5 Homemade Christmas Foodie Presents

Surprise your friends and family this Christmas with a homemade treat.

Christmas is all about food, friends and family. And what better way to get into the festive spirit than making your loved ones some homemade edible gifts? Food is a great way to show you care about someone, and homemade presents are always much more thoughtful. We’ve put together some inspiration for delicious Christmas treats to spoil your loved ones with.

Panettone

Panettone is an Italian sweet bread loaf originally from Milan, usually enjoyed during the Christmas and New Year period. There are different varieties, but it’s usually made with raisins, candied lemon or orange peel and rum extract. Panettone is a labour of love, as the proofing time takes several days, giving the bread its fluffy texture. If you don’t have that long, don’t worry — this recipe by BBC Food is the shortened version which takes just under three hours.

Panforte

Another traditional Italian dessert, panforte is a spiced fruit and nut cake. It’s sweet and sticky, with warming hints of cinnamon and cloves alongside citrusy cardamom. It’s a Christmas treat known throughout Italy, especially associated with the Province of Siena. Panforte is the perfect treat to have with a coffee or dessert wine — or any time of the day (it’s Christmas after all!). This recipe by Antonio Carluccio shows you how to make panforte di Siena, where spices like nutmeg and black pepper compliment the fruity flavours of candied cherries, lemons and oranges. Doesn’t get more festive than that!

Apples are a classic winter fruit and go in all kinds of sweet and savoury dishes. If you have apples lying around, chutneys are a great way to use them up. This recipe for spiced apple chutney from BBC Food has a tangy and sweet flavour, perfect for pairing with cheese and crackers. You’ll also need mixed spice and paprika to give it a little kick. Chutneys make good presents as they keep for a long time, around two months. You can also decorate the jars to make them extra special.

Speculoos

Speculoos or speculaas are traditional spiced biscuits found in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg on St Nicholas’ Day, and in Germany and Austria around Christmas. They’re often described as a type of gingerbread which is misleading — gingerbread is more gingery and has a heat, whereas speculoos has a more sugar and spice feel, with their spice blend leaning more towards aroma than heat. This recipe from Tesco Real Food is super easy to follow. Spices used in speculoos include cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper. Herbs and spices go well in both sweet and savoury Christmas dishes. Find out which ones you need in our Christmas day cooking essentials.

Chocolate truffles

Who doesn’t love a chocolate truffle? These bite-sized chunks of goodness make a great present for someone with a sweet tooth. They’re traditionally made with a chocolate ganache centre which is coated in chocolate, cocoa powder, desiccated coconut or chopped nuts. The great thing about making chocolate truffles is that they can be personalised to your giftee — coat them with their favourite toppings. This recipe by Sainsbury’s Magazine shows you how to make the ultimate chocolate truffles in just 25 minutes.