Easy Homemade Holiday Treat Gift Bags

Do you find yourself needing small gifts for a lot of people? Why not make gift bags of holiday treats? You can give them to your coworkers, neighbors, or as take-home treats for a party. Here are ideas for easy-to-make homemade treats as well as for decorating containers for the treats.

Gift Bag Ideas

Spice up your gifts with a decorative bag to protect and deliver them in.

Paper Bags

Decorate with stamps or stickers. Let the kids color on them with markers to decorate. Fold the top down twice and punch two holes to thread decorative ribbon through and tie shut.

Cellophane Bags

These are available at any party store. You can select from a variety of patterns or pick a solid color or clear. Put some large confetti or curled ribbon in alongside your treats. Fold over the top trice and punch two holes to thread coordinating ribbon through and tie shut. Or gather the top of the bag and tie tightly with a ribbon or raffia. Make a mini gift card to attach to the ribbon as you tie the bag shut, sayingwho the gift is from.

Plastic Containers

You may wish you use tossable plastic containers to contain your gift. These are available at any grocery store. Decorate with paint pens, permanent markers or stickers. You can use a To/From sticker as a label for a gift in this type of container.

Techniques

Here are some simple techniques you will need to use for some of the recipes that follow.

Melting Chocolate

Put in a bowl in the microwave and cook 30 seconds at a time, stirring well. Stir until completely melted. Or, put in the top pan of a double boiler on low heat, stirring well until melted.

Drizzling Chocolate

Melt a contrasting color of chocolate. Put into a Ziploc bag and snip off a tiny piece of the corner. Squeeze a drizzle onto the treat.

Recipes

Here are several easy treat ideas to make at home and give to your family, friends and neighbors as small holiday gifts - no baking required!

Butter Mints

Gradually blend 1 stick butter with 3 ¾ c. powdered sugar. Add 1 T. whipping cream, 1/8 t. peppermint extract and a few drops of red food coloring. Use a cake decorating tube to squeeze shapes or a Ziploc bag with a cut-off corner to squeeze lines on a sheet of waxed paper. Let set for 30 minutes. Cut the lines into bite-sized pieces.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Melt milk, semi-sweet or white chocolate chips and dip pretzels in the chocolate. Lay on waxed paper or tin foil to cool. Drizzle with a contrasting chocolate color.

Peppermint Bark

Melt white chocolate chips. Put candy canes in a Ziploc bag and wrap in a towel; crush with a hammer. Stir candy canes into the white chocolate and spread on a sheet of waxed paper to cool. Break into pieces once cool.

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Rods

Cut caramel apple wraps (sold in the produce section) into strips. Wrap pretzels rods in a strip of the caramel. Dip in melted chocolate and lay on waxed paper to dry. Decorate with colored sprinkles, chopped nuts or coconut flakes.

Chocolate-Dipped Marshmallow Rods

Thread 2 marshmallows on a skewer. Dip in melted chocolate. Decorate with drizzled chocolate or colored sprinkles.

Rice Krispie Treats

Follow Rice Krispie Treat recipe. Mix in holiday-colored M&Ms if desired. Once cool and firm, cut into desired shapes using holiday cookie cutters or freehand. To dress them up, and a chocolate drizzle or colored sprinkles. Or you can "frost" them using melted white chocolate colored with food coloring. Try Christmas-tree shaped treats frosted with green white chocolate and decorated with colored sprinkles. Another fun idea is to cut out large candy corn shapes for Halloween and frost in white, orange and yellow white chocolate.

Candied Nuts

Melt 3 T butter, ¼ c. sugar and ¼ t. salt in a large saucepan. Add 3 ½ c. nuts (walnuts, or a mix, or your favorite). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture foams and sticks to the nuts. Cook, stirring, an additional 2 minutes, being careful not to let it burn. Spread on waxed paper to cool.

White Chocolate Popcorn Treats

Using un-buttered popcorn and about 3 ounces of white chocolate per bag of popcorn, lightly coat the popcorn and set to harden in the refrigerator. Fun mix-ins ideas for this include holiday-colored M&Ms, dried cranberries with almonds, or coarsely chopped walnuts.