This year, bag the shopping and give friends and family homemade gifts from your kitchen instead. From fudge, truffles, breads, and dessert sauces to oils, nuts, and savory condiments, we’re sharing recipes that make scrumptious gifts, so you can cook your way through your gift list.

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Bittersweet Chocolate Bark with Marcona Almonds

Salty almonds meet deep, dark chocolate in this festive homemade candy.

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Spiced Rum Fruitcake

This classic rich, dark cake made with liquor-soaked fruit is so delectable you’ll be loath to give it away.

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Brandied Mustard

Lightly sweet from the honey mustard and heady from orange zest and brandy, this unusual condiment is elegant enough to adorn your holiday table (if you don't give it all away, that is). It goes perfectly with any kind of roasted meat, fowl, or game.

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Peppermint-Chocolate Fudge

Give your homemade fudge a flavor twist. This peppermint-chocolate fudge is the perfect holiday treat.

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Cranberry, Orange & Walnut Streusel Bread

It’s easy to make mini loaves yourself at home, either to serve for drop-in guests or to wrap and give as gifts. Their petite size makes them feel like a special treat, and once frozen, they keep for weeks, so you can start baking well in advance of the holidays.

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Chocolate-Pomegranate-Ginger Bark

Impressive-looking yet quick and simple to make, this confection makes a perfect holiday or hostess gift.

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Three-Herb Olive Oil

For a stunning gift, put together a vinaigrette starter kit, including a bottle each of herb oil and Sour Cherry Vinegar, and a jar of fancy sea salt. It's an especially nice combination over pale endive leaves.

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Lemon-Ginger Marmalade

This sweet gift has the perfect balance of lemon and ginger. Give the marmalade in a glass jar along with a bag of homemade Luxury English Muffins for a real treat.

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Traditional Peanut Brittle

Nutty, delicate peanut brittle not only dresses up your cookie platter, it’s as fun to make as it is to eat and makes a great gift for the nut lovers on your list.

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Homemade Limoncello

The ingredients for limoncello are simple and few, and making a batch doesn't require much work, but you do need patience; limoncello must steep for 80 days.

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Classic Chocolate Truffles

What sets these truffles apart from others are their velvety soft interiors, which the author achieves by using a higher than usual proportion of cream to chocolate for the ganache.

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Pear-Ginger Chutney

Brighter and less sweet than your average jarred chutney, this fresh-tasting, lightly spiced pear and ginger version is dotted with mustard seeds and dried cranberries.

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Candied Citrus Peel

This unique gift comes with a bonus: You’ll likely have left over syrup after making this recipe; brush it over cake or use it in cocktails.

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Spiced Mixed Nuts

These addictive spiced nuts make an excellent gift for the host. They can be made up to a week before the party.

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Hot Fudge Sauce

The perfect gift for the chocolate lovers on your list, this sauce elevates ice cream to special-dessert status.

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Chocolate Bark with Ginger & Pistachios

The hardest part of this 5-ingredient recipe: mustering the will power not to take a few nibbles as you package the bark for the lucky recipients.

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Homemade Aquavit

Flavored vodkas may be all the rage with the chocolate martini set, but aquavit—a traditional, spice-infused spirit from Scandinavia—is a far more sophisticated tipple with notes of fennel, caraway, and coriander.

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