Inside: Want to give fewer physical gifts and more consumable gifts this Christmas? Choose a few of these easy edible gifts to make this year! From ridiculously easy fudge to yummy spiced nuts, there’s something for everyone. Plus, get free printable recipe cards to fill out and include with the gift.
Can we have an honest chat about Christmas gifts? Imma gonna be blunt: the majority of the adults in your life probably don’t need more stuff.
Besides close family and friends, the other adults in your life that you feel obligated to buy Christmas gifts for – like coworkers, neighbors or teachers – probably don’t need more random gifts. And if they do, only they know what they actually NEED and will appreciate.
Having spent a TON of time on the decluttering side of Tiktok, I can confirm most of us have enough stuff. Thank you, late stage capitalism.
So this Christmas, if you want/need to give gifts, try giving edible gifts! And no, not that kind of edible. I just mean stuff you can eat, mmmmk? It shows you care, and they can share with others if they don’t want to eat it all.
Here are several easy recipe ideas for tasty treats – both sweet and savory – to give this holiday season. Most of them are my personal favorite holiday treats!
Easy Homemade Edible Christmas Gifts
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Distribute finished treats into individual cellophane bags – or better for the environment, cardboard gift boxes with parchment paper. Tie the bags or boxes with colorful Christmas ribbon.
- Cardboard Treat Boxes
- Clear Cellophane Bags
- Christmas Ribbon
Including the recipe is a nice touch if you can, so they can make it again in the future if they love it! I made up some simple free printable recipe cards to include if you like.
1. Maple Spiced Walnuts
These maple spiced walnuts will be adored this Christmas. Bonus: they are one of the easiest edible gifts to make!
Mix up the glaze and toss with walnuts until coated. Then bake, stir and bake some more.
2. Dark Chocolate Truffles
These dark chocolate truffles are so freaking easy, you’ll be wondering why you haven’t made them before!
Make sure to use high quality chocolate for the best final product.
Will they be cheaper than store bought? Maaaaaybe? But they WILL be homemade with love, which you can’t say for the ones at the store.
3. DIY Spice Blend Basket
Got someone on your list who loves to cook? Give them these DIY spice blends! There’s taco seasoning, a BBQ rub and more.
They are absolutely adorable in their little mason jars. Make just one or all five.
4. Pretzel Christmas Crack
You can make this Pretzel Christmas Crack recipe with only 5 ingredients in under 15 minutes. No candy thermometer needed!
A delicious blend of butter, brown sugar, pretzels and M&Ms that they won’t be able to resist.
5. Rolo Stuffed Ritz Crackers
With just two ingredients and a couple steps, you cannot get any easier than these Rolo stuffed ritz crackers. And when has anyone gone wrong with a sweet and salty combo?
We are big Ritz fans in this house (although my oldest insists they changed the recipe sometime in the past few years). We also love Rolos. Win-win!
6. Easy Cinnamon Sugar Candied Almonds
These easy cinnamon sugar candied almonds take less than ten minutes to make on the stove top.
Be careful! They’re an addictive snack. But they also make lovely Christmas and holiday gifts!
7. Yummy & Easy Chocolate Fudge
This easy chocolate fudge is so basic but SO freaking delicious. And again, no candy thermometer required. That’s my kind of recipe.
I’ve been following Brooke from Nesting with Grace for quite some time, and I love her recipes! As you’ll start to notice when I share several more throughout this post…
8. Easy Christmas Pretzel Rods
These easy chocolate-covered pretzel rods with Christmas themed sprinkles make a great edible Christmas gift for classmates or coworkers. Even better, there is a free printable on Kate’s site to go with them.
Chocolate-covered pretzels are a favorite in our family. When I make them, they get eaten in a day!
9. The Best Easy Caramel Recipe
Brooke has done it again! These easy caramels are so yummy, people will beg you for the recipe. You do have to monitor the caramel closely as it cooks (it’s easy, but not “set it and forget it”).
Coincidentally, you can grab a free gorgeous recipe printable on Brooke’s post to include with your gift.
10. Oreo Peppermint Bark
The second peppermint bark goes on sale at Costco, I am HERE for it.
If you are also a diehard peppermint bark fan, try making this easy Oreo peppermint bark! While the process is on the slow side as you melt the chocolate, it’s a super simple recipe.
Keep half for yourself, and gift the rest – I won’t tell, promise.
11. Christmas Rice Krispie Treats with Peppermint
If you love Rice Krispie treats, these rice krispie bars with peppermint are the perfect edible Christmas gift! Browned butter gives them an elevated, almost gourmet flavor, and the peppermint obviously says Christmas.
If you want to dial back the peppermint flavor, skip the extract but keep the crushed candy cane.
12. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bark
This chocolate peanut butter pretzel bark will have family and friends dying to get the recipe. …or they’ll just beg you to make it for them at Christmastime every year from now on?
With just four ingredients (including peanut butter cups), you really can’t go wrong.
13. Christmas Cookies in a Jar
Christmas Cookies in a Jar is such an easy and inexpensive gift! Perfect for teachers or coworkers.
The cookie ingredients look so beautiful layered in the jar, and all the recipient has to do is mix in a few wet ingredients and bake. They’ll have soft, and chewy cookies to enjoy!
14. Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
Dark chocolate, cocoa powder and coffee beans are all you need for these chocolate covered coffee beans.
Give this easy sweet treat (with a jolt of caffeine) to the coffee-lover in your life this Christmas! The chocolate balances the bitterness of the coffee beans.
15. Infused Olive Oil
These infused olive oils are definitely a creative holiday gift! There are three different versions.
Note: These oils only last in the refrigerator for about a week, so you’ll want to make them the day before a party, for instance and give a bottle with baguette or other bread to use them with. Make sure the gift recipient knows, so they can use them up right away.
16. Peanut Butter Blossoms
These peanut butter blossoms are sooooo good, one of my favorite holiday treats. I trust Sally’s Baking Addictions, of course. She’s my number one go-to for all things baking.
Make sure to buy extra Hershey’s kisses for the few that make it into your mouth and not on the cookies!
17. Homemade Vanilla Extract
This is something you’ll want to start making THIS year to give as Christmas gifts NEXT year. Homemade vanilla extract is ridiculously simple to make, but it does take 6-12 months.
Follow Sally’s directions for homemade vanilla extract HERE.
18. Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut butter fudge is a favorite family treat…with the exception of the kid who has a peanut butter allergy (it’s not severe, don’t worry).
This simple, four ingredient peanut butter fudge from Sally’s Baking Addictions is so easy and so delicious, I honestly don’t know why I ever buy it.
(Want an easy chocolate fudge? Try this easy three ingredient version HERE.)
19. Peppermint Bark
You could just buy this from Costco, but I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you want to make your own. So THIS peppermint bark recipe (from Sally, again) is pretty simple!
If you don’t want to crush your own candy canes, get a bag of crushed candy canes HERE.
20. Copycat Starbucks Hot Chocolate Mix
If you have a Costco membership, you can grab Starbucks hot chocolate mix in bulk in gorgeous gold tins at Christmastime. Why make it when you can buy it for cheap, I say.
You could give it in a basket with other hot chocolate fixings – mini marshmallows, candy canes, etc.
BUT, if you insist on making things homemade, which is the point of this post after all, use THIS recipe to make a base dry mix (just hot cocoa and white sugar), and then attach a recipe for amount of mix with other ingredients like vanilla and milk.
Personally, I would use encourage one cup of milk (no water), with the vanilla and dry mix equivalents.
21. Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
My older kids adore THIS recipe for triple layer bars! I plan to post our own version on the blog soon, but for now, try it out.
Note: these bars do have peanut butter, so if your gift recipient is allergic, choose a different homemade Christmas gift.
No Time or Energy for Homemade? Make a Basket, Instead!
If you cannot even handle the thought of making an edible gift yourself this Christmas, but you want to give food, I totally get it. You can still give a consumable gift: make a themed food basket, instead!
Here are a few theme ideas…
- Charcuterie Board (include THESE cards if you like)
- Trader Joe’s Snacks
- Sweet Tooth
- All Things Peppermint
Give everything in a nice basket that they can use in their home, or give away. I don’t know many people who couldn’t use a nice basket somewhere in their house.
Let’s give more consumable gifts this holiday season! Happy making and gifting!
Read Next: 15 Secondhand Christmas Gift Ideas (+ What to Avoid)
