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 a batch of sriracha 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 add a pile of microwave peanut brittle to a holiday tin 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 in different designs and colors, 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.
Add custom tags, or your business card with a ribbon and you can tell the recipient exactly who the gift is from, what it is and perhaps include a recipe or the link to your recipe if it is on line. I keep an assortment of gift tags, ribbons and bows in big clear plastic storage bins (so I can see what’s in them). This way, I always know where everything is and I can find colors, different wrapping paper, etc. all waiting for me when I need to whip up impromptu gifts. Don’t forget to add a pair of scissors and lots of tape too!
Some other things that come in real handy are plastic food containers (you know, the old Tupperware type), and baskets…lots and lots of baskets. Nothing is better than adding your goods to a cute basket and wrapping in all up in a big cellophane gift bag with a bowl. Or maybe, lining a basket with a new kitchen towel and loading it with muffins for a neighbor or sick friend. It looks great and the basket and towel become part of the gift.
But by far, the gift wrap I use most for food gifts are individual treat bags. I’m able to add a big cookie like my jumbo fig, pecan and oatmeal cookies and gift them to neighbors and coworkers. I’ll whip up some homemade candy cane marshmallows and put a couple in a big with a big red bow and gift around the holidays. You can wrap candy, cookies, muffins and other small treats in these and give a small taste to lots of people this way. It is thoughtful, homemade and looks adorable.
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 basket filled with your handiwork. I use them to wrap Dave’s Salted Black Licorice Caramels. So good!
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 mini cupcake liners and box them up in clear mini cupcake holder containers. Add a big red bow and you are good to go! 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 loaf pan, 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. I think beautifully wrapped, homemade gifts are the best. They show you care and have taken the time to make something special and have wrapped it with care. If you like giving homemade treats as much as I do, be sure to check out my homemade liqueurs & cordials are the perfect gift post for all kinds of wonderful and easy to make libations! So much fun to make and people go nuts for them! (Pun intended!!!)
Remember, enjoy the process and let your imagination run wild!
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to leave a rating below. Let me know any unique ways you wrap your food gifts…I always love to hear from you and am always looking for new ideas!
