Homemade Christmas gift ideas | Good Food

Florentines make an ideal homemade Christmas gift, bursting with festive flavours from juicy glacé cherries and crunchy almonds. Dipped in rich chocolate, they provide a delightful sweet finish to a hearty meal. Best of all, these treats can be stored for up to four days, making them perfect for gifting or tucking into stockings.

Stir up this vibrant, seasonal spread, bursting with tangy cranberries and zesty orange. This spiced Christmas jam pairs beautifully with turkey or ham, and will keep for up to a month in the fridge after opening. Make it extra-special with a sprinkling of edible glitter to impress your friends or family.

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These candied chestnuts are a dazzling array of edible jewels and come together with only three humble ingredients. After their transformation, nestle them in a jar, where they’ll remain perfectly preserved for up to two months. With each bite, you can savour the essence of Christmas, even when the holiday season is a distant memory.

Chai powder in a bowl surrounded by Christmas decorations and a box of teabags

These bespoke teabags are individually filled with a warming spice mix. Simply toast cardamom pods, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and cloves in a dry frying pan for 1 minute, then combine with black assam tea leaves and package in empty teabags.

Shortbread biscuits decorated with icing and dried fruits and nuts

Enhance the charm of these splendid Christmas biscuits by adorning them with your choice of candied orange peel, delicately flaked almonds, or the vibrant zest of freeze-dried raspberries. These cookies are great for baking with kids since they’re simple and quick to make, taking under an hour from start to finish. The decorating doesn’t have to be perfect, so it’s a relaxed and enjoyable activity for everyone involved.

Manchego & chorizo biscuits on a wire rack

Our moreish cheesy biscuits make a perfect gift for those who prefer something savoury. Seasoned with sweet smoked paprika and fennel seeds, they’re loaded with spicy chorizo and sharp manchego cheese.

Hot chocolate stirrers, some gift wrapped and some on a plate

For the dedicated chocolate lover in your life, these homemade hot chocolate stirrers are a gift they’ll cherish—once they try them, they’ll never look at powdered cocoa the same way again! This simple recipe yields six delightful stirrers, making it a fantastic way to get a head start on your gift-giving. Prepare them in one go, and you’ll have thoughtful presents ready for six lucky recipients.

Infuse luxurious chocolate truffles with the classic flavour of tiramisu. Coated in white chocolate, the truffles are filled with ganache made from double cream, dark chocolate, espresso and marsala.

Peach and amaretto jam in a jar next to a teaspoon and a slice of bread

Elevate your Christmas hamper with a tantalising twist – homemade peach & amaretto jam. With just five simple ingredients, it’s a breeze to create, and the best part? This delightful concoction can be stored for up to three months, making it an ideal choice for preparing well in advance. The amaretto infusion introduces a delightful nutty undertone, adding a touch of sophistication. However, should you prefer a non-alcoholic or kid-friendly option, a vanilla pod can effortlessly take its place, ensuring everyone can relish this delectable creation.

These colourful cookies are sure to bring a smile to somebody’s face and they’re super simple to make. Just combine funfetti or rainbow sprinkles into a basic biscuit mixture for a stunning speckled effect.

Ricciarelli biscuits dusted with icing sugar in a bowl with other biscuits

These Italian-inspired almond biscuits are so scrumptious that you’ll find yourself secretly debating whether to share them with others or savour every bite for yourself. These cookies are the perfect present for those following a gluten-free diet. Ground almonds step in for traditional flour, making them a thoughtful and mouthwatering gift that caters to special dietary needs.

Chocolate biscuits dusted with icing sugar in a box

Achieve a cool ‘crackle’ effect by rolling balls of chocolate biscuit dough in icing sugar to make them look like snow-topped pine cones when baked. These crunchy bitesize treats will keep for up to a week in an airtight container – just wrap the box in colourful paper for a pretty gift.

We’ve got plenty more festive biscuit recipes.

Iced gingerbread star and snowflake biscuits with stained glass centres

It wouldn’t be Christmas without gingerbread biscuits. The impressive stained glass effect here is easy to create by placing a hard-boiled sweet in the centre of each cut-out biscuit shape. This will melt and spread while in the oven to form a ‘window’. Decorate them further by piping white icing around the edges, then display your edible ornaments by hanging them from the Christmas tree – that is, if you can resist eating them first!

Check out more gorgeous gingerbread recipes.

A box of chocolates is the ultimate gourmet gift at Christmas. Kids can get creative by choosing what coating to roll them in. We’ve gone for cocoa powder, sprinkles, edible lustre, icing sugar, or chopped nuts, but you can have fun experimenting.

Special tip: Handling the truffles is less messy if you have cold hands, so rinse them under a cold tap first if you don’t want chocolatey fingers.

Try more of our indulgent truffle recipes.

Add some festive hues to classic bourbon biscuits using a spot of food colouring. Little ones can get involved with piping the filling in pink, white and chocolate, or whatever colour takes their fancy. These Neapolitan-style biscuits take only 10 minutes to bake and can be finished off with a dusting of sugar. They will soften after a while so are best eaten the day they are iced.

Sweet treats are often in abundance during the Christmas holidays, so if you’re craving something savoury, we have the perfect homemade snacks. These moreish cheddar and rosemary biscuits are likely to be gobbled up before you can even place them in gift boxes! With a simple, elegant design and satisfyingly tangy flavour, they’ll also go down well as part of the cheese course at a dinner party.

Kids will love decorating chocolate bark with cute little reindeer and snowman faces. The swish swirled bark effect can be achieved by pouring melted milk chocolate over dark and stirring them slightly. For the toppings, we’ve used Smarties, marshmallows, pretzels, jelly laces, sprinkles and icing pens. Make an easy gift to give to classmates or family by snapping the bark into shards, popping in a bag and tying with a pretty ribbon.

Peppermint creams shaped like polar bears

Make these adorable minty treats using only four ingredients. The bear faces are shaped from a sweet dough made from icing sugar, egg white and a few drops of peppermint essence. A little chocolate button nose completes the look. You can have these cute bears bagged up in just half an hour, making them a super simple last-minute gift. Alternatively, if you want a more classic cream, just coat small pieces in melted dark chocolate.

Create more beautiful confectionary with our Christmas sweet recipes.

Transform your ordinary minced pies into a vibrant delight by drizzling them with a zesty lemon icing and crowning them with a medley of dried cranberries, glimmering glacé cherries, playful coloured sprinkles, and delicate pistachio slivers. For those who like to plan, you can take a proactive approach by preparing your pastry up to three months before the festive season and freezing it for future use. You can even divide the pastry into smaller portions, ensuring you can bake these gifts at your leisure throughout the holiday season, spreading the joy one delicious pie at a time.

Two jars of apple pie cookie ingredients

Capturing the comforting flavours of apple pie in a jar, our festive biscuit mix is the ideal present for all cookie monsters! Layer the dry ingredients, topping with your loved one’s favourite cookie fillings; for example, raisins, Smarties or chocolate chunks. Then, all they have to do is add the wet ingredients and bake, giving them an easy shortcut to something fresh, warm and delicious. Simply write out the instructions or attach our printable label outlining the final steps for their festive baking session.

Put together more edible gift kits.