In a world full of AI and mass production, nothing means more than a gift made by hand. Time, love and care are the main ingredients, and that’s what makes it count. I’ve written over 1,200 recipes in nearly 17 years of blogging, and plenty of them make wonderful edible gifts. These are the ones I love most for Christmas, from jars of preserves and fudge to Christmas cake, mince pies and rusks.
Homemade Jams, Preserves and Sauces
A jar of something homemade is the easiest gift to give. If you follow the correct jar preserving method, they will keep long beyond Christmas. *NB – some preserves that contain dairy such as curd cannot be preserved in the water bath method and should rather be frozen for longer preservation.
Cherries Preserved In Spiced Port Syrup – Cherries are my favourite fruit so I make these every year when they are in season. They are so lovely to have on hand for the festive season, and desserts throughout the year. They are perfect with vanilla ice cream, but I adore them spooned over my chocolate loaf Basque cheesecake or vanilla Basque cheesecake.
The Easiest 8-Minute Small Batch Apricot Jam – As soon as apricots come into season, I make a few batches of this jam.
Strawberry Jam – another small batch easy jam recipe that is all about the fruit.
Granadilla Curd – This is my go-to recipe for granadilla (passionfruit) curd.
Lemon Curd – My favourite lemon curd recipe.
Pickled Currants and Pickled Sultanas are my latest obsession. I cannot get enough of them, and they last well over a year on the fridge. They actually develop in flavour over time. They are flavour bombs and go so well in salads, such as my roast carrot and barley salad or my radicchio salad with roasted butternut and blue cheese. I have a recipe for pickled currants too.
The Best Red Pepper & Chilli Jam – This is a delicious jam for a cheeseboard.
Pineapple & Raisin Chutney
Homemade Zesty Salsa – This is a delicious salsa that can be preserved for future months. It’s so good to have on hand to top nachos, fill quesadillas or use in Mexican-inspired dishes.
Christmas Cakes to Make Ahead
A good Christmas cake gets better with time, so start early. These are my three favourites, all of which travel well and look beautiful wrapped up.
Easy Stout Fruit Cake (My Grandmother’s Recipe) – This is the easiest and most low-effort fruit cake I make every year.
My ultimate indulgent fruitcake recipe – This one has all the fruit and nuts which make it ultra luxurious.
The best fruit cupcakes with spiced vanilla buttercream – Not a traditional cake, but these festive cupcakes are a lovely gift over the season.
Mince Pies
Nobody says no to a mince pie in December. These are my three favourite versions, from the classic to a few fun twists.
Easy deep-filled Christmas mince pies – These are my favourite more traditional mince pie but are easier to make using a shortbread pastry that you press into a muffin tin.
Apple and mince pie crumble bars – This is my ultimate mince pie baked good made easier in a bar format.
Frangipane mince pies with orange pastry – Elevated classic.
Shortbread, mince pie, crumble cookies – Fuss-free mince pie cookies.
Christmas Mince Pie Frangipane Tart
Home Made Mince Pies With Pear Fruit Mince – This pear fruit mince is SO good.
Fudge, Toffee and Sweet Treats
This is the section to raid if you need a lot of gifts in a hurry. My second cookbook was called ‘Sweet’ so I love confectionary and I have an insatiable sweet tooth. Most of these come together in under an hour and make big batches.
Addictive Cornflake Crack With Chocolate And Sea Salt – you can make this with or without the chocolate and I am obsessed with it.
Spicy Caramel Popcorn – This is spicy and sweet and my favourite caramel corn recipe from my second cookbook.
Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats With Chocolate
Toffee, Salted Pretzel & Chocolate Bark
Spicy buttercrunch brittle with roasted nuts – My buttercrunch brittle won’t send you to the dentist with one bite and the mixed roasted nuts make this a delicious confection.
Pillowy-Soft Homemade Lime Marshmallows
Strawberry marshmallows with Grand Marnier – These are an egg-free recipe and I share a variety of flavour ideas on the post.
Dubai Chocolate Bar Recipe With Pistachio Cream And Kataifi – This is a delectable chocolate bar that tastes at least as good, if not better than the original if you use good quality chocolate.
Dubai Chocolate Rice Krispie Squares With Pistachio – A grown up Rice Krispies treat with all the flavours of the Dubai chocolate.
Fudge With Chocolate Malt Balls – This is one of my best fudge recipe and I add chopped up Chuckles (aka chocolate covered malt balls) to take it to the next level.
Salted caramel sauce – and I also have a version with miso which is so good.
White chocolate & green tea fudge
Easy Honey Nut Granola – This is my favourite indulgent granola recipe.
Christmas Biscuits and Cookies
A tin of homemade biscuits is always welcome. These are my favourite festive bakes, but you’ll find plenty more in my full biscuit and cookie collection.
Best Ever South African Crunchies Recipe – These are my grandmother’s crunchies, and I think they are the best you can get.
Alison Roman’s Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies – this might be my favourite biscuit of all time and the slice and bake method makes these perfect for edible Christmas gifts.
White Chocolate, Cranberry And Macadamia Nut Cookies – these lean on the sweet side, and are crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle. They are so festive, and make the perfect Christmas biscuit.
The Best Shortbread Biscuit Balls With Chocolate Middles – Dipped in caster sugar, they look so whimsical for Christmas.
My Ultimate Crispy Shortbread Biscuit Recipe – Shortbread is the most iconic biscuit at Christmas and make she perfect edible gift.
Easy South African Ginger Biscuits – There is something about a ginger biscuit that makes me think of Christmas and this is a very easy recipe that everyone will love.
Whipped Vanilla Shortbread Biscuits – This is the one to turn to when you want to bake for children and you can decorate them in a variety of ways. You need a stand mixer for this one as there is a lot of whipping involved.
My Best Biscuit Recipes – for all my favourite biscuit and cookie recipes.
Homemade Rusks
Rusks are a classic South African treat that everyone loves and nobody can get enough of. They also keep for weeks, which makes them one of the best edible gifts you can make.
The Best Buttermilk Bran Rusks – This is my favourite rusk recipe of all-time.
Buttermilk bran rusks with raisins & seeds – This is a version with seeds and raisins.
The Best Classic South African Buttermilk Rusks
Air Fryer classic South African buttermilk rusks like Ouma – The same recipe but made in a smaller batch for the air fryer.
Hot Cross Rusks: All The Flavour Of A Hot Cross Bun – These fruit spiced rusks would work just as well for Christmas.
Muesli Rusks With Oats & Raisins
Savoury Edible Gifts
Everything here belongs on a cheeseboard, so pair a jar of spiced nuts with a bag of crackers for an easy gift.
Spicy Roasted Almonds With Rosemary And Smoked Paprika
Rosemary Seed & Nut Crackers – These are my ultimate cracker to serve with any dip or on a cheeseboard.
The Best Ever Crispy Flatbread Recipe – This recipe from my first cookbook is my favourite crispy flatbread. The recipe makes a large batch which is perfect to have on hand for the festive season.
Edible Gifts for Christmas FAQs
What are the best edible gifts for Christmas?
The best edible gifts for Christmas keep well and travel well. Jams, preserves, fudge, biscuits, rusks and Christmas cake are all perfect, because you can make them ahead and they look beautiful packaged up.
How far ahead can I make edible gifts for Christmas?
It depends on the gift. Christmas cake can be made two to three months ahead and fed as it matures. Jams and preserves in sterilised jars will last for months. Fudge, biscuits and crackers are best made a week or two before Christmas. Check the storage notes on each recipe for exact timings.
How long do homemade edible gifts last?
Most of the gifts here keep for one to three weeks in an airtight container. Preserves last much longer if your jars are properly sterilised. Anything with dairy, like curd or caramel sauce, needs to live in the fridge, so add a little label telling people to keep it chilled.
How should I package edible gifts for Christmas?
Glass jars, tins and cellophane bags tied with string all work well. Line tins with baking paper so biscuits don’t break. Then add a handwritten label with the name and a “best before” date, which makes the gift feel more personal too.
Can I post edible gifts?
Yes, but choose sturdy gifts. Rusks, biscuits, Christmas cake and spiced nuts all travel well. Avoid anything that needs refrigerating, and pack tins tightly so nothing rattles about.
50 Best Christmas Recipes For Dinner, Sides And Desserts
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