Easy Frugal Holiday Treats to Make This Year

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Are you baking for friends and family this Christmas? Here are some easy holiday treats that are frugal and delicious, perfect for gift-giving and gatherings!

Are you baking for friends and family this Christmas? Here are some easy holiday treats that are frugal and delicious, perfect for gift-giving and gatherings!

Easy Frugal Holiday Treats

The holidays are such a fun time, filled with delicious and special treats around every corner! Don’t break the bank with treats that can end up costing an arm and a leg; instead, make some of these easy frugal holiday treats!

Every one of these treats is delicious, easy to make, and will bring a smile to your guests this holiday season!

Tip: Besides this list of simple holiday treats, you can find another article with Sweet “Penny” Treats here.

merigues

Chocolate Dipped Meringue Cookies

If the word “meringue” scared you because you’ve never made it before, don’t let it! I had actually never made meringue before I wrote the above recipe, and I realized just how easy it was to actually make.

They’re light and fluffy, and covered in chocolate – it doesn’t get much better than that! See the recipe and directions HERE.

blueberry gummy bears

Homemade Gummies

These are so simple and are delicious! I still can’t believe I was ever intimated enough not to try making them on my own – they’re so easy to do! These can be made in a variety of flavors, and even the kids can help!

I like to involve my kids in holiday treat-making as much as possible. Not only does it help teach them how to cook, and bake, but it allows me to make memories with them that we will have for a lifetime!

These gummies can be made in any shape, as long as you have the mold (We love these Gummy Worm Molds!), and set up pretty quickly. Click HERE to see the recipe.

Tip: You can also use the molds to make these Strawberry Orange Healthy Homemade Fruit Snacks

maplepromo

Maple Syrup Candy

Have you ever made a recipe that has just a SINGLE ingredient? Maple Syrup Candy is an awesome one to try! You can use the same molds you used for the homemade gummies too!

Maple syrup is an ingredient I always have on hand, so this is a great treat for me to whip up without spending any extra money, and without taking a lot of time! Have you ever had maple syrup candy? It’s delicious! You can go HERE for the tutorial on how to make it!

Tip: If you like this recipe, you might enjoy Homemade Tuiles (A maple syrup candy) as well.

Easy Homemade Caramels Recipe

Easy Homemade Caramels

I like caramels more than I like chocolate, and I like chocolate a LOT, so that’s saying something! These easy homemade caramels are so simple to put together and make amazing gifts! They are a great treat to just have out on the coffee table for when guests drop in.

Making caramels is not difficult at all, and as long as you have a candy thermometer, you can make a batch in a very short amount of time. The only thing that makes these take a bit longer is waiting a few hours for them to set up. Usually, I allow them to set up overnight, so I don’t have to wait all day (it’s just too hard!).

Learn how to make your own from this super easy recipe!

Tip: If you can’t decide between chocolate and caramel, enjoy both with this Caramel Chocolate Popcorn Recipe.

Dehydrated Pears

Dried Fruits

Nothing says the holidays to me more than fruits and nuts. They’re everywhere this time of year! They’re in desserts, they’re in gift boxes, they’re in every supermarket you shop in, and they’re delicious! I love drying my own fruit.

If you want to use the oven, just set the oven at a very low temperature, about 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and slice your fruit thin (unless it’s something like raspberries or cherries, then I would just leave them whole), place them on a cookie sheet, and just let them dehydrate for a few hours.

Just check on them in the oven every now and then until they get to the consistency you’re looking for, as everyone likes them differently! If you love drying fruit as much as we do, you may want to consider getting a food dehydrator. I have a L’Equip FilterPro Dehydrator that has lasted me faithfully for many years now.

Tip: Learn How to Dehydrate Pears

Simple Chocolate Truffles

More Homemade Treats

This list would be endless if I put everything here! Instead, I’ll link to some of my other favorite Christmas treats you might want to check out as well.

Bean Soup Mix

Food Gifts in a Jar

While this treat is more of a gift, it contains food and is generally pretty frugal to make, so I decided to include it in this article! Many people love to get a beautiful little gift in a jar for a gift. They make a fun treat whenever you are ready for them! I have SO many recipes in a jar here on Little House Living, but here are a few of my favorites for gifts:

Tip: While we are on the subject, here are some great Non-Food in a Jar Gifts to check out as well.

Hopefully, we’ve given you a few holiday treat ideas on how to make the holidays festive without breaking the bank! If you have some easy, frugal holiday treats your family makes this time of year, we would love it if you’d share it with us in the comments below.

Enjoy your cooking, baking, and treat-making this year, and happy holidays. Have a very merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Grab this Free Printable Christmas Checklist to start planning all of your holiday baking and events!

What are your favorite easy frugal holiday treats to make?

Me and Kady

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.

This post on Easy Holiday Treats to Make was originally published on Little House Living in December 2016. It has been updated as of December 2023.

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8 Comments

  1. This is a great idea. I love it and so yummy for you too. Thank you for sharing at Dishing it and Digging it link party. We love having you.

  2. What a great collection of awesome treats! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipes with us at Full Plate Thursday! Hope you are having a wonderful week and hope to see you soon!
    Miz Helen

  3. Thanks for all the great ideas! Having company over can be expensive, especially when it’s in-laws that you want to make a good impression with, these will help a lot! 🙂