51 homemade food gifts for Christmas
- Janine Ratcliffe
Published: November 23, 2023 at 12:06 PM
loading...
Get 5 months for £5 when you subscribe today
From jars of hot pepper jelly to moreish miso caramels, these are the best edible gifts to pop in a stocking this Christmas
Want to make your own edible Christmas gifts this year? Check out our tasty Christmas gift ideas, from chocolate truffles and miso caramels to hot pepper jelly. We also have some unique Christmas presents for your friends who love gin – homemade gin and even gin and tonic lollipops. You can put your homemade treats in a hamper to give to your family, or wrap individual ideas to send to friends. Check out our ultimate foodie Christmas hampers for even more inspiration.
Ad
If you’re making your own homemade edible gifts, then why not go one step further and make your own homemade Christmas crafts? Read our step-by-step guide to create your own Christmas wrapping paper and Christmas gift tags. Then try your hand at even more giftable recipes with our best Christmas sweets or our best fudge recipes. For quick and easy festive entertaining, check out our no-cook Christmas entertaining ideas.
If you're prepping for Christmas, check out our picks of the best Christmas crackers to buy filled with foodie treats, from popcorn to miniature cocktails.
Best homemade edible gifts for Christmas
Blonde chocolate Christmas bark
Decorated with nuts, citrus fruit and salty pretzels, this blonde chocolate bark makes for a delicious edible festive gift.
Candied orange peel
Our cinnamon and gin-infused candied orange peel is easy to make and full of flavour. Great as an edible gift or you could chop it and bake into biscuits.
Peanut brittle
Wrap up in pretty packaging and treat friends and family to these pre-made gifts.
Spiced Christmas biscuits
These crisp biscuits are flavoured with warming cinnamon and ginger spices. Perfect for the festive season – you could even hang them on the tree!
Salted matcha fudge
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as homemade fudge. Try this fun matcha twist.
Classic gingerbread
Try these traditional gingerbread squares with a crumbly, chewy texture. Perfect as a treat or homemade edible gift.
Christmas fudge
Check out this festive gingerbread fudge that takes just a few minutes to prepare. You can easily double the recipe to make two batches, so you have plenty for gifting.
Vegan gingerbread men
Enjoy some festive nostalgia with a batch of vegan gingerbread men. They're easy to bake and fun to decorate.
Baklava-style stuffed dates
These date bites are sweet, crunchy and filled with a baklava-style mixture of pistachios, walnuts, honey and spices. Once made, they'll will keep happily in a paper-lined box or tin.
Toasty almond rum thins
Perfect for a grown-up gift, these simple almond cookies are inspired by Belgian almond thins and Danish brown cookies – both with a wonderfully light, crisp texture. In Edd Kimber's version, the almond thins are transformed into sandwich cookies with a simple rum ganache for a hint of festive cheer.
Chocolate bark with dates, pistachios and almonds
Pop into gift bags for a quick homemade gift, or keep it all to yourself – this fancy dark chocolate bark can be made in just 20 minutes, plus chilling.
Rose ripple lemon nougat
Inspired by Italian torrone, this citrussy nougat recipe is dotted with roasted almonds and pistachios, and drizzled with sweet rose syrup.
Chocolate salami
This fun take on a traditional chocolate salami uses whole pistachios in the filling and finely ground in the decoration. An optional splash of amaretto gives it a nice grown-up flavour.
Rum truffles
Get into the festive spirit with a batch of these homemade rum truffles decorated by hand – they make great last-minute gifts.
Stollen bites
Make these pretty stollen bites for a fun Christmas baking project – you can use any mixed dried fruit, such as cranberries, sour cherries or apricots.
Candied jalapeños
Sometimes called cowboy candy, these sweet, hot chillies can be used in sandwiches or spooned onto toast with soft cheese to make a cute canapé.
Marron glacé
Set some time aside to make these candied chestnuts, they're well worth the effort. Plus, they work perfectly as a stocking filler.
Christmas jam
Decant this festive jam – packed with cranberries, orange juice and zest, spices, sugar and apples – into a pretty glass jar to gift to a loved one.
Kaju katli
Cashew burfi, or kaju katli, is an Indian dessert recognisable by its diamond shape and silver leaf. This recipe for burfi, flavoured with mandarin zest and orange, a pinch of saffron and roasted pistachios, makes a brilliant festive gift.
Blackberry gin
If you’re looking for a gift to give a gin lover, why not rustle up this homemade blackberry tipple? It will last for months and celebrates the best of local ingredients.
Besan ladoos
Check out this salted caramel spin on classic besan burfi, a crumbly, biscuity Indian fudge that’s golden and nutty. Garnish with gold leaf and a sprinkle of sea salt flakes.
Spicy runner bean chutney
This fiery condiment makes the perfect accompaniment for punchy cheese toasties, a classic ploughman's, or in antipasti platters and sandwiches.
Easy homemade dog treats
Treat your furry friends this Christmas to these home-made dog biscuits – made with natural, easy to find ingredients.
Hot pepper jelly
Perk up any dish with this sweet and fiery condiment. Unopened in a cool, dark place, these pretty jars will keep for six months – making them an ideal make-ahead Christmas stocking filler.
Chestnut truffles
Jazz up your chocolate truffles this Christmas with these chocolate and chestnut truffles – a great twist on the classic truffle. They're nutty and indulgent. Take them along to a Christmas party for the host and you might be able to eat one yourself...
Cherry jam
Add botanical depth to sweet cherry jam with bay leaves and delicate rosewater. Perfect slathered on toast, or try swirling into overnight oats or porridge.
Fig chutney with orange and cinnamon
Make a jammy fig chutney with warming cinnamon, orange zest and ground ginger, perfect to enjoy alongside a cheeseboard or oozing autumnal toastie.
Mocha chocolate slab
Make this indulgent chocolate slab with white chocolate, dark chocolate and coffee beans to give as a gift or serve as a smart dinner party dessert with coffee. This homemade DIY Christmas gift will look pretty wrapped up.
Christmas gin with clementine
Instead of buying a bottle of fizz for your next party, why not make a bottle of clementine, ginger and bay gin? It's super easy to make but it's a great original idea. The festive clementine flavour will get everyone into the Christmas spirit. If you're looking for gin cocktail recipes, we've got plenty here
Sweet miso caramels
These caramels will be loved by both children and adults. The mix of sweet and salty flavours is a fun twist on the classic caramel. Wrap them in greaseproof paper to give away as artisan-style DIY Christmas gifts for friends and family, or eat them all yourself! We have plenty of caramel cakes and bakes to try here...
Aperol and red grapefruit marmalade
Want to impress your friends with homemade Christmas gifts? Make our boozy red grapefruit marmalade, a festive twist on this classic jam. Aperol lends a lovely bitter orange note to this soft-set, festive-looking marmalade. Discover our guide to preserving here
Nougat
Try our recipe for homemade pistachio nougat. This sweet treat is the perfect thing to make and give as a foodie gift, or to serve alongside coffee after dinner
Gin and tonic dip dabs
We've got the best present for friends who are fans of a gin and tonic. These homemade Christmas gin and tonic dip dabs, are a fun grown-up version of a childhood favourite. You can substitute any other flavouring for the gin and tonic – orange or lemon extract also work well. Check out our easy gin and tonic cake, too
Chocolate chip cookie pizza
The ultimate homemade food gift! This chocolate chip cookie pizza is super easy to make and great fun to assemble with all the family. Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, this is the perfect Christmas present for a crowd. Deliver in a pizza box for a bit of fun.
Chilli-infused oil
Infused oils are best made in small amounts as they go off quicker. This simple oil is the perfect gift to give friends this Christmas.
Baileys fudge
Fudge is a sweet treat that keeps well and the addition of Baileys makes it great for the festive season. If you want to get ahead with gifts, it can be made in advance and keeps for a month.
Vegan fudge
Decorate this vegan fudge with some pretty ribbon for gifting – you can make it ahead as it’ll keep in the fridge for up to a month.
Baileys chocolate tiffin
Looking for an easy edible gift to give friends over the festive season? Check out these indulgent chocolate tiffins with our favourite Christmas drink in solid chocolate form. You don’t have to include the edible glitter but it does give added bling. Try our other Baileys Irish cream recipes here, from Baileys cheesecake to Baileys fudge...
Christmas plum chutney
A jar of chutney is the ideal homemade food gift for hosts over the festive season. It can keep for ages, so your host can enjoy it at their leisure. Try making a big batch so that you can keep a few jars for yourself!
Pistachio and cherry cantuccini
Need an easy homemade Christmas gift for friends and family? Wrapped in a cellophane bag, these pistachio and cherry cantuccini keep well so can be made in advance and go great with a cup of coffee. More pistachio recipes here
Homemade sriracha
If you’re friends with people who can handle heat, a bottle of homemade sriracha would go down a treat. Buy some empty bottles and fill with hot sauce for a spicy gift for the festive season.
Sour cherry stollen bars
Jazz up your stollen this Christmas with our easy bars that make great handmade Christmas gifts. The ingredients list may look lengthy but it’s all about building up the textures and flavours to make this the most moreish bar ever – way better than regular stollen. Check out our best cherry recipes here
Vanilla fudge
Try our super crumbly fudge recipe with muscovado sugar for an impressive handmade Christmas gift. Our fudge may take a little effort but makes for a sweet gift to give your foodie friends and family for Christmas.
Christmas biscuits
Looking for a foodie festive activity to do with children? Our spiced Christmas biscuits make perfect edible decorations to hang from your tree or mantle. You can leave them out for Santa or wrap them up as a gift, the possibilities are endless!
Blackberry whisky
Looking for homemade Christmas gifts to take to a Christmas party? We've got the the perfect homemade gift for whisky lovers. The subtle spiciness of blackberries is a great match for whisky. Use an affordable blended scotch, which you can tweak by adding in whole, toasted spices (such as cardamom) to infuse.
Salted cashew nut brittle
Why not make a hamper full of edible treats for friends this year? This salted cashew nut brittle will be fun to make, but your friends will love eating it even more. It's really simple to make, too!
Chocolate truffles
Homemade chocolate truffles are an easy and original gift. You can add whatever flavours you fancy and have as much fun with them as you like. Try popping them in a box lined with greaseproof paper to give away to your family. More chocolate recipes here
Chocolate-dipped honeycomb
Need inspiration for easy edible gifts? Ready in 20 minutes, our quick and fun honeycomb recipe is dipped in dark, milk and white chocolate, the perfect Christmas treat for someone with a sweet tooth. Discover more of our best Christmas baking recipe here
Cranberry and ginger tiffin
Make this simple, indulgent tiffin to treat someone you love this Christmas. You can swap the white chocolate for dark or milk – whichever you fancy. The cranberry and ginger flavours really lift the buttery biscuit. It's ready in just 30 minutes, so a great last-minute gift. We've got plenty more ginger recipes here too
Peanut butter pretzel truffles
These truffles are rich, nutty and very chocolatey. Covered in pretzels, they've got a crunchy outside and smooth centre. Make a big batch and give them out to lots of different friends this Christmas, you'll be everyone's favourite!
Ad
Florentines
Florentines are sweet, nutty and easy to make. Try dipping them in different types of chocolate to mix it up a bit. Place in a box lined with greaseproof paper for a fancy yet fun homemade Christmas present for friends and family to enjoy with a comforting cup of tea over the festive season.
Authors
Janine RatcliffeFood director
Comments, questions and tips
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
CommentQuestionTip
Ad
Ad
Loading...
Ad
Loading...
Want to see this content?
This page contains olivemagazine content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Accept and continue