Homemade Food Gift Packaging Ideas
Updated: Mar. 14, 2018A homemade food gift, created in the kitchen and presented prettily, is truly a joy to give or receive. From snack mixes and candies to mini Bundt cakes and more, these homemade treasures deliver a taste of the holidays. Cheerful DIY packaging ideas add another touch of thoughtfulness to the treats.
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Triple-Ginger Gingersnaps
Ginger cookies are holiday hits. Tuck them into clean, recycled coffee cans wrapped in decorative paper. With a glue gun, add ribbon or trim. —Jessica Follen, Waunakee, Wisconsin
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Amaretto Cream Truffles
Little luxuries deserve an elegant presentation. Decadent truffles from Sherry Day in Pinckney, Michigan cradled in mini paper cups are the perfect gift during the holidays. And the charming basket-weave box top? Piece of cake. 4 / 25
How To: Basket-Weave Lid
Cut light green strips of ribbon just long enough to wrap around and slightly inside the lid of a gift box. Secure the ends of the ribbon to the inside of the lid with a hot glue gun. Cover lid completely with light-green ribbons, then weave deeper green ribbons between the light-green ribbons to achieve a lattice effect. Glue ends in place.
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Saltine Toffee Bark
Get ready for a new family favorite—like brittle, but better. Pack pieces of sweet-and-salty treasures from Laura Cox in Brewster, Massachusetts in decorated cardboard gift tubes or recycled oatmeal containers wrapped with decorative paper (or use scraps of self-adhesive wallpaper). Trim with green pompom fringe. Make it fun by adding a bow made from newspaper. 6 / 25
How To: Newspaper Bow
Cut newspaper strips into desired width and various lengths. Form loops by folding ends of strip inward toward the center of strip; staple. Create small, medium and large looped strips; staple similar size strips together into an X shape. Stack X’s, longest to smallest, on top of each other in alternating directions; staple together in center. Make one small loop and glue into center to hide staples and complete bow.
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Orange Cranberry Pound Cake with Vanilla Glaze
Rosette ribbons become mini serving platters for individual Christmas cakes from Angela Spengler in Clovis, New Mexico. Wrap them up in a see-through cellophane bag and finish with a twine bow and a gift tag.
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Curried Cranberry Snack Mix
Pack this easy-to-make munchie in a sleek glass or acrylic canister adorned with cotton yarn, and it'll be ready to put under the tree. Get that candy-cane brightness by winding yarn in shades of red and pink around the canister before topping with a homemade pompom. —Robin Haas, Cranston, Rhode Island 10 / 25
How To: PomPom
Line up a trio of yarn –red, fuchsia and pink –and create a dozen or so casual loops; wrap tail of yarn around center twice. Gather the loops and fold upward, wrapping the tail of the yarn around the base and tying off. Adhere to package.
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Macadamia & Coconut Caramels
Individually wrapped in waxed paper, these chewy bites from Sharon Delaney-Chronis in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin make sweet gifts. Add them to a cookie tin lined with tissue paper. Tie with a wide satin ribbon and personalize with a sparkly initial made by brushing glue and sprinkling glitter on a wooden letter. 12 / 25
Great Granola
Granola goes glam when stowed in a see-through container decked out with tinsel. Nuts, dried fruit and more make a crunchy mix for topping oatmeal or eating by the handful. Tie on mini holiday bulbs fancied up with a metallic paint. —Johnna Johnson, Scottsdale, Arizona 13 / 25
Gingerbread Spice Jelly
Spread good tidings with aromatic preserves from Robin Nagel in Whitehall, Montana. Adorn lids with small paper doilies and snowflake stickers and tie on gingerbread man cookie cutters backed with cheery paper. Don’t forget the recipe! 14 / 25
Christmas Cranberries
Bourbon adds bite to this holiday standby, packed in a small heavy-duty glass storage container with a tight-fitting lid. Wrap in a vintage tea towel or cloth napkin, cinch with ribbon and adorn with small ornaments. —Becky Jo Smith, Kettle Falls, Washington 15 / 25
Cognac Date Squares
Cider, cognac and pistachios provide new flavor to a classic. Cut into squares and place in a plastic sandwich bag, then bundle in tissue paper and slip into a reusable fabric sandwich bag tied with a ribbon. —Lisa Speer, Palm Beach, Florida 16 / 25
Cinnamon Chip Scones
Paper bakery boxes lined with creatively cut tissue paper give these coffeehouse favorites from Barbara Humiston in Tampa, Florida a casual look. Dress up a box with polka-dot ribbon and a trio of fresh cinnamon sticks tied within a bow—their aroma is a clue to the treasures inside. 17 / 25
Chai Tea Mix
A welcome warm-up in winter, this comforting blend of seasonal spices and tea in a glass sugar shaker from Donna Gish in Blue Springs, Missouri is as easy to make as it is to give. Simply encircle the shaker with two bands of self-adhesive ribbon. Place in a stamped brown paper lunch bag and clip shut with a wooden clothespin wrapped with the same tape. 18 / 25
Whole Grain Pancake Mix
I found this basic recipe in my local newspaper, and tweaked it for our family. It has all the convenience of commercial pancake mix...plus it is packed with whole grains. Even with the grains this is a light and fluffy pancake.—Dorcas Byler, Brevard, North Carolina 19 / 25
Banana-Chip Muffin Mix
Here's a chocolate-dotted version of classic banana bread. Jars of the layered mix always go over big during the holidays. —Edie DeSpain, Logan, Utah 20 / 25
Cinnamon Mini Muffins and Cinnamon Butter
Tuck little muffins inside a recycled foil container decorated with pretty paper for a cute and delicious gift. The cinnamon butter takes it over the top! —Phyllis Kelley, Gainesville, Florida 21 / 25
Cranberry Ginger Bark
Need an item for a seasonal bake sale, cookie exchange or party...then try this treat. The crystallized ginger add such a special touch to this lovely looking bark.—Taste of Home Test Kitchen 22 / 25
Macadamia Nut Mini Loaves
While these loaves may be small, they have a big rich flavor. The macadamia nuts make them a special treat with tropical flair. Plus, they're so pretty with the toasted coconut topping. —Kim Gilliland, Simi Valley, California 23 / 25
Crunchy Party Mix
Here's a bold party mix you can make anytime. It's hot, spicy and packed with flavor—just the way we like things in Texas! —Nancy Elliott, Houston, TX 24 / 25
Kahlua Truffles
I discovered this recipe tucked away in a box of my mother's things. It's such a sweet way to remember her at Christmastime. —Betsy King, Duluth, Elizabeth King, Duluth, Minnesota 25 / 25
Maple-Spice Cashew Brittle
Crunchy cashews dot this tasty golden brittle, and a hint of spice makes it delightfully different. —Annie Rundle, Simple & Delicious Test Kitchen Originally Published: October 14, 2014
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