"Tastefully Done" Foodie Gift Basket

Everyone loves a kitchen at the holidays. Bakers get to bake their hearts out and there are many savory dinners with friends. Even those who don't love to cook, love to be in the kitchen, and love to eat the delicious goodies that come out of them! This suggestion for a great gift is geared towards satisfying those among us who do not enjoy cooking and baking but DO enjoy eating, quite a bit. It also satisfies every bit of gift-giving pleasure for those who do in fact love to cook and bake for hours. When given the opportunity, I love to make a basket of many different goodies for my closest friends and also something that I love to scale down for hostess gifts at the holidays as well. Please enjoy this collection of recipes and use them to delight at your future holiday gatherings!

My suggested amount of each basket item is noted here. I would also suggest purchasing the baskets themselves from Hobby Lobby or Michael's - that way they can be repurposed after all the goodies are gone! Cellophane bags to wrap them in as well as treat bags and boxes can be obtained here as well.

1. Peppermint Chocolate Fudge - A delightfully fudgy snack with a hint of the holidays. For extra fun, in place of the crushed peppermint candies on top, try a mini candy cane with the fudge cut into larger squares. I recommend putting 6-8 squares (regularly cut) or 4 larger squares in a treat box.

2. Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing - Check out this great recipe for quick and easy sugar cookies with flooded royal icing. You can cut them into any shapes you wish - I recommend a tree, a star, a candy cane, and a snowman - and then decorate them fully. I suggest putting 6-8 cookies in one of the treat boxes.

3. Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Spoons - These beautiful spoons are not only gorgeous but tasty as well. Incredibly easy to make and able to be decorated in many different ways with dark, milk, white chocolate and add peppermint or marshmallows. I suggest 4 spoons that are decorated differently in a treat bag.

4. Cake Pops - Cake pops are such a fun treat! All the yumminess of cake and icing without the necessity for plates and forks! My favorite is to coat them in white or milk chocolate and then roll them in green and red sanding sugar for a festive holiday look. Though the attached recipe only outlines yellow cake mix, I prefer to make one batch of yellow and one of chocolate and mix them (6 pieces) in a treat bag.

5. Boozy Mulled Wine Gummy Bears - The recipe attached shows you the most complicated part of this recipe. The only other thing you need to add to the pot as you make the mixture, is a bottle of semi dry red wine. Once the mulled wine is ready, add a 40 oz bag of gummy bears. Let them soak in the fridge overnight (48 hours if you have the time). Use 6 oz mason jars to house these yummy little guys.

6. White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn - This is always a crowd pleaser, a slightly salty alternative to the peppermint fudge included in this basket. I'm a popcorn fanatic (seriously, it might be a problem) and this is one of my favorites that quite honestly, I have to limit to the holidays for my own health and waistline. Absolutely delicious! I recommend making several batches of this popcorn and putting 2 cups in a small treat bag to go in the basket.

7. Pecan Pielets - As a life long Southern girl, this recipe is near and dear to my heart. We love our pecan pie in the South and this recipe makes it even better by making it into a two bite size! Absolutely delicious and creamy with a nutty crunch, this pie is sure to please!

8. Cranberry Orange Jam - This delicious jam is perfect for Christmas morning. The brightness of the oranges is mixed with the slight bitterness of the cranberries with the sweetness of the sugar. Extremely easy to make and absolutely delightful. Use either 6 oz or 10 oz mason jars to gift this in the basket, or 12 oz or 16 oz as a stand-alone hostess gift.

9. Mincemeat Pielets - My best friend is British so these are a must for him. A little reminder of home for the holidays. Deliciously sweet and slightly boozy, these are the just the perfect out of the box treat for this basket! I suggest placing 8 of the pies in a treat bag after they have cooled.

10. Snowman Hot Chocolate Jars - These adorable mason jar creations add an air of whimsy to the basket and are also great as a stand alone hostess or client appreciation gift! Powdered hot chocolate, marshmallows, and optional peppermints (I usually opt for extra marshmallows instead) make a perfect stackable accompaniment to your basket.

11. Garlic Parmesan Pretzels - Super easy to make, no baking or cooking required and everyone will love this salty, cheesy treats. They are the perfect compliment to a holiday cocktail before dinner. I recommend putting 3 cups in a small treat bag for the basket.

12. Mini Cheese Truffles - Choose 6-8 of these in different flavors and place them in one of the treat boxes. The great thing about this one is that you can customize it any way you want but adding whatever ingredients on the outside of the cheese ball of which you can think. They are the perfect way to avoid cross contamination of people's hands in one communal cheese ball and everyone can choose their own flavors as well.

13. Fruit and Nut Box - Another British treat courtesy of my best friend! These are delightfully common as a hostess gift and is just a collection of different nuts as well as fresh and dried fruits. Great in the treat boxes (there are some that are a little longer than others) and is another great idea as a stand alone hostess gift!

14. Bertha and Lucy's Sausage Balls - Rich and delicious, this is a favorite in my family. This one is an old family recipe, so I apologize, there is no link. However, it's super simple, but it is quite important to pay attention to the brand names on this one.

Ingredients: 1 lb Tennessee Pride Mild Sausage, 8 oz Cracker Barrel Extra Sharpe Cheddar Cheese, 3 Cups Bisquick.

Directions: Grate cheese and combine in large boll to mix with other ingredients. Roll into small balls (approximately an inch in diameter) and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

15. 12 Days of Tea - Go to Michael's or Hobby Lobby and go to the kids' craft section. (Hear me out.) They have small plain wooden trees for kids to paint and decorate as they want. You can use them to create a tea tree! Paint the tree green and assemble and assortment of different holiday teas (orange, cranberry, peppermint, etc.) and pin them on using striaght pins in the shape of the tree, as the leaves. I typically do the smaller trees and do 12 tea packets but this is another great idea that can be expanded and be a stand alone gift, especially for a tea lover.

I hope you enjoy making and gifting these goodies as much as I do! Remember, you can always scale it down for a hostess gift (I'd recommend 3-4 of the selections) or do it all for a special someone or shindig of your own!