80 Best Homemade Food Gifts for the Holidays

Meggan Hill

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There is no better way to show you care than with Homemade Food Gifts this holiday season. From cookies and candy to spreads and spices, choose from 80+ DIY ideas with something for everybody on your list!

A jar of orange marmalade with a stack of biscuits, both wrapped as Christmas gift.


 

Homemade gifts in general, and homemade food gifts in particular, can be a lovely way to spread joy in the holiday season without emptying your bank account. And if your list continues to grow to include teachers, delivery drivers, and the gal who cuts your hair, it can get expensive.

Here are my best ideas for food gifts that can travel well, whether it’s next door, in your car, or in a box. But consider your own favorite cookies, candies, snacks, and spreads and whether they might be a gift for someone you know. It’s all about the inspiration!

Table of Contents

  1. Christmas Cookies
  2. Christmas Bars
  3. Candy and Chocolate
  4. Snacks
  5. Spice Blends
  6. Spreads and Sauces
  7. Breads, Biscuits, and Rolls
  8. Muffins

Christmas Cookies

People love to receive the cookies you love enough to bake yourself; it’s like getting a mix-tape from the oven! Choose your favorite or do a variety pack, then package them in cookie tins, cardboard boxes, or wrapped on a pretty Christmas plate.

A plate for cookies for Christmas.
Pizzelle cookies being dusted with powdered sugar.

1

Pizzelle

An easy Pizzelle recipe for the classic Italian cookie, lightly sweetened and flavored with vanilla or anise. All you need are 6 ingredients and 1 pizzelle maker!
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Christmas Bars

Share similar flavor to Christmas cookies, just in a format that requires zero scooping or rolling!

A pan filled with sugar cookie bar squares.

2

Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars

Easy Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars are my idea of the perfect dessert. Semi-homemade yet full of decadence, this semi-homemade bar cookie recipe stars cheesecake atop a buttery sugar cookie crust.
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Candy and Chocolate

Homemade candy is a sure sign of love because it takes more effort than baking cookies. Be sure to make extra candy on Baking Day so you’ll have extra to give away.

Candied pecans, peanut brittle, and peppermint bark wrapped for Christmas.
A stack of Christmas crack on a plate.

3

Christmas Crack Recipe

You'll love this salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy saltine cracker candy, sometimes known as Christmas Crack, and you can make it in 15 minutes with just 5 ingredients!
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Snacks

These crunchy snacks double as edible stocking stuffers and are especially great for kids. But make enough for the adults too; you’ll be passing out bags of pure nostalgia!

3 small containers of puppy chow wrapped for Christmas.
Puppy chow on a beige platter.

4

Puppychow

Puppychow, also known as muddy buddies, this classic Midwestern dessert is my go-to no-bake treat for bake sales, parties, and food gifts. If you like peanut butter cups, you'll love this easy dessert recipe.
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Spice Blends

Homemade spice blends are a great way to encourage home cooking after the holidays. Do a big batch of your preferred blend or mix-and-match a four-pack of your favorites. Consider attaching a recipe card that puts the blend to use (such as a recipe for turkey tacos for the taco seasoning).

Small bottles of homemade spice blends tied with Christmas twine for gift-giving.
A plate of homemade fajita seasoning.

5

Fajita Seasoning Mix

Skip the store-bought packets and make your own homemade Fajita Seasoning! It's incredibly simple and can be mixed together in minutes (and you can reduce or omit the salt and the sugar if you want to).
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Spreads and Sauces

Jams, jellies, and spreads make excellent Christmas gifts that can be stored away for a future day. Bundle with a pretty spreader or spoon, cinnamon ornament, and maybe even a loaf of homemade bread.

Jars of orange marmalade and apple butter wrapped for Christmas.
3 jars of homemade orange marmalade.

6

Orange Marmalade

This Orange Marmalade recipe is made with ordinary oranges and lemons, and it’s as unfussy as it is delicious. It follows the "old fashioned" technique of sitting in a pot overnight, and every spoonful will make your morning toast sparkle.
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Breads, Biscuits, and Rolls

While somewhat perishable, a loaf of freshly-baked bread, a pan of rolls (for brunch the next day!), or a stack of buttery biscuits is peak thoughtfulness, especially when paired with a spread from above. For quick breads and loaf cakes, consider using tiny loaf pans and giving an assortment of flavors.

A jar of orange marmalade with a stack of biscuits, both wrapped as Christmas gift.
Buttermilk biscuits on a baking rack.

7

Buttermilk Biscuits

Tall and fluffy, light and airy, these Buttermilk Biscuits are peak brunch fare. Serve with with sausage gravy, with scrambled eggs and cheese, or with a slather of jam. There's no wrong way to biscuit here.
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Muffins

When gifting for a crowd, I love to bake several pans of muffins so I can customize the food gift size easily based on the recipient.

Blueberry muffins on a cooling rack.

8

Blueberry Muffins

My bakery-style Blueberry Muffins come topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel that takes their flavor over the top. Skip the coffee shop version; these homemade Blueberry Muffins can be yours in just 45 minutes.
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

    1. Hi Gillian, you can click on the individual links to see the ingredients and directions for each of the items. Hope this helps! Please write if you have any questions on any of the recipes! – Meggan

  5. This is wonderful!! Thank you so much for all of the ideas and recipes to go along with them. Appreciate all of your hard work.

    Reply

  6. What a fantastic list of versatile, mainstay recipes. Thanks for always providing recipes that I trust to turn out right!

    Reply