When you think about wrapping your homemade treats, you shouldn’t break into a sweat! This is supposed to be fun, so enjoy it. Anyone receiving candy, baked goods or roasted nuts as a gift is already pretty excited. Now wrap it up in a fun, festive and creative way and you’ve just put your gift ahead of the rest. Wrapping candy, nuts and baked goods shouldn’t be stressful. You can pile a holiday tin (very inexpensive at stores like Michael’s Crafts) with Pistachio Brittle and it will look spectacular.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money when it comes to wrapping and boxing up your goods. (Although, that is always an option) There are lots of stores and shops you visit on a regular basis that will inspire your creativity. (Think florists, grocery stores and thrift shops.) I often use pretty holiday themed plates, gift boxes, old-fashioned tins, Chinese take out boxes and more to package candy. If you have a couple of “staples” on hand at all times, you can turn a colorful paper plate into a work of art or basic parchment paper and kitchen twine into a simply wrapped package of deliciousness.
I always have a selection of ribbons and cellophane wrap in the closet. You can wrap a bowl, plate, box, etc. with cellophane, add a bow and you are good to go! Another great thing to have on hand are cellophane gift bags. You can add a couple of pieces of chocolate or lollipops, tie it up with a bow and you’ve got a quick giveaway for the office, neighbors or drop in guests. If you like to make small hard candies, caramels or other individually wrapped treats, having a stash of gold foil candy wrappers on hand is great. They are inexpensive, don’t take up a lot of space and they look fabulous when you have a box, tin or baskets filled with your handiwork. I’ve also used really pretty gift boxes lined with parchment paper to hold mixed nuts, brownies and fudge. You can also package individual pieces of fudge in cupcake liners and box them up. Grab my recipe for Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut Fudge and start baking and wrapping! A basket of individually wrapped candy like microwave peanut brittle makes a great gift to take to the office and put in a central place. Let everyone help themselves to a treat.
Another favorite gift to bake and give are mini quick breads. If they are baked right in a cute ceramic dish, you can wrap them up in cellophane wrap and tie with a bow and they get to keep the mini baking dish too! I have neighbors who wait for this gifts year round so they can add to their collection. Adding the recipe for a sweet bread is a nice touch. This way, they can use their ceramic dishes to make their next batch. Try the Cinnamon Raisin Bread or Walnut, Cranberry & Pumpkin bread recipe. It just tastes like the holidays and is a great gift idea.
The holidays can be a lot of fun (think egg cartons that are repurposed to hold homemade chocolate eggs at Easter.). Christmas stockings that hold individually wrapped camels or homemade lollipops are always a hit. Candy molds from any craft store already filled with homemade chocolates are a winner (plus they get to keep the molds!) Make cherry and walnut brownies in a mini cast iron skillet and wrap the brownie right in the skillet in a cellophane bag and tie it up with a ribbon and you just gave a treat and a cute skillet as a gift. This is always a hit! I have a friend that asks for this every year so she can add skillets to her growing collection. Add a recipe card and you’ve got a great gift giving/wrapping idea you can use all year round. (Candy molds come in every shape and color and aren’t very expensive at all.)
When I want a more elaborate gift, I’ll buy bigger baskets or gift boxes, add tags, bows, flowers, etc. Take a look at the photos below and stop back often as I add new and creative ways to wrap and present your delicious creations all the time.
Remember, enjoy the process and let your imagination run wild!
