An easy edible gift for a handmade holiday: Spiced Cranberry Jam
Somehow I’ve turned into an advocate for handmade gifts. It’s odd—just two years ago I planned Cyber Monday with the intensity of a military operation, mapping sites and timing purchases like a compulsive shopper. I remember sitting in pajamas, bouncing between department stores and emerging hours later exhausted and wired. This year, though, I didn’t buy a single thing on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. It felt either impressive or strangely foreign.
Instead of shopping, I spent time in the kitchen. I made cranberry jelly, bath salts, and pumpkin spice bars (Greg dubbed them “Delicious Crumble Bars”). The pumpkin bars vanished quickly, but the cranberry jam and Epsom salts were jarred and wrapped as gifts for friends and neighbors.
If you’re unsure about giving handmade items, consider edible gifts. Food is nearly universally loved—especially sweet spreads that pair well with cookies, bread, donuts, turkey, or even a spoon straight from the jar. Homemade preserves are simple to make, feel personal, and travel well for gifting.
I’m sharing my spiced cranberry jam recipe as part of a handmade holiday series. The recipe is adapted from Ball’s “Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce,” with warm cinnamon and fragrant rosemary to balance the tart berries. If cranberries aren’t your favorite, there are endless other preserves and sweets you can make and share this season. A little creativity and a clean jar go a long way toward thoughtful, memorable gifts.
SPICED CRANBERRY JAM WITH ROSEMARY AND CINNAMON
Adapted from Ball’s “Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce.”
Find the full recipe at Your Homebased Mom as part of the Bake Craft Sew Handmade Holiday series.
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