16 Holiday Food Gifts to Make

Each year around the holiday season, shelves are stocked with holiday gift baskets designed to make gift-giving easy. From popular brand names like Harry & David to gourmet food gifts and samplers including things like olive oil and hot sauce, you are sure to find a Christmas gift for everyone on your list. But even bestsellers and gourmet gift baskets lack the personal touch of a DIY gift.

This year, skip the store-bought holiday gift sets for gifts made in your kitchen. Everyone loves food—and everyone, not just the foodies, loves homemade food! You can save money, time and stress by making one of these delicious food gift ideas that will make everyone on your list love you. Or make a few to add to your own food gift baskets.

You can't beat a food gift that requires only four ingredients. Your active time to make this toffee is only about 20 minutes—you can decorate the tree while you wait for the toffee and chocolate layers to cool. Use Christmas candy boxes and ribbon to package the toffee up to make it feel extra special.

Fudge is a staple of the holiday season. Put those candy canes to use as a topping in this vegan fudge. Tip: Add an extra tablespoon of cocoa to make this fudge extra rich.

Do you have a beer lover in your life? Find out their favorite stout beer, then whip them up this decadent fudge . Gift with a six-pack of beer for even more brownie points.

When it's crunch time during the holidays, it's no time to get involved in a difficult recipe. Instead, grab a bag of white chocolate chips, your favorite peanut butter and some maple syrup to make this fudge in 15 minutes or less.

If you have someone on your list you need to impress, this is the holiday food gift you have to make. Homemade macarons seem difficult, but they are much easier to make than you think! You can even turn your holiday baking party into a macaron baking party this year—pre-make the cookies and have your guests fill in their own macarons.

For the chocolate lover in your life, gift this marbled chocolate bark that includes four (yes, four!) different types of chocolate. This stays good in an airtight container for up to three weeks, so keep a batch on hand if you have unexpected gifts after the holidays.

The best gifts are sweet and salty. This chocolate bark will cure any sweet, salty or crunchy craving! Use up leftover crackers, pretzels or even quinoa for the crunch.

Cake balls are possibly the most fun baked good to make because you don't have to worry about your cake coming out cracked or crumbly! Your loved ones will remember summer (and warmer days) with this campfire favorite-inspired treat. Use holiday-themed swizzle sticks to make these easy to eat.

Chocolate and peanut butter were made for each other. If you're tired of baking this holiday season, skip turning on the oven and make these no-bake cookies instead. Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to make these feel extra fancy.

Matzo gets a bad rap for being bland, but really, being bland is great because it means you have a blank slate to work with. If you have extra matzo left over from Hanukkah celebrations, dip it in melted chocolate and sprinkle sea salt on top to make these irresistible treats. For an extra seasonal touch, use Andes Mints in place of the bittersweet chocolate.

Everyone loves caramels, and these are even more distinctive with the addition of coffee. Make two batches because you'll want to keep one for yourself. Top each with a chocolate-covered espresso bean to amp up the flavor.

This recipe for Turkish delight is almost too simple to make. This soft, pillowy rose-and-pistachio-flavored candy is a holiday specialty. Organize these in a pretty glass bowl so the receiver can share these sweet treats with their houseguests (which will include you after giving such a delicious gift).

Do you need a hostess gift this year? Bring over the dough in a bread pan and give your hostess one less thing to worry about—she can serve this cinnamon swirl bread for breakfast.

Chocolate chip holiday cookies are a dime a dozen this time of year. Even if they are everyone's favorite cookie, you don't want your gift to end up in the back of the freezer. Gift these peanut butter chocolate chip pretzel cups instead! Be sure to line your muffin tin with pretty holiday cupcake liners for easy gifting.

Move beyond baked goods and give a bottle of this chocolate stout fudge sauce. They'll think of you fondly as they pour it on ice cream sundaes, fresh fruit or special desserts all year long.

Tip: Save your extra glass beer bottles throughout the season so you can easily wash and pour the fudge sauce inside for festive packaging.

If you have people on your gift list you need to impress (maybe your in-laws?), spend an afternoon making this show-stopping Yule log. A light chocolate sponge cake is moistened with Kahlua, filled with tiramisu filling and then thickly frosted with a rich dark chocolate ganache. Top with pistachios and powdered sugar to finish it off.