Monday, 20 December 2010

Edible Gift Ideas for Christmas

We put up our Christmas tree today. All the Christmas decorations are out. You can see some of them in my photos. I have almost finished Christmas shopping and am planning to do some Christmas baking over the next few days. So I have been thinking about foodie gifts ideas and was surprised just how many lurk in my blog archive and remembered other bloggers' ideas. I started mental lists that I had to write down.

Sweet foods dominate traditional foodie gifts. I guess this hails from a time when sugar was hard to come by. These days, so many people I know are trying to eat more healthy food. Hence, savoury food can be a welcome change, so I have tried to include a few savoury ideas.

I have also shied away from choc chip cookies, decorated cupcakes and slices that might not last long. I have made gifts in the past, dropped them off for the recipient and found out later that they were not about for weeks. Food that lasts the distance is always welcome. My mum bakes mince tarts and sends them to my sister in Ireland at Christmas. My sister received a gift this year of a pretty jar of layers of ingredients for cookies with instructions to just add oil and egg (I think) when she is ready to bake.


Ten Gift Ideas from Green Gourmet Giraffe
Chocolate and cranberry shortbread
Chocolate panforte
Coconut ice (gf)
Florentines
Fruitcake
Gingerbread men
Plum Jam (gf, v)
Raspberry Vinegar (gf, v)
Tomato chutney with cranberries (gf, v)
Wattleseed Cashew Truffles (gf, v)

Ten Gift Ideas from the Blogosphere
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles: Diet Dessert and Dogs
Christmas Wonderland Rocky Road: Not Quite Nigella
Chunky Plum Apricot Chutney: Tinned Tomatoes
Five Spice Blends: Kalyn’s Kitchen
Gingerbread Lanterns: A Cat in the Kitchen
Pecan and Cranberry Popcorn: Food Blogga
Spicy Polenta Cheese Crackers: 101 Cookbooks
Spicy White Cheddar Shortbread: Lisa’s Kitchen
Stollen Wreath: Cherrapeno
Tablet: A Wee Bit of Cooking

If you are more organised than me with your Christmas baking, then maybe these lists will be useful next year.

I am sending the top photo to Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes for the No Croutons Required blog event that she co-hosts with Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen. This month the theme is a festive photo.
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10 comments:

  1. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella20 December 2010 at 23:11

    You're already ahead of me. I haven't yet put up my Christmas tree! :P your raspberry vinegar sounds really interesting. Thanks for the link love! :D

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  2. Lisa Turner21 December 2010 at 03:27

    Just lovely Johanna. Merry Christmas and very best wishes for the New Year.

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  3. Ricki21 December 2010 at 06:34

    Great lists! And you're ahead of me, too--I haven't even put up my LIST yet! ;) Your antique-looking decorations are so pretty! And thanks for including the truffles--so you managed to include choc chip cookies in some form after all! :)

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  4. Lisa (bakebikeblog)21 December 2010 at 08:09

    What a wonderful compilation of edible gifts. I love the idea of making chutney - next year perhaps?

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  5. Hannah21 December 2010 at 12:13

    Oh, don't do this to me Johanna! I'd just settled on making spiced nuts and nutella fudge, and know you throw all these other ideas at me? Wattleseed truffles?

    I guess I'm just going to make a lot of treats for myself in the New Year :P

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  6. anh21 December 2010 at 15:21

    Lovely JOhanna! I wish I had more time for baking (and resting) these days!

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  7. Sweet Artichoke21 December 2010 at 17:51

    10 great delicious ideas! These cashew truffles are now on my list!!

    I have an award for you, please check on my page :-)

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  8. K21 December 2010 at 22:20

    So many great ideas. If things were less hectic I would be making some edible gifts for other!

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  9. Johanna GGG22 December 2010 at 16:33

    Thanks Lorraine - the raspberry vinegar is fantastic - I should make it again - hope you get your tree up

    Thanks Lisa - merry christmas to you too

    Thanks Ricki - those choc chip cookies can't help sneaking in to any list - will look forward to your list!

    Thanks Lisa - I love the idea of making chutney for gifts - I just need to get into better label making and more confidence in my sterilising

    Thanks Hannah - nutella fudge sounds excellent - hope it will be posted and shared - and you can't go wrong with spiced nuts - and of course you must make lots of treats for yourself in the new year - hope that will be a resolution!

    Thanks Anh - time for baking is good for the soul but I understand it is not always possible - I have a lot less time for it now but appreciate it when I have time!

    Thanks Sweet ARtichoke - the truffles are excellent - and thanks for the award!

    Thanks K - I wish I had more edible gifts among my presents - this list is more wishful thinking than reality - but also thinking about some presents I have given in the past

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  10. Shaheen24 December 2010 at 05:53

    Johanna,
    I don't think I have the patience to make gingerbread hous, so I am bookmarking the gingerbread lanterns to make in the future.

    Noted your wee Scottish bear and dangly giraffe hanging in your Christmas tree.
    Have a good Christmas with you family.

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