Left it a bit late to buy a gift? Not quite sure what to get? Homemade edible gifts are a terrific solution as you can whip them up yourself really quickly. And everyone has to eat, right? At the most you might need to make a quick trip to the supermarket and spend a few minutes to an hour actually making the edibles, so within a couple of hours you’ve got yourself a fabulous present to give that is much more personal than anything you could’ve bought elsewhere anyway 😃
How much effort you put into making your edible gifts is completely up to you. If you’re in a bit of a rush then you can just assemble a variety of bought treats in a basket or hamper. If you have some time to spare but not much budget then making something from scratch will usually work out cheaper. Or you can go for something in-between.
Ideas for homemade edible gifts
Whether you’re making them yourself, or just assembling a selection of yummy things you’ve bought in a shop, there are so many things you can choose from:
- Biscuits – sweet or savoury
- Chocolate or sweets – homemade or bought
- Toffee or fudge
- Macarons, cake pops, cupcakes or muffins
- A whole cake!
- Tray bakes or bars
- Ingredients e.g. to make a cake or biscuits – these look great layered in a jar
- Coffee, tea or hot chocolate – it’s generally best to go posh with these
- Jams or chutneys
- Themed seasonings for keen cooks e.g. for Indian food, or a range of different fancy salts or peppers
- Dried, candied or fresh fruit
If you’re looking for edible gift recipes and more ideas then take a look at Pinterest – there are loads of ideas on there.
Presentation ideas for your homemade gifts
- Hampers and ‘bouquets’ – for anything and everything
- Mason jars – for baking mixes, biscuits, sweets, etc
- Boxes – for tray bakes, cupcakes, muffins and whole cakes
- Tins – for biscuits, cupcakes, tray bakes or whole cakes, depending on the shape and size
- Gift bags – best for packaged foods (make your own gift bags)
These are just some ideas but you can be as creative as you like – it’s a great way to get rid of containers that are too nice to throw away but that you don’t really want anymore 😁
Making it personal
A handmade edible gift is already more personal than something bought in a shop, but by putting some extra thought into it you can make it even more so. If you have friends who are vegan, coeliacs, on low carb diets or are just known for being coffee freaks or chocoholics you can show how well you know them by creating a gift that really suits them. It’s so easy to Google recipes for all sorts of preferences, allergies and fetishes!
You can also personalise the way you present your gift, for example by making a cute label for the jar or tin, or decorating the cake you’ve baked with their name in icing.
Why homemade edible gifts are the BEST
There are so many reasons why a homemade edible gift is so fabulous to give…
- Shows how thoughtful you are and that you really know the person it’s for
- Can be whipped up in a very short space of time
- Generally costs less than an equivalent bought elsewhere
- Gets eaten up so you can keep giving the same terrific gift over and over again
- If for some reason they’re not too keen on it they can get friends or family to finish it off without you ever knowing… it’s much harder to pass on other types of unwanted gifts 😆
- And they don’t have to find space for it if they don’t want to – they can just eat it all up straight away!
I know I love getting homemade gifts, especially if I can eat them… and I don’t think I’m that unusual. Give it a go. And if you post your awesome homemade edibles on social media, please tag me – I’d love to see!
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