Homemade Holiday Gifts on a Budget

Homemade gifts from the kitchen can ease your budget during the financial stress of the holiday season when it seems that every last dime is going towards presents for the family. How can anyone afford the gifts to colleagues and friends and the inevitable "hostess" gifts at the many holiday parties? There are many gifts you can prepare and package right in your own home that people will love and treasure and that won't bankrupt you before the New Year.

Biscotti are an Italian twice-baked cookie. They are very crunchy and most often eaten with coffee, tea or wine. They also keep extremely well and are fairly inexpensive to make because there is no butter in the batter. If you are pressed for time you can even bake the logs on one day, cover them up overnight and then bake sliced cookies the next day. Consider using seasonal ingredients to add a holiday flavor and color to your biscotti, such as dried or chopped fresh cranberries, toasted walnuts or pistachios, and pumpkin or sweet potato puree. A really tasty Christmas biscotti would be to bake chocolate chip biscotti, drizzle them or dip them into dark chocolate ganache and sprinkle with crushed peppermints. You can package them in festive bags, tins or boxes that you can find cheaply at any store such as Walmart or Target.

Make up a batch of your own Hot Cocoa Powder. Use a really good cocoa powder such as Hershey's or Hershey's Special Dark for those who love dark chocolate. You can add regular granulated sugar or Splenda for a sugar free version. You could mix up a Mexican chocolate version by adding some cinnamon and stuffing a vanilla bean in the powder. Package it into small holiday tins and tie a velvet ribbon into a bow around the top. Loop some miniature candy canes into the loop. Make up little recipe cards on your computer with serving suggestions, such as an Amaretto Hot Chocolate, or explain how they can splash some mint schnapps into their drink and stir it with the minty candy canes. It will make their winter nights warm and cozy and they'll think of you as they sip their gourmet drinks.

Neither of these gift ideas takes long to make and they're a lot less expensive than buying generic style gifts such as bottles of wine or flowers. It's also a great way to involve your children and family in making unique presents. Your family and friends will love that you took the time to create special presents for them. You'll also enjoy the time you take as you cook up these food gifts in your own home and create some special holiday memories of your own. After all, the holidays aren't about what you can buy; they're about what you can give.