Five creative ideas for edible holiday gifts!
homemade edible gifts
Hot salt
Any heat-seeking, hot sauce aficionado will appreciate a gift of homemade hot salt. Add ground chipotle and red pepper flakes to coarse sea salt in a spice grinder, and buzz until combined to create a spicy, finishing touch that they can sprinkle on anything that would otherwise get a splash of plain old hot sauce.
*Bonus: There's no need to worry about the shelf life of finishing salts.
Personalized herb & spice mixtures
Most kitchen cupboards have a bottle of steak seasoning or Herbs de Provence, but it's not just anybody who has a spice blend dedicated specially to them! Buying herbs and spices in bulk to make blends that reflect your loved ones’ tastes will make them feel really special and it's a great way to make the most of your holiday spending budget.
*These will last for months but will naturally lose flavour the longer they sit.
Loose-leaf love
In keeping with the idea of creating original, personalized mixes, consider buying loose-leaf teas in bulk and creating new blends for friends! You could also attach a tea ball as an inexpensive and useful add-on for those who might be new to loose-leaf.
*Teas last for up to a year in a brown paper bag.
Give some sugar
Flavoured sugars are another way to take a simple ingredient and jazz it up for a unique and inexpensive gift! Add the seeds of a vanilla bean to a sealable jar of white sugar to make a delicious addition to coffee, jams or even baking recipes. This is also a great way to use up older vanilla beans that have hardened. Just crack into a few large pieces and add to the sugar.
*Sugar mixtures will keep for 1-2 years depending on what is added.
Haute honey
Have a tea-loving friend who already has all the tricks and trinkets for every kind of tea brewing? Surprise them by infusing honey with some beautiful aromatics! Stir ground cardamom seeds and cinnamon into honey to create a delicious fruit tea booster. Add a small wooden honey dripper to make the gift even more special.
*Honey will last for months, though aromas will fade over time.
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