DIY Food Gifts Perfect for Gifting and Hosting

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Gift giving is the ultimate act of love and food is the way to the heart, so why not give your family and friends a DIY food gift? Food gifts are a delicious and practical way to show appreciation to your loved ones.

In this collection, I’ve gathered 20 DIY food gifts perfect for gifting and hosting. From seasoning blends to holiday desserts to deliciousness in a jar, these recipes are great to give as leftovers or right out of the oven.

Cowboy Candy (Candied Jalapenos)

A glass jar filled with sliced pickled candied jalapeño peppers in brine, viewed from above on a white surface.
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Cowboy Candy (Candied Jalapenos) are a pop of spice in a jar that make a great gift for your loved one’s fridge. They are super versatile and can be used in sandwiches or with meat. The syrup can even be used as a marinade to add great jalapeno flavor to a variety of dishes.

GET THIS RECIPE: Cowboy Candy (Candied Jalapenos)

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Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Bomb

Close-up of a round hot chocolate bombs topped with caramel drizzle and coarse salt, set on a white surface.
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Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Bombs are a great way to gift an explosion of flavor. They can be dropped into hot water or milk for a delicious cup of salted caramel hot cocoa. They can be stored in a cool dry place in an airtight container for 2 months or frozen for up to three months, making them great to pop into a mug all winter long.

GET THIS RECIPE: Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Bomb

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Garlic Herb Steak Butter

A close-up of a cooked steak topped with a sliced mushroom and a dollop of melting garlic herb butter.
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Garlic Herb Steak Butter can easily be wrapped up and gifted to guests. When you want to add some extra garlicy goodness to steak, you can cut off a slice and melt it into your pan. It can be frozen for up to 4 months for whenever you crave it.

GET THIS RECIPE: Garlic Herb Steak Butter

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5 Minute Fudge

Three pieces of chocolate fudge stacked and tied with red and white string.
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If you want to create an amazing gift even when you’re in a time crunch, this five minute fudge is for you! Simply melt and combine the ingredients together and allow it to set and you’re done. It can be frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated for one month for the gift that keeps on giving.

GET THIS RECIPE: 5 Minute Fudge

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Apple Pie Spice

A close-up of a white bowl filled with a mound of light brown apple pie spice.
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Gift your loved ones this Apple Pie Spice to give them the opportunity to add apple pie flavor to dishes year round. Give a jar of Apple Pie Spice to whoever would love the convenience of having a spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice on hand at all times. This gift requires only 5 minutes of simple prep for tons of minutes of enjoyment.

GET THIS RECIPE: Apple Pie Spice

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Butterfinger Cake

A slice of yellow cake topped with whipped cream, chocolate, and crushed butterfingers sits on a white plate next to a pan of the rest of the cake.
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Who wouldn’t love to receive cake from a friend, especially Butterfinger Cake? This cake with its peanut butter chocolate flavor is great to serve to guests. Then you can wrap leftovers in wax paper for everyone to take home.

GET THIS RECIPE: Butterfinger Cake

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Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce

A close-up view of a glass jar filled with sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, with a wooden stick partially submerged in the contents.
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Everyone needs to have a BBQ sauce in their fridge, so why not one that is homemade by a friend? This Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce combines the flavors of brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika for something that’s sweet, spicy and tangy. It only need to cook for 5 minutes for a super quick giftable sauce.

GET THIS RECIPE: Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce

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Fluffy Chocolate Dip

A glass bowl filled with chocolate mousse, topped with whipped cream, chocolate chips, and graham cracker crumbs, sits on a wooden surface with a red plaid cloth and graham crackers/
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This Fluffy Chocolate Dip can be served at a get together or gifted to others to serve to their own guests. It’s extremely versatile as you can dip a multitude of items such as fruit, cookies, or graham crackers in it. Just mix together milk and chocolate pudding and top with whipped topping, mini chocolate chips, and graham cracker crumbs to make this easy chocolate dip.

GET THIS RECIPE: Fluffy Chocolate Dip

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Apple Boilo

Sliced apples and oranges, whole star anise, and cinnamon sticks floating in bolio.
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Apple Boilo is a traditional northeastern Pennsylvanian alcoholic drink that is meant to be shared. It features citrus fruits, honey and lots of great spices for a warming drink everyone will love. After simmering, pour into in bottles or mason jars for storing and gifting.

GET THIS RECIPE: Apple Boilo

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Texas Roadhouse Butter

A glass bowl filled with swirled Texas Roadhouse cinnamon butter sits on a white surface next to a wicker basket and a blue-and-white checkered cloth.
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Gift a taste of the fan favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, to a friend or family member. This copycat version of their cinnamon butter can make enough to share with everyone, especially if it’s doubled or tripled. This bowl of buttery goodness can be enjoyed on rolls or any other way you desire.

GET THIS RECIPE: Texas Roadhouse Butter

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Strawberry Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Three layered Rice Krispies treats with chocolate, white, and pink layers are stacked on a white plate. A baking tray and chocolate bar sit in the background.
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Here’s a Rice Krispie Treat with a Neapolitan twist that you can give as a gift. They’re great for Valentine’s Day but can be given to show your love any time of year. They feature real strawberries for something more authentic than store bought.

GET THIS RECIPE: Strawberry Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

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Cinnamon Roasted Pecans

A white bowl filled with sugared roasted cinnamon pecans sits on a light surface with a few nuts scattered nearby.
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Cinnamon Roasted Pecans are sweet, rich and buttery and make plenty to share with everyone you know. Growing up my grandpa would send us home from my grandparents’ house with a jar of these and we loved them every time.

GET THIS RECIPE: Cinnamon Roasted Pecans

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Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

A clear glass mug filled with hot chocolate, topped with several small marshmallows, sits on a beige surface.
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Give the gift of warmth this winter with this Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix. When making your own hot cocoa mix, you can customize it to make it as sweet as you would like. This is great to have on a cold snowy day.

GET THIS RECIPE: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

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Chex Peanut Butter Truffles

Powdered sugar-coated Chex truffles are arranged on a wooden board with Chex cereal pieces and a small green plant.
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These Chex Peanut Butter Truffles are crunchy and creamy in texture and chocolatey and peanut buttery in flavor. Wrap up a bag of these and give them to your friends for a gift they’ll highly appreciate. These can be frozen for up to 6 months, so they can be enjoyed for a while after your friend receives them.

GET THIS RECIPE: Chex Peanut Butter Truffles

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Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

A glass jar filled with sliced bread and butter pickles, onions, and spices in brine.
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Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles are a great quick, low calorie snack that will fit perfectly in your friend’s fridge. Unlike other pickles, these do not require canning, so they are much more beginner-friendly. My college roommate gifted jars of pickles to a ton of their friends as a dorm-warming gift and they loved them, so I’m sure your friends will too.

GET THIS RECIPE: Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

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Hershey Fudge Recipe

Two squares of chocolate fudge topped with mini marshmallows are stacked on a white plate, surrounded by chocolate chips and more marshmallows.
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This Hershey Fudge is rich, chocolatey, and topped with marshmallows for a fudge version of a cup of hot cocoa. It can easily be wrapped up and gifted to friends. It takes 20 minutes to prepare and can last up to 2 weeks.

GET THIS RECIPE: Hershey Fudge Recipe

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White Chocolate Popcorn

A red tin decorated with white snowflakes and Christmas trees is filled with white chocolate popcorn topped with red and green sprinkles.
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A tin of White Chocolate Popcorn is the perfect snackable holiday gift. For years, my mom’s friend would leave a tin of popcorn for us on our front porch around Christmastime and I always loved eating it throughout the winter. This popcorn features white chocolate, cake mix and sprinkles for a great sweet-salty combo.

GET THIS RECIPE: White Chocolate Popcorn

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Pot Roast Seasoning

A close-up of a spoon holding a blend of dried herbs and spices, with green, brown, and beige particles visible.
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Pot Roast Seasoning is a way to add great flavor to meat right out of your spice drawer. It contains garlic, onion, herbs, salt and pepper for a convenient, giftable seasoning that will save your friends lots of time while making dinner.

GET THIS RECIPE: Pot R oast Seasoning

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Cranberry Orange Biscotti

Three slices of biscotti with visible dried cranberry pieces are arranged on a white plate.
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This Cranberry Orange Biscotti combines great Christmas and citrus flavor for a satisfying breakfast. There’s nothing like a little reminder of a loved one every morning. This biscotti is crisp on the outside and softer on the inside, perfect for dipping into coffee or tea.

GET THIS RECIPE: Cranberry Orange Biscotti

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Christmas Chex Mix

A white bowl filled with Chex mix that consists of Chex, mini marshmallows, popcorn, red and green chocolate candies, and sprinkles set against a festive red and white striped cloth background..
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This Christmas Chex Mix features Christmas colors and flavors. It caters to a salt enthusiast or someone with a sweet tooth, so it’s great to gift to people with diverse palettes. The base of Chex, popcorn, marshmallows, and M&Ms is covered with a delicious caramel sauce for a simply satisfying holiday snack.

GET THIS RECIPE: Christmas Chex Mix

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Meet Christina

Woman in red blouse slicing lemons in a kitchen setting.

Hi there, it’s nice to meet you!  I’m a recipe developer, author, TV contributor and recipe hoarder that shares tried and true recipes anyone can make.  It Is a Keeper started in 2010 as a hobby that quickly grew.  Spending time in the kitchen has always made me happy – whether I’m making an old favorite that I know by heart or trying a new recipe. You can learn more about me here. 

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