December is here and that means that it’s time of year when a home cook’s fancy to turn to baking and roasting up items to give as gifts. In the coming days, I’ll be posting a few new recipes to get your wheels turning, but until then, I thought it might be nice to feature some of the giftables I’ve posted in the past.
Jams
While there aren’t many jammable fruits left out there this time of year, there are still pears. And they are one of my favorites things to preserve. The archives speak for themselves. Pear Vanilla Jam. Pear Cinnamon Jam. Red Pear with Lavender. Pear Chutney with Dried Cherries and Ginger. Just know that this time of year, the pears have thicker skins than they do is early fall, so they may need to be peeled.
And if pears aren’t your bag, there’s always Apple-Cranberry Jam. It’s bright ruby color makes it feel festive and it is lovely for breakfast or paired with runny cheeses on an appetizer plate.
Snacks and Munchables
Roasted Chex Mix. It’s a blast straight out of my personal past and it so, so good. People go crazy for it. For snack that’s a little sweet and spicy, try these Rosemary Maple-Glazed Nuts.
If you need something to pair with a little jar of jam, bake up a batch of these easy crackers. They come together in minutes and are perfect to have in the pantry around the holidays to finish off a spread of starters.
Baked Goods
Cocoa Hazelnut Granola. It’s a must for the chocolate lover in your life. If you’ve someone on your list whole likes an easy baking project, this Cranberry Orange Scone Mix is just the thing. For best results, put a little piece of plastic wrap in between the dry ingredients and the orange sugar.
These mini Cranberry Bread Loaves are nice if you’re putting together an assortment of treats and want to add a quick bread. And no one ever says no to a batch of Whole Grain Pancake Mix. Pair it with a jar of jam or a small bottle of maple syrup for a holiday morning breakfast kit.
What fabulous ideas, I will definitely follow up on a few of these. I have been collecting jars all year for just this occasion.. c
Thanks for the tips! I’m already gathering my gift baskets for Christmas and planning what I need to make to fill them. This year the specialty will be granola – or granolas.
Definitely checking out a few of these ideas, thank you!
I absolutely love giving my home made pickles and jams as gifts at Christmas. I fact they are almost demanded by my family now, they want them rather than bought pressies! Many of them will be getting my lastest greation Pear, Cranberry and Walnut Chutney. It’s a really Christmassy recipe full of all those lovely winter spices and the crunch of walnut just tops it off. And as you so rightly say pears are the real savior at this time of year.
I saw kumquats in the grocery store this week, and there is a really good recipe for kumquat and 5-spice marmalade that makes a nice winter gift.
Yumm! Thanks for the great ideas.
Hi, my name is Emily and I’m a jam-a-holic. Red pear with lavender sounds particularly lovely. Pears are most definitely my bag. Thanks for sharing!
Yum! Those all look so good.
Oh! These look so good! I’ll probably make them all!
I love hearing ideas for home made gifts from other people! The chex mix reminds me that I need to get ahold of my grandmother’s recipe. She had a dish on her coffee table that always had chex mix and I looked forward to picking out my favorite items every time we went to visit her. I know my aunt has the recipe and I think it’s time I made it myself!
the one gift in a jar I loved were brownies (what we did for the bridal shower)…soooo good!