze. You can also make a box of my Mini Bundt Cakes, which are so fun for any occasion. I also have Chocolate Bundt Cake, Sock It To Me Cake, 7 Up Cake, and Louisiana Crunch Cake that are fantastic. I recommend checking out my Bundt Cake Decorating Ideas to make something really creative and memorable. You can also use fancy designs of bundt pans in the market these days. Just make sure to grease very well so that it doesn't break upon removal. If you are looking for something special for Christmas, make a very pretty decorated holiday cake like my Grinch Cake, Christmas Cake (Tree), or Peppermint Cake.

Sheet Cakes- This is a good idea because it makes a lot that you can distribute to many people by cutting them up into sample sizes and placing them in a box. You can also include additional toppings if you like. I chose a few different flavors for this box so that people can try a variety of flavors. You can easily convert a round cake recipe to a sheet pan. Some recipe to try are: Red Velvet Cake, Yellow Sheet Cake, Oreo Cake, Chocolate Sheet Cake, German Chocolate Cake, Texas Sheet Cake

Pound Cakes and Loaf Cakes- These are a great indulgence during, especially this Christmas Fruit Cake Loaf. Some of my favorites that are great for giving out are this Lemon Pound Cake, Buttermilk Pound Cake, Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Marble Cake, Sour Cream Pound Cake, Cinnamon Roll Cake Loaf, Key Lime Cake Loaf, or Chocolate Pound Cake. Not only are they so delicious, soft, and moist but they also look lovely.

Cupcakes

Go festive with seasonal designs like my Grinch Cupcakes, Poinsettia Cupcakes, Christmas Tree Cupcakes, Snowman Cupcakes, Reindeer Cupcakes, Gingerbread Cupcakes. Take it up a notch and consider making Filled Cupcakes with interesting fillings like Chocolate Whipped Cream, Whipped Cream, Vanilla Custard, Vanilla Pudding, or Banana Pudding. See what great combinations you can make and share with others!

Homemade Jams, Spreads, Preserves

Not only are these heartfelt but they are also practical and can be used to accompany many other food items like Cranberry Orange Scones, bread, Chocolate Pancakes or Lemon Blueberry Waffles, fruit, Apple Cider Donuts, or fillings for cakes like my Banana Cake Roll. Check out my recipes for Strawberry Jam, Apple Butter, Pumpkin Butter, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Gravy, and Lemon Curd. Tie a mini serving spoon around the jar and add cute dish towel to make it extra special.

Sweet Sauces

There are so many cute jars out there and even more adorable tags to attach, and when you fill them with various sweet sauces, they are such great items to give out. Make them big jars or mini jars filled with Caramel Sauce, Fudge Sauce, Dulce de Leche, or Nutella Syrup. Your friends will love it because they can be used in so many different ways. For example, these sauces are delicious on Pumpkin Pancakes, sweet breads Spice Cake, Churro Cookies and much more.

Pie Fillings

You can make anything from the berry family like Raspberry Pie Filling, Blueberry Pie Filling and Strawberry Pie Filling, or try others like Apple Pie Filling, Cherry Pie Filling, and Peach Pie Filling. They are great fillings for cakes like this Apple Pie Cake or can be used in cupcakes too. You can also use them in cobblers and crisps, like my Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp or Apple Crisp. They even make a great topping for pancakes, crepes, and muffins. Of course they are always fabulous for pies, including Blueberry Pie, Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, and Peach Pie. You can include a recipe card for these or make it a boxed gift and include a cute pie pan.

Cookies

Christmas Cookie Boxes- Be sure to check out this collection of Best Christmas Cookies! Simply make doubled batches of a handful of recipes and you are set. Wait for them to cool, arrange them nicely, add some candy and decoration, and you've got a great present for an entire family. Cookies seen here are Fresh Cranberry Cookies (With White Chocolate, Orange, Oatmeal), Peanut Butter Cookies, Christmas Tree Cookies, Gingersnaps, Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.

Cookie Basket- Instead of a box, fill a large basket with cookies. Try my Butter Cookies (Piped Cookies), Spritz Cookies, and Chocolate Chip Cookies, Champagne Cookies, Eggnog Cookies, and Pizzelle Cookies.

Jumbo Gingerbread Men Cookies- Pack him in gift box lined with parchment paper and he's the sweetest treat ever. Kids love these giant treats, but adults go nuts for them, too.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels- I used the large stick pretzels this time but you can use the twists or any type of seasonal shapes you like. You can also add Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers or Chocolate Covered Oreos or Chocolate Covered Potato Chips.

Homemade Candies

Homemade Chocolate Bars- These are so fun and easy to make. You can try so many different flavors and add-ins. You can even include these Homemade Gourmet Chocolates that are made in ice cube trays.

Sweet and Savory Box- If you are fond of the sweet and salty flavor combination, make mini homemade chocolates and pair that with various flavors of mixed nuts. You can even swap out nuts with chips.

Candy Cones- If you don't have time to bake, this is a great option for you. Simply purchase a bulk amount of your favorite seasonal candies and fill these cone baggies. You can add a cute ribbon and attach a note for good measure. They can be color themed for baby showers or you can mix and match candies. Be creative!

Fudge and truffles- I love giving fudge boxes out during the holidays. It really adds a heartfelt touch. There are so many great flavors to choose from like Condensed Milk Fudge (Cranberry and Pistacho), Caramel Fudge, Fantasy Fudge With Marshmallow Creme, Christmas Fudge With Candy Canes, Oreo Fudge, Peanut Butter Fudge, and White Chocolate Fudge, just to name a few. You can even ship these boxes easily and the candy keeps well. You can even make a truffles box and fill them with all these truffles: Chocolate Truffles, Red Velvet Truffles, Champagne Truffles, Oreo Truffles, Coffee Truffles, Chocolate Mint Truffles, White Chocolate Truffles, or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles.

Salted Chocolate Caramels- I love how the sweetness of chocolate and caramel (a fantastic pair alone) is balanced by a dash of salt. These are definitely a crowd pleaser and you just can't go wrong with sending a box of these to the neighbors down the street or your friends across the country.

Chocolate Caramel Apples or Taffy Apples- Aren't just for the Fall. I like them all year round! You can change up the overall look by what candies, nuts, chocolate, or bows you use on the apples. Box them up, place them in individual bags, or use a tin. Throw in decorative crepe paper, and a note and this can be a favorite any time of the year.

Caramel Corn- This salty sweet combination is an excellent option and of course, it is simple to make. Package it in a large cellophane bag or jar. You can even make a few different flavors.

Breakfast Items

Sweet Breads- There is something lovely about homemade breads that bring memories of home, warm aromas, and family gatherings. A few of my favorites you can share with your loved ones include Orange Cranberry Bread, Sweet Potato Bread, and Gingerbread, which is great for the Christmas season. Also, let's face it, most of us are scrambling for time these days, so I just want to add a few more options that make life a little easier with cake mix: Banana Bread, Pumpkin Bread, and Chocolate Banana Bread.

Muffins- Who doesn't enjoy an amazing muffin? I know I can eat them any day of the week throughout the year! Recipes can easily be doubled and they are easy to box up and send away. Pictured below are Pistachio Muffins, Blueberry Muffins, Banana Muffins, Double Chocolate Muffins, Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Cranberry Orange Muffins. Of course, you can also try Cinnamon Muffins, Applesauce Muffins, or Pumpkin Muffins.

Christmas Donuts- This is one that kids will love helping. You can make Rudolph, wreaths, snowmen, and more. Cute and yummy are a great pair and these donuts definitely are both. You can also check out my Baked Pumpkin Donuts, Jelly Filled Donuts, Halloween Donuts, and Pikachu (Pokemon Donuts) for other holidays, themed parties, and events.

Homemade Granola- This is a perfect combination of loose pieces and tasty clusters. Make a box and include this, along with yogurt containers, fresh fruits, a cute spoon, and a bow and it is ready to bring a smile to your loved ones.