Homemade food gifts

[RebeccainGA]

I make about a gross of cookies every year (that's a dozen dozen). I also make what they call 'stained glass' candy, which is just corn syrup and sugar boiled together, with flavoring and color added. I will likely make lemon, vanilla, cinnamon and either maple or mint this year. May even get fancy and do some cinnamon-mint or lemon vanilla - both combos go over well. I have to ship boxes to Texas, Florida, Arkansas, and maybe even Boston this year, so I make a ton. The lady at the post office always looked at me like I was nuts in Arkansas - hopefully they will be kinder in Georgia. <G> I should be doing that this weekend, or next.

I used to make lots of crafty stuff, but haven't had time since DP was sick, and with the move. Maybe next year.

[dawnfire]

one year a friend's daughter gave her a biiiig jar of home-made cherry chutney.

[buvezdevin]

Loving the ideas in this thread, and add me to those interested in recipes - with many thanks to those who have posted them!

I have given various baked goods, lots of mini-cupcakes and mini-pies in recent years, and having started canning two years ago, I have given spicy mango butter, apple butter, assorted fruit preserves, pickled okra with smoked paprika, and tomato sauce.  Other items have included pepper infused vodka (for *very* spicy Bloody Marys), homemade limoncello, and pepper oil.  We are now in the last phase of a kitchen renovation so I won't be doing baked gifts this Christmas but will be gifting some preserves.

As I have asked for recipes, I will update this later with the spicy mango preserve recipe, very simple and great as a meat glaze, addition to vinaigrette, etc. 

I absolutely love receiving homemade food gifts - the time and love involved to make them among my favorite things to receive. 

[Firecat]

One of my family traditions is that my sister and I (and our DHs), do a baking weekend at Mom's house every year. We bake many, many cookies (last year we went through 30 pounds of butter) and split them up. And then Sis, BIL, DH, and I all bring them to work, to various holiday parties, share with friends, etc. Everyone loves it - DH tells me that his coworkers started asking if we were doing cookies again around Thanksgiving.

We make (partial list because I'm doing this from memory):

M&M bars (oatmeal crust with caramel and M&Ms as a sort of middle layer)
Chocolate cherry blossoms (cherry shortbread cookie with a Hershey's Kiss on top)
Lemon-lime cooler cookies
Russian Teacakes
Brown-eyed Susans
Macaroon Kiss Cookies (Coconut cookie with a Hershey's Kiss on top)
Ginger Kringles (soft ginger cookie)
Buckeyes (peanut butter balls partially dipped in chocolate)
Snickerdoodles
Christmas Surprise cookies (peanut butter cookie, and you wrap the dough around a miniature candy bar - Snickers or Milky Way, for example)
Oatmeal Scotchies

[Amara]

Probably the most welcome food gift I give is flavored butters. People love them! You can easily find recipes online, and using fresh herbs is incredible. Most can be frozen too for several months. They work for steaks, eggs, toast, rolls and muffins, and much more.

If you could find them in a store they would cost a lot, but they are easy to make. You just need to let the butter soften enough to mash it and if you want you can re-shape it into a candy or other mold. But that's not necessary. Just rolling it up into foil works well.

[mbbored]

I infuse my own liqueurs: in years past I've made limoncello, pomegranate gin and brandied plums, this year I'm making rumtopft and peppermint vodka.