Holiday Gift Guide
10 tasty, edible gift ideas for the foodie on your list
An edible or drinkable gift is always appreciated during the holidays. If you're not the best cook, it's wiser to buy a gift of this kind rather than attempting to follow a recipe yourself. But even if you're a top chef, we've made your life a little easier with a list of our favorite giftable edibles that will get anyone in the holiday spirit.
For the pie guy
The Bishop Arts District pie makers at Emporium Pies are baking up three comforting winter pies ($30 each), all of which make a sweet holiday gift. Choose from a Snowball Pie with coconut custard, house whipped cream and toasted coconut; Buttermilk Blitzen, a chai spice buttermilk pie; or Merry Berry pie, which is "like a cheese pie and a berry muffin had a baby." If you want to go big, gift all three.
For the cheesy folk
Scardello Cheese is boxing up hand-crafted cheese for holiday gifting. Ranging in price from $45-$100, these wooden boxes include assorted cheeses, nuts, crackers, preserves, local honey, salami, wine and beer. On our radar: the Beer Lovers Box for $45, with three quarter-pound pieces of beer-friendly cheeses, handmade salami, mustard and crackers. If you want to customize your own box, you can select a size and fill it with the cheesy items of your choice.
For the chocolate lover
For the traditionalist go to Chocolate Secrets, where master chocolatier Kate Weiser brings aesthetic and impeccable taste to chocolate. For $40, you can build your own 16-piece-box, with chocolate bonbons like rosemary caramel, vanilla bean, sunflower praline, brandy cherry, absinthe, mint and espresso. Or pick out a few of your favorite molded and hand-painted chocolates like wreaths, Christmas trees and cowboy boots.
For the more adventurous palate, drop byDude, Sweet Chocolate in the Bishop Arts District or Preston Center. Katherine Clapner is boxing up chocolate in three sizes and price points: $50, $80 and $125. Go all out with the largest, mega gift basket, which includes 24 pieces of artisan chocolate, Crack in a Box, dates, truffle, drinking chocolate, marshmallow, Big Potion and toffee.
For the homesick Texan
If your loved one can't be home for the holidays, send them one of Central Market's Tastes of Texas gift boxes. The four packages start at $39.99 and go up to $69.99, and all contain Texas staples like hot sauce, barbecue sauce and pecan pralines. The best part? You can stay in your pajamas and order the goods online. You can also visit the store to have a basket customized to suit your recipient's tastes.
For your out-of-state friend with a sweet tooth, send a box of peanut brittle from Mary of Puddin Hill ($23.97 online). You can't go wrong with the standard brittle from the tasty Texas establishment.
For the locavore
Artizone.com makes gift giving easy for customers this season. You can add local products to your gift basket, such as iced cookies from La Duni, baked goods from Empire Baking Company, peppermint bark from Uptown Popcorn, jams from JJ&B and more. Even better, you can add up to four delivery locations per order and pay just one delivery fee of $5.95.
For the coffee enthusiast
Choose a variety of beans from local coffee roasters and wrap them up yourself. A few of our favorites: Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters' Papua New Guinea beans grown by socially responsible standards (available online for $8.50), Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters 2012 Christmas Offering with Finca Las Brumas, El Salvador beans (available at Whole Foods for $19), Classic Spicewood Cuvée Coffee (available online for $12.25), and Drip Coffee Company's Ethiopian Mocha (available online for $18).
For the imbiber
Fill a growler (priced from $8 to $150) with local beer from one of the taps at Craft and Growler. The Fair Park beer garden offers more than 30 beers on tap, so you can have it as hoppy as you wish.
If your friend prefers the hard stuff, order a bottle of Tito's Handmade Vodka at Artizone.com (for $24.14).