Edible Gifts to Make From the Pantry in an Afternoon
The edible gifts that are easiest to make are also the ones that keep: dry mixes, spiced sugars, salts and set chocolate. They need no canning, no refrigeration and no special equipment, and a dozen jars can be filled in one afternoon at the kitchen table. NC State Extension puts it plainly: homemade spice mixes, baking mixes and breads have very few risks and can be some of the safest homemade gifts to make.
Below are six edible gifts to make from pantry ingredients, each with what goes in and a storage note, followed by a plan for the afternoon and three gifts better left to tested recipes.
1. Two-cinnamon sugar
Stir 1 tablespoon of Royal Cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon Verum into 1 cup of granulated sugar, then grate in a little nutmeg. Royal Cinnamon is an heirloom Vietnamese cinnamon harvested in the mountains around Huế, which Burlap & Barrel describes as intensely sweet and spicy (shop Burlap & Barrel Royal Cinnamon, $9.50). Cinnamon Verum, the Ceylon type, from Zanzibar, adds notes of pine and citrus peel (shop Burlap & Barrel Cinnamon Verum, $9.95). Stone Nutmeg is hand-picked from a single orchard in Zanzibar and grated fresh (shop Burlap & Barrel Stone Nutmeg, $9.95). Tag line: "For buttered toast, oatmeal and the top of a muffin."
Storage: a dry, sealed jar in the cupboard. Colorado State University Extension's storage chart notes that ground spices can be stored in the cupboard; date the tag.
2. Rose sugar
Whisk 1 tablespoon of Damask rose petal powder into 1 cup of sugar. Burlap & Barrel's powder is made from organically grown, hand-picked, slowly dried Damask roses, and the maker suggests it as a 1:1 swap for rosewater in syrups, drinks and baked goods (shop Burlap & Barrel Damask Rose Petals, $9.95). The sugar turns pale pink. Tag line: "For tea, whipped cream and the top of shortbread."
Storage: as for the cinnamon sugar, dry and sealed in the cupboard.
3. Smoked chipotle salt
Fold 1 tablespoon of smoked chipotle flakes into 1/2 cup of Maldon flakes with your fingertips, so the pyramid flakes stay whole. Maldon salt has been harvested from the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, England, since 1882 (shop Maldon sea salt, $7.99). The chipotle flakes are jalapeños grown at Fire Tongue Farms in California and smoked over fruit tree branches; they are medium-hot (shop Burlap & Barrel Smoked Chipotle flakes, $9.95). Tag line: "For eggs, avocado toast and a roast chicken."
Storage: salt and dried chili flakes are both dry ingredients, and NC State Extension counts spice mixes among the lowest-risk homemade gifts. Keep the jar sealed so the flakes stay crisp, and keep fresh garlic and fresh herbs out of it.
4. Hot chocolate mix
Chopped dark chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, milk powder and a pinch of salt, weighed into jars. The homemade hot chocolate mix recipe has the weights for 16 cups, the serving line for the tag and how long the mix keeps. Valrhona's cocoa powder is 100% cocoa with no sugar (shop Valrhona cocoa powder, $25.00), and a 70% bar such as Amano's Ocumare does the rest (shop Amano Ocumare 70%, $13.00).
Storage: clean, completely dry jars, closed tightly, kept cool and out of the sun. Date the tag and treat it as a winter's supply.
5. Chocolate bark
Melt two or three 70% bars gently, spread the chocolate thin on parchment, and scatter it with Maldon flakes and a pinch of the rose sugar before it sets. Amano's Ocumare is made from cacao from the Venezuelan village of Ocumare de la Costa, a cacao known since the 1600s ($13.00 a bar). Break the set bark into pieces and pack it in a lined box.
Storage: Colorado State University Extension's chart gives candies 6 months in the refrigerator or the freezer, with a note that chocolates may discolor. Melted chocolate that is not tempered sets softer and can show pale streaks of bloom; it is harmless, and keeping the bark cool slows it.
6. Shortbread mix in a jar
Layer 300 g of all-purpose flour, 100 g of sugar and 2 g of salt in a tall jar. Tie on a tag with the rest: "Rub in 200 g of cold butter and 1 teaspoon of cardamom extract until the dough holds together. Press into an 8-inch pan, prick with a fork and bake at 325°F until pale gold at the edges." Burlap & Barrel's cardamom extract is made with cardamom seeds from Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, and swaps 1:1 for vanilla extract (shop Burlap & Barrel Cardamom Extract, $18.00); tuck the bottle in beside the jar.
Storage: NC State Extension counts baking mixes among the lowest-risk homemade gifts. Colorado State University Extension's chart gives flour 6 to 8 months in the refrigerator and 12 months in the freezer, kept in an airtight container, so give the jar as a mix for this season. Once baked, the chart gives cookies 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator and 6 to 12 months in the freezer.
One afternoon, twelve gifts
| Make | Jars from one batch | Pantry products | Storage note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-cinnamon sugar | Two small jars | Royal Cinnamon, Cinnamon Verum, Stone Nutmeg | Cupboard, sealed and dry |
| Rose sugar | Two small jars | Damask Rose Petals | Cupboard, sealed and dry |
| Smoked chipotle salt | Two small jars | Maldon, Smoked Chipotle flakes | Sealed, dry, no fresh garlic or herbs |
| Hot chocolate mix | Two jars of 280 g | Valrhona cocoa, Amano Ocumare | Dry jars, cool, out of the sun |
| Chocolate bark | Two boxes | Amano Ocumare, Maldon | Candies: 6 months chilled or frozen |
| Shortbread mix | Two tall jars | Cardamom extract | Flour: airtight; baked cookies 2 to 3 weeks chilled |
Small jars of two sugars and a salt fit together in a red gift box with a magnetic flap lid, 8 by 8 by 4 inches (shop the red magnetic gift box, $10.00). Prices follow the listed price on each product page. Products ship across the continental U.S. from theambrosianpantry.com.
Label every jar
NC State Extension advises noting the ingredients on baked gifts in case of food allergies, and the same habit suits every jar here. Write the ingredients, the date it was made and how to use it on the tag. The chocolate gifts contain milk if the mix includes milk powder, and the shortbread jar contains wheat.
Three gifts to leave to tested recipes
- Garlic or herb oils. NC State Extension says homemade garlic and herb infusions should pretreat the garlic or herbs with citric acid, following tested recipes, and that infused foods should be refrigerated or frozen until given. A dry salt or spiced sugar is the easier gift.
- Cakes or breads baked in a jar. NC State Extension advises against baking cakes or breads in a jar and sealing them, because this is a high risk for illness. Give the dry mix in the jar instead, as in the shortbread above.
- Infused liquors. NC State Extension notes there are no researched safe home recipes for infused liquors and does not recommend making them as gifts.
Short answers
What are easy edible gifts to make at home? Dry mixes and set chocolate: a spiced sugar, a flavored salt, hot chocolate mix, chocolate bark or a shortbread mix in a jar.
Which homemade food gifts are safest? NC State Extension names homemade spice mixes, baking mixes and breads as having very few risks.
How long does homemade chocolate bark keep? Colorado State University Extension's chart gives candies 6 months in the refrigerator or freezer, noting that chocolate may discolor.
For more gifts to pack for a whole street, see Christmas gifts for neighbors. The shop is at 263 Josephine Street in Cherry Creek, Denver.
