Holiday Gift Ideas for Cooks & Foodies

Looking for great gift ideas for the cook or foodie in your life? Here’s a list of 10 things that are both different than the norm and thoughtful.

SUBSCRIPTIONS & PRODUCTS

1. Pomora Italian Olive Oil

You know the WWF and Sierra Club programs where you can adopt an endangered animal and you receive some sort of paraphernalia as a thank you in return? Pomora offers the same kind of deal for olive trees in Italy, which helps sustainable family farmers continue to do what they do. When you adopt, you receive an adoption certificate and a booklet of information about your olive tree, updates from your farmer throughout the year and deliveries of Italian olive oil that actually came from your tree! I can tell you from experience (more recipes 1/2/3/4)that it is the best olive oil I have ever tasted and each quarter comes with different flavor infusions such as lemon, garlic, and even pepperoncini. This gift is $49 per quarter which includes shipping from Italy. If you use my exclusive reader gift code “SPIFFYXMAS25” you will receive 25% off the first quarter of an Adoption.

2. Spice of the Month Club

Another great subscription that cooks would appreciate is RawSpiceBar. It’s just like all those other X-of-the-month clubs but instead includes 3 spices specific to a different region each month, complete with recipes with which to use them. I got to try out their Istanbul box and the Arguillian box and they both made crazy delicious meals! And it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than most other monthly subscriptions coming in at about $7/month ($88/year or $26/quarter). Heck, buy yourself a subscription while you are at it. For a one-time order, use code “BETTERSPICES” for a $10 spice box.

3. Peanut Butter

No I am not kidding, you should buy peanut butter as a gift because there has to be at least one peanut butter fanatic on your list. But I am not talking about just any old peanut butter. One of my favorite brands, Peanut Butter & Co. has all kinds of themed gift assortments such as PB&J, fluffernutter, or a 6 pack of different kinds of peanut butter. They even have their own cookbooks! Receive $5 off orders of $30-$59.99 with code “5HAPPYHOLIDAYS” or $10 off orders of $60 or more with code “10HAPPYHOLIDAYS”.

4. Digital Kitchen Scale (see on Amazon)

Kitchen scales are not just for “healthy eating”. There are a lot of tools jammed into the drawers and cabinets in my kitchen but my kitchend scale is one that gets used heavily. I first bought it for a recipe that only had weights for the ingredients and I thought I would rarely use it afterwards but oh man was I ever wrong. My inexpensive little scale has been one of the best investments I have made on a kitchen tool. I use it for everything from measuring out chocolate to dividing up dough to make bagels.

5. Immersion Blender (see on Amazon)

This time I made homemade broccoli cheddar soup with an immersion blender it changed my world. You may think that the act of letting you soup cool before pouring it from the pot into a blender, and then back into the pot again to reheat would not be a big deal but I think you are wrong. First of all, how many of you dread cleaning your blender? My point exactly. I love that when it comes time in the recipe, I can just stick my immersion blender in the pot and whirl away. It’s much easier to clean than a regular blender and you don’t have to worry about letting the soup cool down first before blending. So if you know someone who loves making homemade soups, tell them to get their soup on! It’s also good for making any other kind of purees such as homemade pasta sauce, applesauce, etc.

HOMEMADE/DIY

1. Hot Cocoa Gift Set

Need a small, cute gift idea for pretty much anyone? How does Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix paired with some Homemade Marshmallows all packaged up in a personalized, DIY Painted Mug? Heck you could even bundle it up with gift basket wrap and tie it off with a DIY Hair Tie! Look at all that dual-functionality going on there. And it’s all sparkly and pretty and stuff. Alternative option? Homemade Vanilla Chai Tea Mix. I also recently saw a recipe for Homemade instant eggnog mix.

2. Baking Gift (Homemade Vanilla Extract)

Give the gift of future baked goods. I love giving Homemade Vanilla Extract as gifts because it’s the gift that keeps on giving! Seriously, those vanilla beans are good for at least 2 runs so after the bottle is used up, just add more vodka and let the extraction process start all over again. I have a running cycle of 3 different replenishing bottles. But I digress… Package it with cookie mix in a jar or with other baking supplies such as festive cookie cutters, cookie scoops, pie crust shields, etc. Or just stuff it as is into their stockings!

3. Hostess Gift

For the hostess with the mostess, how about some DIY Anthopologie Inspired Confetti Tumblers (could do wine glasses too) or DIY Gold Confetti Napkins paired with a bottle of their favorite liquor or wine? Filled with chocolates? Maybe garnish a gift basket with some DIY sparkly hair ties! You might think I am crazy for continuing to suggest hair ties for garnish but I actually used gold glitter ones as napkin rings at Friendsgiving and then all the ladies could pull back their hair so as to not interfere with their food! Brilliance I say.

4. Make Meal Planning Fun

Chalkboards are everywhere these days and I particularly enjoy chalkboard menus. Create your own weekly or daily DIY Cookie Sheet Chalkboard and you can even pair it with some DIY Word Magnets. I liked making food-related ones for menu items that are on regular rotation. And the best thing about using a cookie sheet is that is is already magnetic. You can use an old one that you already own or I grabbed one for $1 at the dollar store.

5. The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know this might seem like a cop out because cookies are strewn everywhere this time of year but a batch of My Favorite Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies never goes unwanted. I love that you can substitute the chocolate chips for alternative mix ins in order to create all kinds of different cookie variations while still retaining that perfectly chewy texture. I even found a way to add chocolate and peanut butter to the base! Need inspiration? I have a list of some of my favorite variations which includes double chocolate chip and pistachio toffee. What kind of cookie would you make?

Now the only question that remains is:

Who are you going to give these gifts to this year?

Try not to keep them for yourselves, or at least get two ;-)