Season’s Eatings! 21 Homemade Holiday Gifts

By Jenn Segal

‘Tis the season to spread some joy and what better way than with a delicious homemade gift? Skip the generic store-bought treats and try your hand at some tasty homemade goodies. From shortbread cookies to peppermint bark, these DIY holiday gifts are sure to bring a smile to the faces of your friends and family. Plus, the process of making them is half the fun!

Shortbread Cookies

The rich, buttery goodness of shortbread cookies is hard to beat.
Candied Pecans

These candied pecans are perfect to serve with cocktails or toss over salads, and the best part is they take just 15 minutes to make!
Rum Cake

This boozy, buttery rum cake is guaranteed to be the life of the party.
Cranberry Nut Bread

Sweet, orange-scented and chock-full of cranberries and walnuts, this cranberry nut bread is perfect for the holidays.
Union Square Cafe Rosemary Nuts

Sweet, salty, and spicy, these rosemary nuts are perfect with cocktails or for snacking. But don’t say I didn’t warn you: they’re hard to stop eating!
15-Minute Chocolate Walnut Fudge

This 15-minute chocolate walnut fudge from Cook’s Illustrated is delicious and foolproof.
Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Rolled in coarse sugar, these sophisticated pecan shortbread cookies are long on buttery, nutty flavor.
Coconut Macaroons

Soft and chewy on the inside, crisp and golden on the outside — these are the perfect coconut macaroons.
Baileys Chocolate Truffles

Rich, creamy, and intensely bittersweet, these Baileys chocolate truffles are pure, all-encompassing bliss.
Granola

This homemade granola boasts huge crunchy clusters, perfect for snacking or spooning over lightly sweetened Greek yogurt.
Double Chocolate Biscotti

These crisp double chocolate biscotti are tailor made for dunking into coffee, warm milk, or hot chocolate.
Pumpkin Bread

Kids love it, grown-ups love it…this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!
Almond Biscotti

These almond biscotti are everything you want biscotti to be: buttery, lightly sweet, crunchy, and delicious any time of day!
Marble Cake

This marble cake may look fancy, but its flavor is pure old-fashioned goodness.
Grandma Annie’s Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread

Mandel bread is a traditional twice-baked Jewish cookie similar to biscotti.
Buckeyes

Easy to make and even easier to eat, buckeyes are peanut butter bonbons dipped in dark chocolate.
Peanut Butter Blossoms

Tender peanut butter cookies topped with Hershey’s kisses, peanut butter blossoms are the cutest cookies around.
Butterscotch Pecan Scones

These butterscotch pecan scones are tender, sweet and rich – almost like giant cookies.
Snowball Cookies

Blanketed in powdered sugar, snowball cookies make a festive addition to any cookie tray.
Chewy, Gooey Golden Rice Krispie Treats

These toasty, golden, and caramel-y Rice Krispie Treats are made with brown butter and a secret ingredient.
Marbled Peppermint Bark

With swirls of semi-sweet and white chocolate sprinkled with crushed candy canes, peppermint bark makes a festive holiday treat.