A gift basket is a great idea when you’re going to any event or party. Instead of just one gift, you’re giving several small gifts with a lovely presentation. It’s also one of the safest gift options, as there’s sure to be something that the recipient really likes within the contents. This is especially true if the basket is full of tasty snacks.
Whether you’re sending a gift basket to your friend or giving it to them by hand, it’s nice to put some thought into the matter. Everyone loves to get yummy snacks, but there are themes to consider even with a mixed gift basket. While there are readymade snack baskets available in many stores, it’s much more thoughtful to put one together yourself. This way, you can choose gifts that are best suited to the recipient’s tastes and preferences.
Are you thinking about putting together some gift baskets soon? Before you start, take a look at the following tips for choosing tasty snacks:
1. Include Some Healthy Snacks
Not every snack has to be junk food or something fattening. There are many healthy snacks available in convenient packaging, so you can easily add these to any gift basket.
If the intended recipient of the gift basket is on a special diet, they might love to have a selection of snacks that won’t set them off track. Your friend might also just like to eat healthy in any case, which is why you need to keep that in mind when making a gift basket.
You can choose to make the whole basket hold a variety of healthy options, or place them alongside some junk food to mix things up.
Here are a few examples:
- Fresh or dried fruit: If you’re going to hand-deliver the basket right after packing it, fresh fruit is a nice healthy option. You can choose a mix of seasonal, local, and exotic fruit, but it’s probably best to limit the quantity. Not everyone can finish off a lot of fruit before it spoils. If the basket is going to get to the recipient after some time, stick to dried fruit options such as dried apricots, raisins, dried pineapple, etc.
- Energy bars or balls: These usually have ingredients like granola, peanut butter, dried fruits, and more. As long as there isn’t a lot of added sugar here, these come under the category of healthy snacks
- Superfood packaged snacks: These include kale chips, seaweed chips, etc. If someone’s on a diet, they can use these for a crunchy experience snacking instead of potato chips.
- Nut butters: While high in calories, natural nut butters contain healthy fats and can be part of a wholesome diet
- Nuts: A mix of healthy and crunchy snacks, including almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, etc.
- Seeds; pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, sesame, flaxseeds, etc.
- Healthy trail mix: might include coconut chips, granola, dark chocolate chips, etc.
Working in an office all day long can cause a person’s blood sugar to run low. The above options are good for an office gift basket; you can also get more ideas for simple and healthy snacks for the office. If they’re packaged snacks, an office employee can also utilize them on their commute.
2. Make it a Charcuterie Basket
If you have the budget for it, a charcuterie basket could be a classy gift that’s useful as well as fun. You can give it to someone who’s hosting a party; they may use it as part of their table or keep to enjoy after the event.
A charcuterie basket can have a mix of soft and hard cheeses. You can also check out a guide to cheese snacks and see whether they belong in your gift basket.
Choose according to the recipient’s taste and pick some more items to go with the cheese. The following items will look nice in a basket and also help enhance the taste when someone’s sampling the cheeses:
- Fresh or dried fruit
- Olives
- Crackers
- Cured meats
- Breads
- Jams, preserves, marmalades, etc.
- Honey
- Breadsticks
3. Make a Holiday-Themed Basket
Are the holidays just around the corner? Or perhaps your friend is hosting a holiday-themed party? If so, your gift basket can also have a holiday or festival theme. Here are a few ideas that can jumpstart the process:
For Christmas:
- Iced cookies or cupcakes in red, white, and green colors
- Hot chocolate mixes
- Candy canes
- Popcorn
- Chocolate and vanilla truffles
- Any candy/salty snack in red, white, or green packaging
For Easter:
- Chocolate eggs
- Chocolate rabbits
- Pretzels
- Egg-shaped cookies
- Candy eggs
- Hummus dip with veggies
For Halloween:
- Hot chocolate mixes or a coffee selection
- Candy of all kinds
- Caramel Apples (or fresh apples)
- Anything with a pumpkin spice flavor
- Candy corn or caramel corn
- Pumpkin or zucchini bread
- Any homemade snack with a Halloween theme (look up recipes for ghost pizza bagels or Jack-O-Lantern cheese quesadillas)
For Hanukkah:
- Brisket
- Jelly donuts (also called Sufganiyot)
- Challah bread
- Cookies or cupcakes with decorations in blue and white
- Chocolates in the shape of dreidels
- Chocolate coins or gelt
For Eid:
- Dates
- Chocolates
- Traditional sweetmeats
- Breads
- Spreads
- Crackers
- Roasted Almonds
Other Holidays:
- Any kind of cookies with relevant decorations
- A selection of different breads
- Nut butters
- Assortment of cupcakes
- Chocolates selection
4. Chocolate Basket
Is your friend, co-worker, or employee a chocolate connoisseur? If they are, they might appreciate nothing more than a gift basket full of chocolates. Here are a few interesting ideas to consider:
- A bar of 70% cacao dark chocolate with sea salt, chili pepper, or other unique flavors
- Various chocolate chips: organic dark, white, milk, bittersweet dark, etc.
- Breads, crackers, or something else to pair the chocolate with
- Chocolate covered fruit (or dried and fresh fruit separately)
- An assorted selection of chocolate including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate with nuts, soft centers, etc. (make sure to keep allergies in mind)
- Miniature gourmet chocolate bars
- Hot chocolate mixes in various flavors
- Organic, vegan chocolate bars
5. A Seasonal Basket
You can also pack your gift basket according to the current season and decorate it in the most relevant way. Let’s take a look at some ideas according to the different seasons:
Summer:
- Drink mixes: lemonade, fruit, etc.
- Fresh fruits
- An assortment of flavored yogurts
- Hummus dip with fresh or pickled vegetables
- Nut butters to pair with fruit
- Light crackers
Autumn/Fall:
- Pumpkin spice latte mixes
- Mini apple pies and pumpkin pies
- An assortment of chips and dips
- Cheese crisps
Winter:
- Hot chocolate bombs or mixes
- Cookies
- Banana bread
- Granola mix
- Heart crackers or biscuits
- A selection of popcorn flavors
Spring:
- Fruit leather
- Veggie crisps
- Colorful candies
- Pretzels
- Muffins
- Fruit drink mixes
There are some items that will work well no matter what season you have in mind. Nuts, cheese, and various types of breads are all great ideas, as are seasonal fruits and vegetables. For more ideas, check out these best snacks for a cold winter’s day.
6. A Gift Basket for Tea or Coffee Lovers
If the person receiving the gift basket is fond of tea and/or coffee, you can build on that preference. There are now all sorts of teas and coffee flavors available in the market. Make a selection of teabags, coffee pods, or jars of loose coffee and tea. You can then pair them with any accompaniment that goes well with these drinks.
This idea has a lot of options, so start with the following possibilities:
- Herbal teas (loose or in the form of teabags)
- Different types of black teas from various countries
- Different types and flavors of green tea
- Honey or maple syrup for sweetening
- Different types of sugar: regular, sugar cubes, coconut sugar, etc.
- Sugar alternatives: Stevia, date paste, agave nectar, monk fruit extract, xylitol, etc.
- Crunchy snacks such as cookies, biscuits, breadsticks, crackers, roasted chickpeas, trail mix, nut
- Varieties of breads in the form of buns or loaves
- Spread like jam, preserves, nut butters, and so on
- Whipped cream for cold coffee drinks
- Homemade cold brew coffee syrup
- Various flavors of iced tea mixes
As long as you’re packing a tea or coffee-themed gift basket, it makes sense to also include a pretty cup or mug along with the edible items. Other helpful and relevant items may include a fancy teaspoon, a honey dipper, and a beautiful plate to put the snacks on.
Conclusion
A gift basket with snacks can contain just about anything edible, from cookies and chips to jerky and jams. According to what you think the recipient would like, you can select a lot of products that they can enjoy in a number of settings. Put some thought into the occasion as well as the intended recipient’s preferences, and you’ll have a beautiful gift basket soon enough. Start looking around for ideas today!