Luscious Homemade Food Gifts

Combine the best of both worlds with adorable snowman desserts that feature both brownies and cheesecake. Screw lids onto baked and cooled cheesecake jars. Cut off the toe end from one baby sock and wrap the cut end with a length of twine. Glue tiny pom-poms to the twine ends. Slide sock hat over top of the jar lid. Make a small cone-shape nose using a scrap of construction paper; glue to jar. Glue tiny pom-poms for eyes. Stack jars to form a snowman (hot-glue to secure if desired). Adorn bottom jar with pom-poms and ribbon.

Candied cherries and orange peel spice up our coconut macaroons; pretty embellishments decorate their packaging. Place the disk lid on top of the filled jar, then place a scrapbooking paper circle on top and secure with the rim lid. Twist a white pipe cleaner on each end of a red pipe cleaner. Wrap the pipe cleaners around jar and twist. Label with a sticker.

Cute for kids and grown ups alike, this hot chocolate mix makes the perfect last-minute gift. It calls for only five ingredients and can be made in 15 minutes flat. 

Reuse a plastic cookie tray from a cookie package to gift our delicious pecan pie bars. Line the bottom of the tray with 3.25 x 2-inch mini paper loaf liners. Fill the liners with bar cookies. Slide the tray into a clear cellophane bag. Enclose the opening by folding over a piece of scrapbooking paper and stapling it to the bag. Attach sticker tags.

Did you know that toasting salt in a skillet imparts a smoky flavor? Whip up a big batch of these savory seasoning blends and give them to the meat-lovers in your life.

A cookie decorating kit is the perfect food gift for a family to use together on Christmas Eve. Make a batch of our classic cutout cookies, and package them with sprinkles and frosting. Print our cheery labels for a sweet finishing touch.

A candy-lover will chow down on this rich chocolate bark. Customize the recipe for your loved one by using their favorite candy bar in the filling. Finish off this sweet food gift with our adorable pup silhouette and lid liner.

Our cozy tea mix features ginger, cloves, and dried apple chips, giving it the taste of apple pie in a cup. Craft a tea kit with paper cups, tea filters, and our cute printable tags.

Delight a neighbor or friend with a make-at-home dinner for the evening. Use our recipes for pizza dough and sauce, and tie up bundles of classic pizza toppings. To package this creative gift, use a pizza box and our cute label.

Three kinds of chile peppers make this hot sauce a perfect food gift for the daredevil in your life. Print our custom labels and tie mild dried chiles to the bottles. 

A master griller will love our herb-infused custom salt rub, and it's a cinch to make. Package the seasoning mixture in glass bottles, then glue twine in a spiral for a cool top. Wrap burlap and our label around each bottle for a custom finish.

Plastic boxes, candy cups, and festive fabric are all you need to package these luscious chocolate truffles. It's really all about the decadent milk chocolate-covered truffles inside, anyway.

Delight a foodie friend with these delicate lavender cookies. We made cookie sandwiches for easy packing, but you also can spoon the sweet sugar frosting on top. To wrap the cookies, stack them in a paper-lined roll of corrugated cardboard. Place a round of cork at each end and tightly tie the tube with ribbon.

Great for a post holiday breakfast, this wholesome cinnamon roll recipe features moist potato dough, a spiced cherry-and-pecan filling, and a decadent cream cheese icing. Bake the twist in a disposable foil pan, then add the lid and color to your gift with a wide, festive ribbon.

Pistachios lend seasonal green color to this nut mix, but you could easily sub in almonds or cashews. To package, layer two muffin liners to make a sturdy container and add your favorite nut mix. Punch circles from cardstock. Fold down the flaps of the liners to cover the mix, then use a dab of hot glue to seal with a cardstock circle.

These bottled syrups are perfect for adding flavor to cocktails and drinks. We're giving you the recipe for vanilla-jalapeno and pomegranate-rosemary.

Baklava makes the perfect food gift because it offers an option other than Christmas cookies. Package the baklava triangles in a holiday tin topped with a magnetic clip and a note from you.

Individually wrapped in pretty paper and tied with a bit of string, these decadent bars make small but perfect last-minute gifts.

These sweet mini pies taste as good as they look. Bake the pie in a 1-cup, wide-mouth canning jar. To package, place the cooled pie in a pint-size wooden berry basket. Wrap the basket with red yarn and add a personalized label.

Double-dipped chocolate and vanilla pretzels are a salty-and-sweet food gift that anyone will love. For the packaging, glue scrapbook paper around a potato chip can. Adhere a homemade label to the can using glue, then wrap the can with twine. 

Surprise your loved ones with a box of luscious berry jam bars. The buttery cream cheese crumble on top will have them clamoring for the recipe. To package the bars, line a gift box with waxed paper and glue ribbon to the top of the box. Write with chalk on a cardstock tag to finish the gift.

Everyone loves a good cocktail! These spiced cherries are flavored with bourbon, vanilla, and pepper -- making them a must-have for home mixologists.

Gift this classic childhood favorite with a grown-up twist for the holidays. A bold dose of cinnamon and dried fruit adds some sophisticated flavor to oatmeal cookies. To package, line a small burlap gift bag with brown parchment paper. Tie the filled bag with ribbon and add a tag.

Need a last-minute gift? Don’t fret. These French-style peppermint cakes have a trick up their sleeve: A frozen pound cake base allows you to put them together in just 30 minutes. Dress them up with paper candy cups and a gift box.

Individual-size bread puddings are a great hostess gift. Each cup is filled with a fluffy mixture of cinnamon bread and apples; homemade caramel sauce in a mini jam jar adds a decadent drizzle. Package the servings in a disposable foil muffin pan with a lid, and decorate the top of the muffin pan with paper circles and scrapbook stickers.

Balance the sweetness of honey with salty mixed nuts, black pepper, and fresh marjoram. We love this sauce on ice cream. It'll last up to one month in the fridge.

Homemade brownie mix in a jar is a great gift for families. Our recipe features rich cocoa powder, gooey marshmallows, and a layer of crunchy hazelnuts. Pour the ingredients into the jar one by one, and then decorate it for the season. (We used velvet stickers to jazz up the sides of the jar.) For the flower topper, layer a paper tag, a vintage foil flower, and a large button; adhere them together with a few dabs of hot glue.  

A light dusting of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and nuts completes these decadent truffles. Made with rich chocolate and whipping cream, the outside is just as good as the juicy cherry center. Package these treats using small paper candy cups and a gift box tied with ribbon.

A crunchy streusel topping adds a festive twist to this brunch favorite. For simple packaging, try an inexpensive basket with a satin ribbon.

For a make-ahead gift your friends will love, combine vodka, sugar, and vanilla beans, then store for a month in a cool, dark place. Copy your favorite drink recipe onto a cute card and attach it to this luscious liqueur for a personal touch.

This two-in-one brownie food gift looks lovely in a pretty confection box (available at crafts stores). Alternate brownie squares for a fun checkerboard effect.

Light-as-air homemade marshmallows are a treat to give -- recipients can add them to hot cocoa on a chilly night. Wrap the marshmallows in a cellophane bag topped with a small chalkboard gift tag (available at crafts or hobby stores).

A savory bacon-and-egg casserole goes mobile in a baking dish the recipients will love to add to their stash. Wrap the dish with a festive holiday towel and ribbon, and tie on wooden utensils.

Customize tempered chocolate with your favorite candies -- we love the salty-and-sweet combo of pretzels and peppermint. To package, cut a circle just smaller than the jar lid from about 25 layers of holiday-color tissue paper. Use a double-threaded needle to make one stitch in the center of the stack; knot. Snip around the circle at regular intervals. Pull the tissue-paper petal shapes up and toward the center. Use a glue dot to adhere the flower to the jar lid.

Our spicy-sweet candied ginger is a great gift. It can be used in cocktails, baking, or eaten all on its own.

With the tempting flavors of pumpkin pie spice, espresso powder, and maple syrup, these flaky rolls are anything but ordinary. For stylish packaging, place them in a baking dish and wrap with colorful ribbon.

Drizzle this tangy syrup over pound cake or ice cream, or add a dash to cocktails. To package, wrap washi tape around the top or bottom of an apothecary bottle for a quick embellishment. Tie a gift tag to the neck of the bottle with twine.

Standard banana bread gets dressed up for the holidays with cocoa and amaretto-soaked cherries. To package, bake the bread in a wooden basket. When cool, slip it inside a clear bread bag. Wrap the bread with red velvet ribbon and secure with hot glue. Use a thin-tip permanent marker to write on a wooden tag, and tie the tag to the package with hemp twine.

Orange peel and a bit of pepper join the spice mix in classic gingerbread for amped-up flavor. To package, cut scrapbook paper to fit the interior of a petal envelope and adhere using double-stick tape. Use glue dots to attach buttons to the flap, 1/2 inch from the opposite fold. Wrap twine in a figure eight around the buttons to close.

Cook chocolate pieces and chocolate-hazelnut spread with evaporated milk and sugar for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour it in a glass jar and refrigerate until serving or until you're ready to give it as a gift.

To make this simple candy, dip peppermint sticks in dark chocolate, then roll the chocolate portion in crushed nuts, cinnamon-sugar, or sweetened coconut. Wrap in clear cellophane and tie with pretty ribbon for giving.

Peppercorns give these buttery sweet treats an unexpected bite. To package, cut scrapbook paper to fit the box lid and secure with double-stick tape. Layer two ribbons of different widths in a band around the closed box and hot-glue them in place. Dip the stems of punched leaf shapes in hot glue and press onto the ends of hemp twine; knot around the box on top of the ribbon.

This snack is for the bagel-lovers out there. We've borrowed the savory flavors of everything bagels and transformed them into a crisp cracker.

Mom's classic recipe makes a great gift and looks tasty in a quart jar wrapped with a flour-sack towel and seasonal ribbon.

Cinnamon and orange zest add pizzazz to this delicious relish, which can be made up to a week in advance. Decorative jars, topped with a cute wooden spoon and personalized note, make ideal packaging.

Simple metal tins look cheerful when dressed up with leftover wrapping paper or bold grosgrain ribbon. A handwritten tag under the ribbon lets recipients know what delightful treat is nestled inside -- pumpkin pie-spiced nuts.

Give your friends and family a ready-to-devour appetizer -- feta cubes, Kalamata olives, green olives, roasted peppers, and onion wedges marinated in an herb vinaigrette. A piece of scrap fabric dresses up screw-top jars, which are personalized with a homemade label.

Want to give the gift of food but short on time? This easy maple mustard is a snap to make, thanks to a microwave cooking technique.

Give the gift of homemade ketchup -- it's great on pretty much anything! This version is spiced with clove and cinnamon.