Homemade Food Gifts
The best homemade food gift is the one that's gone by New Year's. These thirty fill jars, tins and bags, from layered hot cocoa mix to salted caramels, candied pecans and mini gingerbread loaves. Shelf life, packing and what to write on the tag are in the FAQs at the bottom.
Start With These Six
One from each section below, and each one travels from your kitchen to theirs without fuss. If you only make one, make the hot cocoa jar.
Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar
Cocoa mix, chocolate chips and marshmallows layered in one quart jar, with sizes for pint and mini favor jars too. Fill it with our Dutch-process cocoa for a smoother cup.
Cookie Mix in a Jar
Every dry ingredient for chocolate chip cookies, layered and ready, plus free printable tags with the baking directions. Whoever opens it is one bowl away from warm cookies.
Mom's English Toffee
Buttery toffee that snaps clean under a layer of milk chocolate and chopped almonds. Break it into shards and a tin fills up fast.
Candied Cinnamon Pecans
Crunchy, sugar-crusted pecans that make the kitchen smell like a holiday market. Our Royal Cinnamon, a bold single-origin Saigon, makes the coating hard to stop eating.
Salted Caramel Sauce
Silky caramel poured into four-ounce jars, with free printable labels to finish them. Tuck a little bag of our Flake Spring Salt alongside for spooning over ice cream.
Chocolate Gingerbread Mini Loaves
Gingerbread gone chocolate, baked and gifted right in a ceramic mini pan. Our black cocoa takes the crumb darker, and wrapped loaves freeze for months.
Hot Cocoa and Drink Mixes
The easiest homemade food gift there is: a jar of dry mix and a tag with one instruction. Cocoa leads, with mocha, chai and a stir-in stick for good measure.
Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar
Cocoa mix, chocolate chips and marshmallows layered in one quart jar, with sizes for pint and mini favor jars too. Fill it with our Dutch-process cocoa for a smoother cup.
Cafe Mocha Instant Dry Mix
Hot or iced, it's a cafe mocha in two spoonfuls. The recipe asks for Dutch-process cocoa and espresso powder, so ours slot straight into the jar.
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix 3 Ways
A from-scratch base with a peppermint version and a shelf-stable one made with freeze-dried milk. Stir in a spoon of our malted milk powder for a cup that tastes like a diner shake.
Peppermint Hot Cocoa Gift Jars
Crushed candy canes and marshmallows ride on top of a homemade cocoa base, so the jar looks like Christmas before anyone twists the lid.
Chocolate Chai Latte Mix
Warm chai spice meets cocoa in a blender mix that fills three pint jars at once. Made for the tea drinker who always passes on the hot chocolate.
Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Chocolate cubes on sticks that melt into a mug of hot milk with a few stirs. They're dairy-free, and a bow on each stick takes care of the wrapping.
A cocoa mix jar is only as good as the cocoa inside
Our Dutch-Process Cocoa brings bold, rounded chocolate without the sharp bite of natural cocoa, plus 22-24% cocoa butter for a richer cup. Layer it into the jar and let the gift do the talking.
Baking Mixes in a Jar
All the dry ingredients, stacked in pretty layers, so the recipient only adds the wet ones. Print the tag before you start pouring.
Cookie Mix in a Jar
Every dry ingredient for chocolate chip cookies, layered and ready, plus free printable tags with the baking directions. Whoever opens it is one bowl away from warm cookies.
Homemade Pancake Mix in a Jar
Four pantry ingredients turn into a Christmas morning gift. The recipient adds eggs, milk and butter, and breakfast is on the griddle in minutes.
Triple Chocolate Cookie Mix in a Jar
Three kinds of chocolate stacked in a clip-top jar with the recipe on the tag. Swap half the cocoa for our black cocoa and the cookies bake up near-black.
Brownie Mix in a Jar
Brownie mix by the quart, with a free printable card so the instructions never go missing. Our Dutch-process cocoa, at 22-24% cocoa butter, bakes a richer pan.
Gingerbread Cookie Mix in a Jar
Spiced gingerbread mix with dairy-free and egg-free options written in, which makes it the safe pick for a classroom party or an office gift exchange.
Cranberry Orange Scone Mix in a Jar
Dried cranberries layered over a pint of scone mix, from the writer who built a whole site around jars. The recipient adds an egg, butter and buttermilk.
Homemade Candy Gifts
Caramels, toffee, brittle and mint patties keep for weeks, which makes them the best gifts to make first. A candy thermometer earns its drawer space here.
Mom's English Toffee
Buttery toffee that snaps clean under a layer of milk chocolate and chopped almonds. Break it into shards and a tin fills up fast.
Soft Salted Caramels
Chewy caramels that keep two to three weeks in an airtight tin, so you can wrap them early. Twist each in wax paper after a pinch of our Flake Spring Salt on top.
Peppermint Marshmallows
Fluffy red-swirled squares that turn any mug of cocoa into an event. They keep about five days, so make them last and pair them with a jar of cocoa mix.
Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle
Six ingredients and one pot make a brittle sturdy enough for a metal tin. Its baker pitches it for teachers and neighbors, and the shards stack neatly.
Easy Peppermint Patties
Cool, creamy mint centers in dark chocolate shells. They hold two weeks in the fridge or months in the freezer, so the gift tins can be packed early.
Candied Orange Peel
Bright, candied strips of peel that keep a month in a jar, some dipped in chocolate. It turns the part of the orange you'd toss into the prettiest jar on the table.
Candied Nuts and Snack Mixes
Sweet, salty and fast to make by the sheet pan. These fill cellophane bags for coworkers, neighbors and the mail carrier.
Candied Cinnamon Pecans
Crunchy, sugar-crusted pecans that make the kitchen smell like a holiday market. Our Royal Cinnamon, a bold single-origin Saigon, makes the coating hard to stop eating.
Christmas Granola Gift Jars
Big clusters of cranberry-coconut granola, scaled to fill two tall jars. Breakfast is the gift that reliably gets eaten.
No-Bake Homemade Caramel Corn
Stovetop caramel corn tossed with almonds, no oven needed. One batch fills a clear canister with a handful left over for the cook.
Sweet and Salty Rosemary Roasted Nuts
Pecans, walnuts and almonds glazed sweet and salty with fresh rosemary. A savory break for the friend whose counter is already buried in cookies.
Rosemary Maple Spiced Nuts
Maple-glazed nuts spooned into little jars with a rosemary sprig tucked in each. Quick to roast, and good for two weeks sealed tight.
Sweet and Salty Christmas Snack Mix
White chocolate coats pretzels, cereal and corn snacks before the red and green candies go in. It freezes well, so the office bags can be done weeks ahead.
Sauces and Spreads in a Jar
A small jar of sauce feels fancier than it has any right to. These keep in the fridge and dress up a bowl of ice cream on a weeknight.
Salted Caramel Sauce
Silky caramel poured into four-ounce jars, with free printable labels to finish them. Tuck a little bag of our Flake Spring Salt alongside for spooning over ice cream.
Hot Fudge Sauce
Thick, glossy hot fudge built on cocoa and chopped chocolate. Use our Dutch-process cocoa for a rounder flavor, and a pinch of espresso powder to deepen it.
Christmas Jam
Cranberries, strawberries and orange simmered with cinnamon and set without added pectin. Can a batch, or stash the jars in the freezer until gift day.
Gift Loaves and Pantry Jars
Mini loaves that freeze ahead, plus one jar for the friend who cooks more than they bake.
Chocolate Gingerbread Mini Loaves
Gingerbread gone chocolate, baked and gifted right in a ceramic mini pan. Our black cocoa takes the crumb darker, and wrapped loaves freeze for months.
Cranberry Orange Mini Loaves
One batch makes six streusel-topped mini loaves, enough for half the street. They freeze well, so baking day can happen before the December rush.
Homemade Flavored Salts
Lemon-thyme, smoked paprika and curry salts in small jars that keep six months. Just right for the cook in the family who already owns every gadget.
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We've Got Answers
How long do homemade food gifts last?
It depends on the gift. Dry mixes in a jar (hot cocoa, cookie, brownie, pancake) keep about three months sealed. Hard candy, brittle and toffee keep two to three weeks in an airtight tin, and soft caramels about the same. Candied nuts and granola stay crisp for two weeks or so. Sauces, jams that aren't canned and anything with cream belong in the fridge, and homemade marshmallows are best within a week. Put a make-by or use-by date on the tag.
How should I package homemade food gifts?
Match the container to the food. Glass jars suit layered mixes, sauces and candied nuts. Metal tins are best for toffee, brittle and caramels because they block light and moisture. Cellophane or food-safe bags work for snack mix and granola if you tie them tight. Line tins with parchment, wrap soft candies one by one in wax paper, and keep strong flavors like peppermint in their own container so everything else doesn't taste like it.
What should I write on a mix-in-a-jar tag?
Everything the recipient needs that isn't in the jar: what to add (butter, eggs, milk, water), the oven temperature or pan size, the bake time, and how many it makes. Add a best-by date and an allergen note if the mix has nuts, dairy or wheat. Write the recipe name big, because a jar of layered powder looks a lot like another jar of layered powder by February.
Which homemade food gifts can I make ahead?
Dry mixes, flavored salts and spice blends can be made a month or more ahead. Mini quick breads freeze for up to three months wrapped tight, and toffee, brittle and peppermint patties freeze well too. Caramels and candied nuts are best made one to two weeks before you give them. Save marshmallows and anything with fresh fruit or cream for the last few days.
Can I mail homemade food gifts?
Most of them, yes. Dry mixes, candied nuts, brittle, toffee and wrapped caramels all ship well in a padded box. Jars travel if you wrap each one in bubble wrap and fill every gap so nothing rattles. Skip anything that needs the fridge, like caramel sauce or unprocessed jam, unless you ship overnight. Send early in the week so the box doesn't sit in a warehouse over the weekend.
What are easy food gifts to make for a crowd?
Snack mix, candied nuts and hot cocoa mix scale up the fastest: one big batch fills a dozen bags or jars in an evening. Brittle and toffee come close, since one sheet pan breaks into plenty of pieces. Buy small jars or bags in bulk, print one tag design, and set up an assembly line. Coworkers, teachers and neighbors all get the same thing, and nobody minds.
More Baking Adventures
Christmas Cookie Box Ideas
What to bake for the box, and how to arrange it.
Cookies That Ship Well
Sturdy cookies that arrive looking like cookies.
Christmas Fudge Recipes
One saucepan, one pan, a tray of squares for the tin.
Christmas Bark Recipes
Melt, spread, top, snap. The fastest candy gift there is.
Christmas Truffle Recipes
Rolled, dipped and boxed in an afternoon.
Chocolate
Dutch-Process Cocoa Recipes
Where the cocoa in the jar really shows off.