Homemade Food Gifts for the Holidays

So there's this old thread from 2006 but I didn't want to bring that post back up, so I'm starting a new one

Anyone make homemade food gifts? 

I'm planning on making J's parents a homemade Christmas hamper (I will get his mum to like me, hook or by crook!)  and am looking for a few ideas.  I bought some new canning jars and candy moulds and cookie cutters +at Lakeland, so I'm eager to get going. 

A homemade hamper would win me over in a big way! How could she not love that?!?

I'm not making food gifts this year, but I am - this very minute - knitting lavender bags. I'm using lavender from the garden in them.

I just finished putting together an Italian dinner basket for my parents (they're SO impossible to buy for) and will be adding homemade biscotti and amaretti cookie brownie bites for dessert.

For my sister-in-law last year, I made her double chocolate chocolate chip cookies and lemon shortbread cookies to go with some tea and a teapot I bought her.  The year before I gave her and my brother a breakfast basket (with spoon, spatula, kitchen towels, mixing bowl) and put in a canister of homemade pancake mix.

I think homemade food gifts are the best.  Who doesn't like to eat?  And homemade items always come from the heart, so you can't go wrong there.  I think she'll love the effort you put forth in making the homemade Christmas hamper.  I agree with chary...how could she not love it?

Not food technically- but I am making gifts that warm the spirit:
Homemade infused liquors
-Peach ring rum
-Tea Rum
-Ginger bourbon

Good luck with J's mother! I'd grill him as to what she likes, though. I made a boat-load of Christmas cookies one year to take to MIL's house and hardly any of the British folks ate them. They preferred the ones from the stores.

I'm looking forward to a massive cookie and baking storm this year to make up for it!

I'm also planning on trying home made marshmallows, chocolate dipped pretzel logs, and caramel/chocolate apples. I posted a link to the apple recipes here somewhere...

If you're willing to stump up for this book, or if you want any recipes from it (I can scan them in), I think this is absolutely marvellous for gifts, everything l've made from it has been easy and gorgeous. If you give me some ideas of candy you'd like to make I can give you suggestions from this book (I also have the more technical one, but everything is in factory sizes! which is super cool but a bit..much! I got it for when I was considering pastry school ) .

(click on look inside me and then to index for a list of recipes, like black forest truffles...mmmmm!)

The cinnamon marshmallow is to die for and the mint meltaways made with coconut fat are delicious.  Something that everyone loved here was white chocolate, fresh mint and lemon ganache which I then dipped in dark chocolate. You do need to temper the dipped dark chocolate (the ganache tempering is done as part of the process) but it's really easy as long as you have a thermometer.

Otherwise I absolutely love David Lebovitz and he has some recipes online here -
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/category/recipes/candies/

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/category/recipes/cookies-bars-brownies/

I made a boat-load of Christmas cookies one year to take to MIL's house and hardly any of the British folks ate them. They preferred the ones from the stores.

Whereas I did the same a few years ago and my husband's family LOVED the sand tarts (thin, crunchy, less-sweet than sugar cookies) but thought all the rest were far too sweet. Which is funny, because my American family go nuts for the super sweet and chocolatey ones, and only make the sand tarts for tradition...

I've made jams and jellies in the past for pressies, which always go down well. Rum balls are also a winner since they get better the longer they're left, and don't need refrigeration.

The cinnamon marshmallow is to die for and the mint meltaways made with coconut fat are delicious.  Something that everyone loved here was white chocolate, fresh mint and lemon ganache which I then dipped in dark chocolate. You do need to temper the dipped dark chocolate (the ganache tempering is done as part of the process) but it's really easy as long as you have a thermometer.

I'd be interested in those 3 recipes!

Thanks everyone !!! 

I will need luck,she doesn't warm up to me too easily. Christmas will be fun. 

Yeah, I had a similar experience with Christmas cookies- everyone loved my gingerbread men which weren't too sweet- but no one like the sugar cookies. Odd- since everyone is always munching on chocolates and sweet things like jelly babies here!

If you're willing to stump up for this book, or if you want any recipes from it (I can scan them in), I think this is absolutely marvellous for gifts, everything l've made from it has been easy and gorgeous. If you give me some ideas of candy you'd like to make I can give you suggestions from this book (I also have the more technical one, but everything is in factory sizes! which is super cool but a bit..much! I got it for when I was considering pastry school ) .

(click on look inside me and then to index for a list of recipes, like black forest truffles...mmmmm!)

The cinnamon marshmallow is to die for and the mint meltaways made with coconut fat are delicious.  Something that everyone loved here was white chocolate, fresh mint and lemon ganache which I then dipped in dark chocolate. You do need to temper the dipped dark chocolate (the ganache tempering is done as part of the process) but it's really easy as long as you have a thermometer.

Otherwise I absolutely love David Lebovitz and he has some recipes online here -
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/category/recipes/candies/

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/category/recipes/cookies-bars-brownies/

Mmmm and mmmm

I'd be interested in those 3 recipes!

Sorry I just saw this, I will get to work!

I'm planning on making J's parents a homemade Christmas hamper (I will get his mum to like me, hook or by crook!)  and am looking for a few ideas.

This is my approach to winning over my BF's father - so far the only thing he approves of 100% is my (Nigella's) short-crust pastry. Good luck!

This is my approach to winning over my BF's father - so far the only thing he approves of 100% is my (Nigella's) short-crust pastry. Good luck!

Thanks.  You too 

Whereas I did the same a few years ago and my husband's family LOVED the sand tarts (thin, crunchy, less-sweet than sugar cookies) but thought all the rest were far too sweet.

I always make caramels & fudge to send to people.  My MIL apparently always says it's too sweet.  This doesn't stop her from eating them, though.

"Sickly - it's sickly!"  (That's what my MIL will say about things if they have too much sugar.)

When we were on holiday with them in the summer, she told me I must never add sugar in when making whipped cream - or it would be too sweet!  Sickly!  She even grabbed the sugar bag out of my hand as I was getting ready to put some in the whipped cream, that I was whipping by hand for her... 

So every time I make whipped cream now, I have to dump some extra sugar in with wild abandon & a little wink, while thinking of my MIL. 

i bake cookies and make candy and then i make up trays and i give them out to friends and they just love all the american baking ive been doing this for years now i love doing this at christmas time