Holiday Gift Baskets for Every Foodie

A gift basket is a safe bet for holiday shopping but may come off as a bit impersonal. Instead of grabbing a prepackaged basket—which may include less-than-memorable fare—create your own version that caters to the loves of loved ones. Check out this roundup to find delectable treats for every palate.

The Chocolate Lover

Treat a sweet tooth with some high-end confections.

Long Grove Confections Dark Chocolate Pecan Myrtles ($4; longgrove.com): Gooey 3-ounce chocolates with a delicious crunch. Also in Milk Chocolate and Cashew.

Chocolat Moderne Bars ($7; store.chocolatmoderne.com): These chocolate bars boast handmade toffee bits and bold flavors such as Red Fruits, Espresso and Lime.

Amedei Signature 9 Extra Dark Chocolate Bar ($10; worldwidechocolate.com): These Tuscan-borne 75 percent cacao bars blend cocoa beans from nine different plantations.

Eleni’s Cookies ($5.95 per box; elenis.com): This nut-free bakery produces crisp cookies with clean and cute packaging; choose from Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, 100-calorie Pink Sugar and more.

The Savory Fan

These rich flavors will satisfy a salty appetite.

Cucina Antica Fresh Spinach Marinara ($7.99; amazon.com): A blend of fresh spinach and juicy plum tomatoes, plus a hint of garlic and basil, will go perfectly with the recipient’s next pasta dish.

Salem Baking Cheese Biscuits ($1.99 per single-serving pack, $6.99 per tin; salembaking.com): The creative flavors for these bite-size biscuits include Parmesan Artichoke Garlic, Asiago Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Original Cheddar.

Earth and Vine Mini Red Bell Pepper and Ancho Chili Jam ($7.50; earthnvine.com): Spruce up a turkey or chicken sandwich with this mild, savory jam, or serve it up as an appetizer with cream cheese or warm Brie.

The Gracious Gourmet Tapenades ($9; thegraciousgourmet.com): Chile Red Pepper, Dilled Carrot Tomato, Fennel Blood Orange—these aren’t your run-of-the-mill spreads. The website offers recipes and suggested uses for each flavor.

The Tea Aficionado

Give them a gift they can curl up with.

Steven Smith Teamaker (prices vary; smithtea.com): Find recipients’ leaves of choice (loose or packed), from green jasmine to black darjeeling to fruity herbal, or just buy them the 12-sachet variety pack ($14.99).

Golden Star White Jasmine Sparkling Tea ($12.95; goldenstartea.com): For the tea enthusiast who’s tried it all: a simple concoction of jasmine silver needle tea, raw sugarcane juice and water, steeped and mildly fermented to create a sweet, bubbly, unique twist on tea.

I Peccati di Ciacco Truffle Honey ($10.99 at amazon.com; ipeccatidiciacco.it): Forget cane sugar and artificial sweeteners. This elegant truffle honey will enhance tea—and other foods—to a new level.

The At-Home Chef

Goods to bring menu creations up a notch.

Il Macchiaiolo Gluten-free Pastas ($9; cheftools.com): Get the conscientious chef on your list these gluten-free pastas, to prepare them for any dinner guest that may drop in.

Jacksonville Mercantile Avocado Oil ($12.95; jacksonvillemercantile.com): Ideal for grilling or sautéing, these avocado oils, in a variety of flavors, will help cooks liven up their next dish.

Stonewall Kitchen Farmhouse Pancake & Waffle Mix (starting at $6.50; stonewallkitchen.com): Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and as good a time as any to indulge in variety, from Pumpkin and Gingerbread mixes to Cinnamon Apple and Chocolate Chip.

Cassina Rosa Truffle & Salt (starting at $22.90 at amazon.com; cassinarosa.net): A light dusting of this highly praised black truffle and sea salt will elevate any dish to 5-star status.—Nicole Denis and Eva Meszaros

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