When you need to give a gift to someone and you don’t know quite what to give them, one idea that can be unique and different would be a baked muffin gift basket. Muffin gift baskets can be easy to bake and create. You can personalize the muffin basket according to the person you are giving it to, whether it is for a male or female. You can add cookies, muffin tops, brownies or scones to each basket in addition to the muffins. You can bake the muffins from scratch, buy a box mix and bake or buy them already made. Whichever way you decide to do, here are a few tips to help you create your own baskets for gifts.
All muffin baskets will start with the basics, muffins. It would be best to choose a variety of muffins for each basket. If you plan to add other items, such as muffin tops, scones or other food, you may want to put just one or two of each type of muffin in the basket. Different varieties you can choose from would be chocolate chip, banana nut, apple or blueberry, to name a few. There are a lot of other flavors available, these are just a few simple and popular ones. If you plan to make your muffins from scratch, you will have more flexibility in choosing the flavor of muffin you want to make. If you are buying the box mixes, there are only a couple of varieties available. If you check some specialty food stores you may find flavors not available in the regular grocery stores. If you decide to buy them already made from a bakery, you could have even more choices. Places like Atlanta Bread Company usually have a large assortment of muffins available. You can also find fresh baked muffins in large quantities from Sams Club. If you buying fresh muffins, you need to make sure you give your basket within a day or so of buying the muffins to keep them fresh.
If you are planning to make your muffins from scratch or bake from a box mix, there are 4 types of pans you can choose from. The first pan is your standard muffin pan. Make sure you put paper liners in the pan to hold each muffin for easier handling. The second pan is a large muffin pan. It is more difficult to find liners for this size muffin pan, but they are available. You may want to check a food supply store or craft store for these liners. This pan will bake 6 at one time. The third is for mini muffins. This pan will bake 24 muffins at one time. The fourth pan is for muffin tops. You can find these pans at specialty stores. They are designed to just make the muffin tops and you don’t need liners for these.
If you decide to put scones in the basket, it may be easier to purchase these already made. Scones are a little more difficult to bake than muffins. You can find scones at your local bakery. Cookies and brownies are fairly easy to bake and would be a nice addition to any basket. Whatever baked goods you decide to add to your basket, make sure you have a variety.
There is a wide assortment of containers available to use to create your baskets. You can use baskets, decorative tin containers, decorative bowls or even a platter, just look around the stores for ideas to put your muffins in. You can put grass in the bottom of the basket, which you can find at any craft store. Adding other special touches to the baskets will make them more personalized. For example, if you were giving the basket as a housewarming gift, you can add some coffee, tea or bottle of wine. If you give the basket as a get well gift, you can add a small jar of preserves or jams, variety of teas or a candle. The ideas for creating the baskets are endless. Just customize the basket to the likes of the person you are giving it to.
To finish off the basket, since you are giving fresh baked goods, you will need to put the basket in a basket cellophane bag. You can find these bags at any craft store. Tie the bag up with a bow or large fabric ribbon, along with your card, and you are ready to go. You will enjoy giving this type of gift as much as the person receiving it will enjoy.
