Edible gift ideas and tips

A lot of us will be making gifts from the kitchen to give to friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and others on our gift lists (don’t forget the host/hostess of that great holiday party!). While many people give baked goods including cookies, quickbreads, and candies, there are savoury options, homemade liqueurs, and other easy yet impressive items that make excellent presents. 

Gourmet salts are both unique and easy to make. You can try citrus infused salt or a rosemary, orange and thyme version. Indexed website The Kitchn offers a great tutorial on making various flavored salts, featuring all manner of flavors from herbs and spices to chile peppers,  edible flowers, tea leaves or powder, mushrooms, and  dehydrated fruits and vegetables. 

Keeping with the easy-to-make theme (which equals less holiday stress), Sam Worley of Epicurious offers tips and tricks to make edible presents easier. The key, says Sam Worley, is to “think big.” He’s not talking about the size of the gifts, but rather about items that can be made in large batches, optimally with minimal efforts. Ideas that fall into this category include homemade granola, chocolate truffles (a big win for their low effort-to-reward ratio), and caramels.  

No matter what type of edible gift you choose to make, the EYB Library is chock full of DIY recipes. You’ll find thousands of recipes for jams, jellies and preserves; cookies; candies; and homemade liqueurs. My favorite homemade gift to give is English toffee, similar to this recipe – what’s yours?

Photo of Apple cider caramels from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman