3 Quick & Affordable Food Gift Ideas
This article is sponsored by Walmart and SheKnows Media.
The past few weeks have been exhausting! Between Thanksgiving, traveling, work, homeschool, kid activities, and gearing up to head to our holiday family Disney vacation, I feel like if one more thing demands my attention, I’m going to go insane!
Well, of course, naturally that is what happened! I found out that I needed to bring an item for a toy drive bake sale, like, the day before the actual bake sale.
I’m so excited to share this post with you guys today because I know so many of you can relate to these last-minute requests, especially around this time of year.
Kids are notorious for letting us know they are having holiday parties at the last minute, holiday church bake sales seem to spring up at the spur of the moment, and let’s not forget about the many gift exchanges.
So what do I do when I need a gift that’s festive and affordable?
I turn to food!
I love giving food gifts! With a little planning, they can be quick, easy and affordable.
I created all of these treats in one night and you’re not going to believe how simple they are to make!
To make it even easier for you, I’ve teamed up with Walmart for this post, so you can find EVERYTHING I used for these treats, including the adorable packaging all at Walmart. Woo-hoo for not having to store-hop in holiday traffic!
Let’s get right into it!
- Holiday Popcorn
My kids LOVED making this holiday popcorn! Doesn’t this just look so festive? This recipe uses popcorn, peanuts, sprinkles, M&M’s and vanilla almond bark.
The hardest part is going to be deciding what cute sprinkles to put on them. Walmart has a large variety of holiday sprinkles, from little gingerbread men to tiny candy canes!
I ended up going with the golden stars, holiday nonpareils, and holly leaves! Now I wish I would have grabbed those gingerbread men! I mean hey, why not just throw them all on there right!
Packaging: For packaging, I purchased this silver snowflake treat box. You could also packed this popcorn in clear treat bags with a holiday-themed ribbon and tag.
- Peppermint Bark Brownies
One of my favorite flavor combination is chocolate and peppermint. Usually, during the holiday season, I combine these two for everything! These peppermint bark brownies are a cinch to create! It starts with a box of Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix, so it’s easy to whip up multiple batches if you need gifts for a big crowd. Drizzle the brownies with chocolate almond bark and crushed candy canes, and you have one delicious gift!
Packaging: I packaged them in clear, foil-lined treat bags with an accompanying sticker label. I love that these bags have liners. Perfect for baked goods!
- White Chocolate Sugar Cookie Fudge
Nothing says holidays like fudge! This fudge tastes exactly like sugar cookies thanks to the addition of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix! I love that this fudge doesn’t require a candy thermometer or any homemade fudge rules. You just mix the ingredients in a bowl and pour into a cute candy mold or an 8 X8 pan and cut into squares! I use silicone snowflake molds, and they came out fantastic! Here’s a good time to let your creativity shine! Add food coloring, sprinkles, etc.
Packaging: To keep the fudge neatly packaged, I put them in inverted mini cupcake liners and placed them in a red plaid treat box.
That’s it! Three simple, delicious, and quick food gift ideas that won’t empty your wallet or take up too much time! I hope you enjoy these holiday treats as much as I enjoyed making them!!
Get the Recipe: Holiday Popcorn
Ingredients
- 10 cup salted, buttered popcorn
- 24 oz Great Value Vanilla Almond Bark
- 1 cup holiday M&M's
- 1 cup salted peanuts or pretzel pieces
- Sprinkles, I used holiday nonpareils, gold stars, & holly leaves
Instructions
- Spread popcorn, M&M's and peanuts on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Melt almond bark according to the package.
- Drizzle almond bark over the top of the popcorn.
- Quickly add sprinkles.
- Let almond bark harden and toss.
- Repeat for the underside of the popcorn.
- Let set and then break into pieces.
Get the Recipe: Peppermint Brownie Bark
Ingredients
- 1 18.3 oz Box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 12 oz Great Value Chocolate Almond Bark
- 6 Brachs Peppermint Candy Canes, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. F.
- Line a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Mix brownies according to the package.
- Spread evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Melt almond bark according to the package.
- Drizzle almond bark all over the top of brownies.
- Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
- Once almond bark has hardened, slice into triangles.
Get the Recipe: White Chocolate Sugar Cookie Fudge
Ingredients
- 24 oz white chocolate chips
- 1 14 oz Great Value sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, stir together chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk.
- Microwave in 30-second intervals, or until melted. Stirring between each interval.
- Once melted stir in sugar cookie mix.
- Press fudge into silicone candy molds or a parchment lined 8x8 inch baking dish.
- Let set.
- Once firm, remove from molds or slice into 2-inch squares.
Yummy an simple.cool……….
Thank you for this post! Making the Holiday popcorn for kiddos school parties.
I think I’ll make the popcorn. How well do you think it would ship? I would like to send some to my family in SC. I’m in Florida.
These all look delicious and fun to do. Going to try them. Thanks for your great help. Merry Christmas to you all and your families.