Making cookies, jams, infused honeys or sauces for gift-giving has always been part of my life, but never more so than in 2008 when the downturn in the economy made so many of us re-think what gift-giving really means.
So last year, all my gifts (with very few exceptions) were prepared in my kitchen. It took several days to make all the goodies and package them beautifully, but the result was that long past the holidays, friends and family members would call me to thank me for the gifts they were still enjoying.
This made such an impression on me that I’ve committed to do the same every holiday. It’s not a small commitment — making gifts from your kitchen takes time! — but with a little creativity and planning I find that it’s not only doable, it’s downright enjoyable!
This year, two special treats are on the list: Sienese almond cookies, and honey infused with fresh herbs and spices. Both are easy to make… and incredibly delicious. Both also look absolutely gorgeous, and will be sure to impress your family and friends.
Gifts from your kitchen and your heart – now that’s what the holidays are all about.
Viviane’s tip
I love to use my homegrown herbs to make these honeys, but not everyone has a herb garden. Fortunately, fresh herbs are available in any supermarket. The fresher the herb, the more flavor it will impart to the honey. As for the honey itself, I recommend buying a good-quality local honey for the infusions. The flavor is unsurpassed!
Herb-infused honeys
makes one 4 oz (118 ml) bottle
active time: 15 min
For the supplies
- 4oz (118ml) bottles or jars – washed and thoroughly dried
- 1/2 cup (4oz) (118 ml) good quality orange blossom or clover honey per bottle/jar (For larger bottles/jars, multiply the amount of honey and herbs needed equally)
For a single herb infusion – all measurements are for a 4oz (118ml) bottle/jar (choose one herb from list below)
- 1 sprig basil (a sprig with small leaves is easier to fit in the bottle/jar)
- 1 tablespoon shaved fresh ginger (use vegetable hand-peeler)
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender blossoms
- 2 sprigs lemon balm
- 1 sprig mint
- 1 sprig oregano
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 sprigs summer or winter savory
- 1 sprig sweet marjoram
- 1 sprig French tarragon
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 4 sprigs lemon thyme
For a single herb & spice infusion – all measurements are for a 4oz (118ml) bottle/jar (choose one herb & spice combo from list below)
- 2 teaspoons anise seeds
- 1 small sprig basil & 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 small sprig basil & 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 2 teaspoons cardamom pods
- 1 stick cinnamon & 1 sprig sage
- 1 sprig rosemary & 1 strip orange zest (use vegetable hand-peeler)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme & 1 strip lemon zest (use vegetable hand-peeler)
- Step 1: Choose one herb or one herb & spice combination for each bottle/jar. Place herb (and/or spice) in bottle/jar.
- Step 2: Place honey in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the honey becomes liquidy or until candy thermometer reaches 180ºF (82ºC), making sure the honey doesn’t come to a boil.
- Step 3: Using a funnel, pour the hot honey into each bottle/jar, making sure the herbs are submerged. Place honey bottles on a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. Once cooled, close bottle/jar tightly and store in a cool dark place for 1 week before using.
- Cook’s note: Store the infused honey in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
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Disclaimer: As always, my point of view is my own. I do not accept samples, and have no commercial relationship with any product, food or wine company.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great idea! They look so pretty and I love using herbs.
Love this idea! The pictures look beautiful… Thank you for sharing your ideas! I’ve thought about doing that with homemade vinegar or olive oil, but honey sounds great too.
Very impressive gift indeed.
these honeys look beautiful and what a great gift1
ronelle
This is such a great and fabulous gift. Not too hard to do. I just need some herbs and honey. The bottle is the most difficult item to find but I will find it.
Divina! The bottles are from The Container Store. I know they ship all over the world. But you might want to Google to see if you can find something locally.
Here’s the link: http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/foodStorage/commercial?productId=10019593
Thank you for your comment – as always I am very grateful for your stopping by!
looks good
What a cool idea – I know about infusing oils and vinegars, but it never occurred to me that you could infuse honey. We’re doing a series of posts on our blog about Christmas gift ideas, and I think I will add infused honey to the list and link to your post.
Gorgeous. Now I need a bee hive!
Beautiful! Your friends and family are so fortunate to have such a creative, talented and thoughtful gift-giver. I remember making herb-infused olive oil one year — people do love something made from the heart and from the kitchen!
You are inspiring me!
ahh, gustatory gifts. Love honey and think that lavender infused would be magical on my husband’s delicious oat cakes.
I should bring these the holiday hosts and hostesses.
These are beautiful. I love lavender honey. I didn’t know it was so easy to make yourself.
I never thought of doing this with honey and they make baeutiful gifts. Thanks for sharing!!!
Absolutely beautiful gift ideas…thank you for sharing.
Those bottles are so beautiful! I’m not sure I would be able to give them away after I had made them. :) I agree though, handmade gifts are so special.
That is an amazing idea, and not one I’ve seen before. I would love to give these for the holidays.
Oh my gosh, where have I been? How did I miss this post? I was just thinking I should do something creative with the few herbs that are still growing back there. The lemon thyme would be especially yummy. I saw some empty bottles at Crate & Barrel
This is such a great idea! Elegant and thoughtful – will definitely have to keep this in mind, but I think I’m going to end up keeping all the bottles!
What a great idea for the holidays! Thanks for sharing.
Is it necessary to heat the honey, if it is already liquid? Don’t suppose honey would need to be pasteurized..?
/Sebastian
Sebastian, The honey needs to be warmed up so that it infuses with the herbs. If you do not warm it up the infusion simply will not happen. However, I recommend not boiling the honey and only warming it up to 180F. To my knowledge all honeys you buy at the store have already been pasteurized, unless they are labeled “raw”. Warming up the honey to infuse the herbs does not replace pasteurization.
Hope this helps…
Wow, you are amazing and superwoman! I only did a few kimchi jars and ended up eating it myself! You are an inspiration. Elves woulda been helpful.
What beautiful honeys! I am sure they are going to make great gifts. Thanks for posting the step by step for making them.
These sound like a great gift idea. But interesting flavor combinations and what would you use the honey on or in?
Such a fabulous idea for the holidays. I would have never thought of this. Who doesn’t love honey?! Happy Holidays!
What a great idea! I wish I had’ve seen this post before I bought all my presents! Ah well, there’s always next year…
Sit down and work out exactly how much you owe and who you owe it to. Be honest or you’ll only store up more problems for the future. If your debt repayments take more than 20 per cent of your net …. Clear your debt quickly …
I made a pain d´epice a few days ago and couldn´t find a different honey to make it with other than the regular. It´s not common here, except for eucaliptus. But this opens such a wide variety of flavors! Baking with honey is such a pleasure that I will get down to business right away. Thanks for the recipe!
Paula, Thank you so much for stopping by and for your lovely comment. Indeed… You will love infusing your own honeys. The possibilities are endless and the results so delicious! Enjoy…
Viviane, I just posted a Pain d´epices with a link to this post. I made two honeys finally!
Fabulous Paula – Thank you! On my way to check your post now…
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