Tips and Shares
Gift-giving might be difficult at Christmas for some people, but not for a food lover. If you want to win your friend's or family members’ hearts, who is a gourmet for Christmas, the best way to do it is via their stomachs with Christmas food gifts.
There are several flavourful Christmas food gifts to show your loved ones how much you care about them. A meal kit is a fantastic idea if they enjoy cooking their supper at home. Or, maybe they'd prefer pre-made food gifts for Christmas, a Christmas basket full of snacks or personalised gifts sent straight to their door can will do just fine.
However, we believe that the greatest Christmas food gift idea is to make them happy in both body and mind, and give them excellent meals as homemade Christmas food gifts.
This article will provide a list of the best Christmas food gift ideas that will make the recipient happy. There is something for everyone, from those skilled in the kitchen to those who have yet to learn how to preheat an oven. Besides these Christmas food gifts, consider presenting them with some personalised Christmas gifts to make this festive season extra special.
Now, let’s jump straight right in!
Linzer Cookies
Although Linzer cookies are often associated with many holiday season, their timeless elegance is deserving of recognition as special Christmas food gifts. These Linzer cookies are buttery and light, with just a hint of cinnamon and lemon zest for flavor, are enough to make the holiday extra taseful.
If you like, try customising it for your loved one using cutters or something to replace the jam depending on their favorite, just like personalised gifts for dad. To keep the homemade Christmas food gifts fresh for up to 5 days, refrigerate your baked Linzer cookies in an airtight container.
Ingredients
1 cup of almond flour
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and additional for dusting the work area
An ounce of cinnamon powder
Salted butter, 2 sticks worth, softened
Sugar, granulated
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
A zest of half a lemon
A filling of raspberry jam
Sucrose powder (for use as a finishing)
Tutorials
Step 1: All-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, and almond flour should be whisked together in a medium bowl.
Step 2: In a bowl, combine the sugar and butter that has been allowed to soften (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Beat for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and light, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Step 3: Mix in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until everything is thoroughly combined. When adding the flour mixture, do it in 3-4 additions, ensuring that each addition is well combined before adding the next. Always be sure to scrape the bowl's bottom and sides.
Step 4: Cut the dough in half and flatten each half into a disc about one inch thick. Put them in the fridge for an hour to set up by wrapping them in plastic wrap (or up to 2 days).
Step 5: Take the dough out of the fridge and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. You want the dough to be cold and stiff enough to leave fingerprints but yet pliable enough to work with.
Step 6: Set oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Step 7: Sprinkle a well-floured work area with a dough disc (leave the other disc wrapped in plastic wrap). Form the dough into various shapes using a round or other cutter.
Step 8: Spread the cookies to an inch's distance on big baking pans covered with parchment paper. The leftover bits should be gathered, wrapped in plastic, and chilled for at least 15 minutes. Use the leftover dough scraps and the remaining dough sheet to make more.
Step 9: Remove the dough from the cores of half the cookies, and cut out little shapes. This dough may be used to make more cookies or re-rolled. Cook for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are gently brown around the edges. Wait 5 minutes for the sheet pans to cool before moving them to a cooling rack.
Step 10: Spread 1–2 tablespoons of jam along the middle of each cookie and sprinkle with more jam on top. Spread the cut-out cookies out on a baking pan and dust with powdered sugar.
Note: You can serve immediately or preserve in a single layer between parchment paper in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. To get the most texture out of the jam, you should wait to assemble the cookies until the day you want to serve them.
Salted Pecan Caramel Popcorn
A Christmas treat can never be as simple as crisp, sweet, handmade caramel corn with toasted nuts and just a pinch of salt. If you and your loved ones are anticipating a heavy or light meal just like usual for food gifts for Christmas, why not try something different, like a small snack? Like this bowl of popcorn to share while watching a funny movie?
With a little more work, you can turn regular caramel popcorn into Christmas food gifts exceptional for this Christmas. Let’s find out now.
Ingredients
Raw popcorn (about 15 cups): used half of the proportion
Roughly chopped pecan halves to the tune of 3 cups
Butter, 1/2 cup
3 tablespoons of molasses.
Sugar from organic cane
Half a teaspoon of honey.
Salt (Pink Himalayan, but coarse sea salt works just as well)
Baking soda
Tutorials
Step 1: Put parchment paper in a big roasting pan, then leave it aside.
Step 2: Prepare popcorn in whatever way you choose. Put in a large basin. Toast the pecans for about 5 minutes over medium heat or until they release their aroma after being roughly chopped. Set aside to cool a little, then sprinkle over your popcorn.
Step 3: To bake successfully, set the oven temperature to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (95 degrees Celsius).
Step 4: Melt butter in a medium pot. Pour in the honey, molasses, and/or cane sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes while occasionally stirring from the time it comes to a boil.
Step 5: Take off the stove and mix in the baking soda. The components will begin to froth and expand. Immediately pour the mixture over the popcorn and nuts and toss to coat. Arrange the caramel corn in the prepared baking pan and season it well with salt.
Step 6: Stir every 15 minutes while baking in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Take out the cooking appliance. If you want it to be extra salty, feel free to add a pinch of salt.
Step 7: Set aside until totally cold, break apart, and store in an airtight container.
Holiday Slice-and-Bake Cookies
A Christmas celebration would be incomplete without these seasonal food gifts for Christmas. This dish has all the makings of a holiday treat: it takes little time and effort to prepare, and it can be made in bulk and served to many people at once.
When you are preparing this Christmas food gift for someone, there are spaces available for you to customize and make, for instance, personalised gifts for best friends. If the members of your family cannot have all the cookies, you can give them away to friends and neighbors instead.
You may store a log of Christmas food gifts in the freezer for up to 3 months. And whenever you ever need a last-minute present, you can simply slice and bake them again to make them look and taste brand new.
Ingredients
2 and half a cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate
A teaspoon of coffee granules for instant brewing
Salt, kosher: 1 pinch
1 and 1/4 cups of granulated light brown sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 sticks of salted butter
1 tablespoon of natural vanilla flavoring
2 huge eggs
2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter and chocolate hazelnut spread
1 cup of finely chopped red and green M&Ms
1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans
Tutorials
Step 1: In a larger basin, mix the flour, baking soda, instant coffee, and salt until well combined. Beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter together for 1 minute, or until frothy, in a large bowl using an electric mixer.
Step 2: Mix with some vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the basin. Blend in the chocolate hazelnut spread and peanut butter until smooth.
Step 3: In three portions, whisk the flour mixture into the butter mixture until barely incorporated. Make sure to scrape the basin before mixing again. Use a wooden spoon to fold in the M&Ms and the pecans.
Step 4: Place a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Make a thick log out of half the dough and place it on the plastic. The dough may be formed into a 9-inch log and then wrapped in plastic (about 2 inches thick).
Step 5: You can make another log out of the leftover dough by repeating the process. Put in the fridge for at least 3 hours or the freezer for 1 1/2 hours until firm.
Step 6: It's time to turn on the oven and set the temperature to 350 degrees. Spread parchment paper out on two baking sheets. To bake, separate the dough logs by 2 inches on baking sheets and slice them into 1/2-inch-thick rounds.
Step 7: If using two pans, flip them over halfway through baking to ensure even baking. After ten minutes in the oven, transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool thoroughly.
Gingerbread Cowboy Boot Cookies
Is there anything prettier than these cowboy boot-shaped gingerbread cookies? The only thing that's missing from this scene is a gingerbread horse!
This Christmas food gift is perfect for the holiday season because it's easy to create and doesn't seem hard to share. The present is ideal if you want to wow the recipient with your culinary prowess and sense of humor, and a little touch to create a personalised gift for mum. Just looking at them will put a smile on your loved ones' faces!
Ingredients
3 cups of all-purpose flour
A pinch of baking powder
Half a teaspoon of kosher salt
14 teaspoons of ground allspice
A quarter of cinnamon
About a quarter teaspoon of cloves
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
A pinch of powdered nutmeg
About 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of citrus zest,
(6 tablespoons) of salted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup of granulated dark brown sugar
Half a cup of blackstrap molasses
2 little eggs
Royal icing for embellishment
Decorative sanding sugar
Tutorials
Step 1: The dry ingredients are mixed together in a large basin with a whisk. Then, in a separate, large basin, use a mixer on medium speed to cream together the butter and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 2: Drizzle in the molasses while the mixer is running and mix well, stopping to scrape the bowl halfway through if necessary. Mix in the egg and continue beating.
Step 3: Toss the flour mixture into the butter mixture in three additions, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be dense and dry).
Step 4: Cut the dough in half and place it between two big sheets of plastic wrap. Flatten each dough ball into a rectangle about an inch and a quarter in thickness. Cut the dough into rectangles and chill for 2-8 hours.
Step 5: Turn the oven on to 350 degrees. Spread parchment paper out on 2 baking sheets. Use cookie cutters measuring 2 to 3 inches in circumference to stamp out shapes from the dough; set them on the baking sheets, spacing them apart by about 2 inches.
Step 6: Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the centers are set but still soft. After 5 minutes, transfer the cookies to cooling racks to finish cooling. Lastly, garnish with sprinkles and royal icing to finish the homemade Christmas food gifts.
Gingerbread Bundt Cake
This towering, beautiful Bundt cake is the perfect seasonal Christmas food gift for your next gathering. The deep, rich gingerbread taste is imparted by a combination of spices, finished off with a sour cream glaze, this dish is, quite simply, a spectacular homemade Christmas food gift.
The cake can act as a perfect personalised gift for couples when you guys want to spend time cooking together this Christmas time jointly. And if it’s not convincing enough, some pomegranate arils (obviously, everybody's favorite!) are often added to give it an extra holiday vibe
Ingredients
1 pack of unsalted butter
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda, ginger powder and cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon of ground allspice
½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
¼ of a teaspoon of finely powdered black pepper
1 teaspoon of finely grated ginger
2 big eggs
1 teaspoon of natural vanilla extract
1 cup of molasses
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
The pomegranate seeds are used as a garnish.
Pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
Tutorials
Step 1: Prepare an oven temperature of 350 degrees F. Then, spread the melted butter in the Bundt pan, sprinkle on the granulated sugar and tap the pan so that the sugar settles into the crevices.
Step 2: Mix the flour, baking powder, and spices in a medium basin.
Step 3: For about 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed, cream together the butter, sugar, and grated ginger in a stand mixer. Eggs should be added one at a time and beaten well before being added. Mix with some vanilla extract.
Step 4: iIn a 4-cup measuring cup or a medium dish, combine 1 cup boiling water and molasses. Mix until just incorporated.
Step 5: After the pan is ready, pour in the butter and level it off. Wait for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Hold off on cleaning the pan for 20 minutes while cooling it on a wire rack. Loosen the sides with the offset spatula and invert them onto the cooling rack.
Step 6: Create the glaze by whisking together the confectioners' sugar, sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until the glaze is thick enough to be poured.
Step 7: Lastly, drizzle glaze over cake and top with pomegranate arils and freshly ground pepper to complete the food gifts for Christmas.
Conclusion
We have come to an end of the menus and dishes for the holiday season! This recipe is short and sweet, but still requires a lot of care and effort, so it's perfect for a busy cook to whip up and give as Christmas food gifts.
It's hard to go wrong with a homemade meal or a thoughtful personalised gift. Whether you're hosting a sunny Aussie Christmas lunch, a cozy White Christmas, or a conventional Christmas dinner, we hope that there is something for you to experiment on.
