Making Holiday Food Gifts is a way to give from the heart. I make cookies and candies for the neighbors every year plus I create a special gift from my kitchen for my lovely book club friends. All of these Edible Gifts have been tested and gifted to friends.

Homemade vanilla extract takes 6 months for the alcohol to “extract” the vanilla flavor from fresh vanilla beans. So get started with your batch today! Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur that only takes a few weeks until fruition. Most of my other food gift ideas can be made right before the holidays in December. A few special treats can be grouped together in Food Gift Baskets for your dearest friends.

A Weck jar filled with homemade vanilla next to 2 tins of labels
Table of Contents hide
1 Best Food Gifts Using Alcohol
2 Favorite Holiday Cookies
3 Homemade Holiday Candy
4 Other Homemade Gifts
5 How To Package Food Gifts
6 Helpful Tools

Best Food Gifts Using Alcohol

Holiday Pinwheel Cookies stacked on a small round white plate

Favorite Holiday Cookies

Classic English Toffee in a white ceramic bowl

Homemade Holiday Candy

Easy Microwave Caramel Sauce featured image

Other Homemade Gifts

How To Package Food Gifts

Make sure to wrap everything individually. If there’s loose peppermint bark next to sugar cookies the mint flavor can be absorbed by the cookies! Here are some ideas for your Food Gift Baskets:

  1. Use holiday tins! Target, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, and other stores will carry decorative tins for Christmas.
  2. Buy clear cellophane bags for each treat and tie them with festive ribbons.
  3. Purchase seasonal  Chinese Food Cartons. I find these at World Market and the Container Store. Wrap each kind of candy or cookie individually and place them in the carton along with some coordinating tissue paper.
  4. For a very special gift, purchase a nice wicker basket and line with festive cloth tea towels before adding all your homemade goodies. You can add some wine, ornaments, etc. to help fill the basket.

Helpful Tools

A well-stocked kitchen makes an afternoon of holiday baking more enjoyable. Here are some of my favorite supplies for the busiest baking season (affiliate links):

  • Half Sheet Pans – This USA brand baking sheet is heavy duty and use them all the time!
  • Parchment Sheets – Helps prevent cookies from sticking to the pan plus make for easy cleanup.
  • Medium Cookie Scoop – I own at least 3 and it is my most used size of cookie scoop.
  • Holiday Tins – Nice for holiday gifting!

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What are YOUR favorite homemade holiday gifts to make? Do you give food gift baskets? Leave me your recommendations in the comments!