Gift Guide: Charming Etsy Food Gifts

We can’t resist beginning our holiday shopping already. We know, we know. What’s wrong with us holiday-over-commercialization pushers — can’t we wait until at least after Thanksgiving? Nope. Shopping for food people is so fun, we see no need for delay. It’s like shopping for ourselves. And when we browse online, there’s no hassle. Etsy is one of our favorite go-to online shops because when we buy there, we’re supporting independent artists and creative entrepreneurs, often working from home. And the gifts are either vintage items or hand-crafted — pretty unique all around.

No matter what kind of food aficionado you’re shopping for, there’s an edible idea that will charm. And we mean all kinds of people.

1. Sci-Fi Fan: Star Wars Chocolates Gift Pack | Buy Now

SweetBelleCakes/Etsy

Let the force be with you (couldn’t help it) as you shop for the perfect gift to suit that hard-to-shop-for guy/gal in your life. If someone you love is a Millennium Falcon-DarthVader-R2D2-Han Solo fan (and into chocolate), they’ll love this idea. In your order come one truffle Millennium Falcon, one Han Solo in Carbonite truffle bar, one solid-chocolate Darth Vader, one solid-chocolate Stormtrooper, one solid-chocolate Boba Fett, one solid-chocolate Mandalorian symbol, and and solid-chocolate R2D2. Each chocolate comes individually wrapped and professionally heat sealed. $15. Buy it here.

2. Grill Master (in her/his mind, at least): Gusto Rubs of the States | Buy Now

GustoSpice/Etsy

For the meat lover in your life, try some rubs inspired by the best of Southern barbecue. Get grilling and barbecue spices from five U.S. States: Lexington, North Carolina; Memphis, Tennessee; East Texas; Georgia; and Louisiana. In this set you will receive five rubs in 2-ounce tins showcasing the best of the South, wrapped in wine-colored tissue paper and housed in a kraft tin tie bag. $19.05. Buy it here.

3. Holistic Health Human: Tea Stirring Spoons with Essential Oils | Buy Now

DoTDoCandy/Etsy

Why bother with a boring metal spoon when these flavorful and healthy stirring spoons can mix it up in your tea, coffee, or even hot chocolate? They’ll slowly dissolve and give your drink a great blend of beneficial 100-percent pure therapeutic-grade (and dietary approved) essential oils while slightly sweetening it at the same time.They will be made fresh upon ordering. This order comes comes with all six flavored spoons: Protective Blend, Metabolic Blend, Cinnamon, Lemon, Peppermint, and Wild Orange. $12.25. Buy it here.

4. Fancy Francophile: Lavender-Blueberry French Macarons | Buy Now

ZamArtisanChocolates/Etsy

These are quite the delicacy, a great gift for anyone who appreciates the finer things in life. Once you bite into the delicate crispy macaron shell, you reach a chewy and airy almond meringue, tasting a delicate milk chocolate ganache flavored with organic lavender and a gel of blueberries in the middle of the filling. The result is a lovely combination of milk chocolate, lavender, and the refreshing fruity taste of the blueberries. There is no buttercream in these macarons. It’s a chocolate filling, made of imported French chocolate for a more luxurious and lighter taste. Gluten free. The order comes with a dozen macarons, each is between 1.5 to 1.7 inches in diameter. $21. Buy it here.

5. Liquor/Brunch Lover: Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup | Buy Now

LangdonWood/Etsy

For the friend who loves her pancakes (or using maple syrup instead of sugar in baking), give her something much more special than the regular Aunt Jemima. This grade A medium Pennsylvania maple syrup is aged for three months in a 54-gallon bourbon barrel from A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Taste the distinctive essence of Bourbon along with notes of vanilla and oak. But use and enjoy it as you would with any maple syrup. It’s just got a little bit of an adult twist on a culinary staple. Comes in an 8-ounce, clear flip-top bottle. Get 2 bottles for $32. Buy it here.

6. Tea-Totaller: Tea of the Month Subscription | Buy Now

ShastaLooseLeafTeas/Etsy

A new fragrant hot cup of tea for the brrr months and a fresh-fruity iced tea when you’re sweaty-hot can be yours (or your gift recipient) without leaving the house. Choose between the caffeine-free herbal/rooibus package (such as Cranberry-Apple, Hibiscus, Almond-Amaretto Biscotti, or Brazil Green Yerba Mate) or the caffeine-full black/green tea package (with flavors like Lapsang Souchong, Blueberry, Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose, and German Gingerbread) to have delicious teas delivered to the doorstep automatically every month. Your first month in the subscription will include your 2 ounces of tea, a stainless steal “perfect cup of tea” teaspoon, and an infuser for steeping. Each tea delivery provides about 20 to 25 cups of tea. You can choose the subscription length: three, six, or 12 months. Starts at $45.50. Buy it here. ShastaLooseLeafTeas

7. Parents: Gingerbread House Kit | Buy Now

AlisSweetTreats/Etsy

Looking for a gingerbread house that you and your kids will actually want to eat before and after decorating? It’s this one, made by a licensed and insured Miami bakery using the best ingredients like cream butter, vanilla extract, and paste. They bake and decorate one to two days before shipping your order so the cookie components taste fresh and great. The includes: eight delicious gingerbread pieces (4 walls, 2 roof, 1 door, and two ginger people); a sturdy white base to place the gingerbread house on 6-8 different types of candies; white and colored icing packages; a small bag of eyes for the ginger people, colorful dragees, and “snow.” $49.50. Buy it here.

8. Movie Buff: Popcorn Seasoning Sampler | Buy Now

dellcovespices/Etsy

Feed your friend’s crunchy snack cravings and up your popcorn game with a collection of eight hand-mixed salt-spice blends, including: Strawberry Vanilla Milkshake, Dill Pickle, Sweet Maui Onion, Salted Caramel, Pizza, Key Lime Pie, Spicy Cajun, and Dark Chocolate. We could go on. The tins come with complete ingredient lists, and are packaged in a gift box with instructions of how to pop popcorn the old-fashioned way. Each tin is food-safe, labeled, and sealed for freshness, and holds up to 2.5 ounces of topping. (That’s enough for several bowls per flavor.) Some ingredients are organic, some conventional. They source as many ingredients as they can from small farmers, as well as some of the best suppliers overseas, from Hawaiian sea salts to European dark cocoa powder. $32.95. Buy it here.

9. Sugar Addict: Marshmallow Sampler Pack | Buy Now

Whimsyandspice/Etsy

A homemade fluffy mound of marshmallow whispering of vanilla and rose essences — You’ve never had a marshmallow like this. But there’s more. Pick three current marshmallow flavors (chocolate, cardamom, caramel, maple, espresso, passionfruit or rose vanilla) and you’ll get three packages of six 1.25-inch marshmallows each. That’s a total of 18 cubes of yummy marshmallow goodness. You can also buy two kinds of hot chocolate from the Brooklyn-based founders of Whimsy and Spice. $9.50. Buy it here.

10. Heat Thrill Seeker: JC Hot Sauce, 3-Pack | Buy Now

Jchotsauce/Etsy

For the spicy-hot fan in your family, choose three flavors among the four options of this Brooklyn-made and bottled hot sauce. JC Original Hot Sauce has a blend of three Mexican chilis; JC Jalapeño Onion is a mild and smooth sauce to enhance your poultry or seafood dish without overpowering the delicate flavors; JC Spicy Chipotle has a blend of Japanese chiles and chipotle peppers for a deep smoky flavor with just a bit of spice, great for burger-topping and fry-dipping; and limited-time-only JC Pumpkin Habanero has an extra spicy taste of fresh, local, oven-roasted habaneros and pumpkin with a slight hint of cinnamon. $18. Buy it here.

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.

Related video: Three Gorgeous Food Gifts for Everyone on Your List

— Head Photo: Whimsy and Spice

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Chowhound Gift Guide 2018: Gifts for Peanut Butter Lovers

Given that Americans consume roughly one billion pounds of peanut butter per year, odds are high that there’s a peanut butter lover on your holiday shopping list. While most of these folks would be content with a jar of Jif and a spoon, we’ve gone searching for an array of unique gift ideas that are as diverse as the millions of different PB devotees out there. The one trait that unites nearly all of these items is that they’re edible. Sure, you could get your relative a t-shirt or mug declaring their passion for the butter of the gods, and they might use it once in a while. But they’d probably prefer to simply savor the object of their affection. With that in mind, here are 13 ideas to delight the peanut butter lover in your life this holiday season! And be sure to check out the video above for Chowhound and NY Live‘s top peanut butter destinations in NYC.

For the Spice Fanatic

Know someone would never even consider opting for “mild” or “medium?” Treat them to a spread that brings the heat. North Carolina’s Big Spoon Roasters handcrafts their Hot Peanut Butter with dried guajillo, ancho, and habanero chilies.

See It

For the Coffee Drinker

What could be more comforting than starting your day with the nostalgic flavors of PB&J?

See It

For the Caffeine-Free

Cold Stone Creamery is here for those who prefer hot chocolate over coffee. The ice cream purveyors have ventured beyond the freezer aisle with a cocoa mix inspired by their Peanut Butter Cup Perfection ice cream.

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For the Adventurous Eater

From our PB&J days, we all know that peanut butter plays well with others. But jelly is just the beginning. Reginald’s Homemade, based in Virginia, offers a host of unexpected flavor combos like Chocolate Peppermint Pistachio and Coconut Sour Cherry. Over on the West Coast, Eliot’s Adult Nut Butters calls itself “The Bolder Nut Butter.” With options like Spicy Thai and Garam Masala, we’d say they live up to their claim.

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For the Morning Person

On top of that unbeatable nutty taste, each serving of Erin Baker’s Homestyle Granola contains a good deal of fiber and 20 grams of whole grains to boot!

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For the Brunch Enthusiast

Just when you thought weekend mornings couldn’t get any better, along came Peanut Butter Pancake and Waffle Mix from Williams Sonoma.

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For the #PSL Addict

Pumpkin Spice. It’s not just for lattes anymore, thanks to the Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter Blend from Portland’s Wild Friends company. Buy it as a three-pack or as part of a seasonal variety pack that also includes Gingerbread, Sugar Cookie, and Chocolate Pumpkin Spice spreads.

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For the One with the Big Sweet Tooth

If you’ve never laid eyes on a cookie from Levain Bakery, you should know that the word “cookie” isn’t quite sufficient when it comes to describing these dense, scone-shaped hunks of heaven. The Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip flavor is available on Levain’s website in packs of 4, 8, or 12, or as part of a variety pack with Chocolate Chip Walnut, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin.

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For the Home Chef

Give your loved one the opportunity to discover even more ways to use their favorite ingredient. Ann Criss’ “Peanut Butter Passion” features over 100 recipes including some more unexpected occasions for peanut butter, like dinners and drinks.

See It

And for an easy-to-make peanut butter chocolate treat, these Sur La Table Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies will become a household favorite.See It

For the Philanthropist

PB Crave produces peanut butters in five mouthwatering flavors including Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Raspberry White Fudge & Dark Chocolate. But as if that wasn’t sweet enough, they also donate at least 2% of the profits from each jar to Project Peanut Butter, a non-profit working to advance the treatment of childhood malnutrition.

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For the Long-Distanced Loved One

Keeping in touch with friends and relatives in other cities can be hard. But buy them a subscription to a peanut–butter-of-the-month club and they’ll receive a monthly reminder of how much you care. Big Spoon Roasters and Peanut Butter & Co offer subscriptions that range from 3 months to 6 months to ongoing.

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All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.

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How to Make Fresh Pasta

Making your own fresh pasta is one of those things that seems super complicated—until you learn that there’s only two ingredients and you don’t need any tools other than a bowl and your hands. Just ask Doug Psaltis, chef and partner at RPM Italian in Chicago, where his team churns out shareable bowls of handmade bucatini, cavatelli, pappardelle, and more on the daily.  “While you can find decent dry store-bought pasta, you can’t beat fresh pasta,” Psaltis says. “It has a silky texture, golden color and full flavor.” Here’s how to whip up your own in the same time it takes to pick up the phone and order takeout. Allora!

Bellemain Large Wood Pasta Drying Rack

The Perfect Hang for Your Homemade Pasta

See it

The Ingredients

Seriously, all you need is two ingredients: double-zero (“OO”) flour and farm-fresh eggs. “Don’t skip on these quality ingredients,” Psaltis says. “Be sure to buy pasture-raised eggs for their golden yolks and rich flavor.” Sure, you could use all-purpose flour in a pinch, but fresh pasta is about using standout ingredients, he says. Double-zero flour is special because it’s grains are milled to “00,”, which makes it a fine flour that provides silky smooth texture.

The Method

Add 2-4 cups of  “00” flour to a mixing bowl and arrange it into a mound. Make a well in the center of the mound, and crack 4 eggs into it. Then use your four fingers to gently stir from the middle outwards, gradually adding more flour into the eggs bit by bit. “You want to incorporate a little flour at a time to the dough to avoid getting big clumps,” Psaltis says. When all of the flour is incorporated, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it until it’s smooth and shiny.

Beware of adding too much moisture when mixing the dough or too much flour when rolling it out. The dough should be smooth and supple, not tacky, Psaltis says.

Then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into one big, thin, rectangle. From there, whatever shape you make is up to you, but if it’s your first time, Psaltis says that pappardelle, those long flat noodles, is easiest. All you have to do is just fold the dough rectangle in half twice and cut ¾”-wide strips. Another easy pasta? Ravioli. Just place dollops of filling a few inches apart on the rolled-out dough, fold over, and use a pizza cutter or knife to make a square shape around the filling.

How to Cook It

Ideally, you don’t want to store fresh pasta in your fridge for more than a day—the idea is to either hang noodles to let them dry overnight, or cook them right away. Just keep in mind that fresh pasta has a shorter boiling time than store-bought pasta, so stay by the pot while it’s boiling.

Related Video: Science Says Eating Pasta Could Make You Thinner

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.

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Gift Guide for Sparkling Wine Connoisseurs

There’s something about that joyous froth, that pop-pop-pop in our mouths, that sparkle which makes us fall in love with Champagne and its bubbly cousins, again and again. It’s special, a drink you can enjoy any day of the week, but often reserved for the most important moments of your life. Bottom line: Champagne equals celebration.

“People want that effervescence and that pop. You can’t beat it,” says Jen Pelka, who’s banking on her own love affair with the bubbly.

On New Year’s Eve, Pelka will celebrate the grand opening of her Champagne bar, The Riddler, in San Francisco. We asked her to give us a little refresher on what the sparkling wine options are out there, her suggestions for different occasions, her favorite glassware, and what to eat with Champagne.

Major types of sparkling wines:

Champagne from its namesake province in France is the benchmark of sparkling wines, but then there are beautiful wines grown and created nearby, such as Crémant du Jura, Crémant de Bourgogne, and Crémant de Alsace made with similar technique, Pelka says. Italy has Prosecco, there’s Cava in Spain, Germany and Austria have sparkling Riesling, and there are sparkling wines in Greece and across the United States. “Pretty much where all wines are made, sparkling wines are made as well,” she says.

A good mainstream sparkly:

Selfridges

Go for a classic Veuve Clicquot Rosé, but not the standard yellow label. Look for a pink label, Pelka says. You can find it at Costco and many other places. “It’s a really pretty, really feminine, a lovely classic option.  It has some round fruitiness to it, and it’s a great gift to bring to someone’s house. The fact that it’s rosé makes it a little more special,” Pelka says.

Buy Now

Affordable sparkling wine:

vin Chicago

Crémant du Jura (Crémant is the name of the style of wine, and Jura is the region) or Crémant de Bourgogne, if you want something French, made in the same style and in the same traditional method as Champagne; it won’t be quite as amazing, but you can find them anywhere from Trader Joe’s to your high-end wine store, starting at $15 a bottle.

Buy Now

High-end sparkling wine:

SmartDrinks

My favorite is Krug, Pelka says. That’s a really classic producer, a benchmark wine. “I’d get a magnum of vintage Krug; I always say go big,” Pelka says. “If you go to a good wine shop, you should be able to get an affordable magnum of wine; they probably wouldn’t carry a magnum of something crappy.” But Krug “Grande Cuvée” Brut Champagne is top of the line. It’s $399.

Buy Now

 

Sparkling beverage for brunch:

Champagne punch, Pelka says. “I think punches are really great way to celebrate, people tend to gather around it, and it’s low key,” she says. Here’s a winter holiday punch Pelka made up on the spot:

1. Get a beautiful punch bowl; you can go to a Goodwill or Salvation Army. “I just picked up one for 3 bucks the other day,” she says.

2. Freeze an ice block: Take a metal bowl, fill it with water and pretty herbs like fresh sprigs of rosemary, along with lemon slices and whole cranberries and freeze it overnight; on the day of, run the bowl under hot water to free it up and put it in the punch bowl

3. Add three bottles of Prosecco or Cava with more rosemary, lemon slices, and cranberries, ½  cup of simple syrup, 1 cup cranberry juice.

You can also try our version: Poinsettia Punch

Chowhound

This Chowhound recipe has many similarities to Pelka’s suggestion. You’ll find Champagne or sparkling wine, whole cranberries, and cranberry juice. Our recipe uses orange slices instead of lemon and adds Cointreau. Get our Poinsettia Punch recipe.

Sparkling wine for dinner:

PJ Wines

With roasted meats, Pelka’s favorite Champagne is Pierre Péters. Bottles are $45 to $60 at an independent wine shop. It’s a very old grower and producer, a family affair, and it’s 100-percent Chardonnay (not mixed with other grapes). “Because they’re not as well known, they’re more affordable,” Pelka says. “It’s the kind of Champagne that can stand up to oysters, a cheese plate, or a whole dinner, whether it’s turkey or roast beef. It’s beautiful and aromatic.”

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New Year’s Eve party favorites?

“Just lots of it,” Pelka says, laughing. “New Year’s Eve is definitely the kind of day to spring for true Champagne. That’s a great day to do magnums. People should be drinking Champagne all night long.”

Where to buy online?

Pelka’s faves include:

• K&L Wine Merchants
• D&M
• Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits

How do we go about shopping locally?

“To me, it’s all about finding a small, independent wine shop where you live that you love and trust their taste and are able to form a relationship with them, like you would with a server at your favorite restaurant,” Pelka says.

What are your favorite kinds of glassware for sparkling wine?

“My preference, and for other sommeliers, is to drink Champagne out of a regular wine glass because it is a wine, and it’s great to swirl it and smell it; some people even use Burgundy glasses,” she says. “That’s if you really want to impress people and be ahead of the trends.”

Riedel white wine glasses are a good example.

Buy Now

AmazonAt Pelka’s bar, they’re using Riedel AP (all-purpose), a line of smaller white wine glasses. “You definitely want a stem because you don’t want to warm up the glass with your hand,” Pelka says. “For me, wine drinking should have a little bit of ceremony to it. Unless I’m on a speedboat careening throughout the atmosphere, I’d like a stem.”

Zalto Wine Glasses

Wine Enthusiast

A super high-end gift would be Zalto wine glasses (The Riddler will serve them upon request). Prices start around $63 per glass, made from mouth-blown crystal, and it’s very delicate.

Buy Now

 

What food pairs best with sparkling wine?

Pretty much everything.

“It’s a wine that works with a really, really diverse set of food,” Pelka says. “A classic pairing is anything fried, like French fries or fried chicken; I like it with a potato pancake with smoked salmon.” Also try Champagne with popcorn (which The Riddler has available all day in bowls as a complimentary nibble). “Popcorn is a super easy party food, and it’s really hot right now,” she says.

Try your sparkling wine with our Eggnog Popcorn Balls recipe.

Chowhound

We do love things that pop, don’t we?

Related Video: How to Open a Bottle of Champagne

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Gift Guide: Best Gifts for Your Cheesy Friend

We all have that friend — the turophile who raves about the nutty, creamy nuances of the latest Manchego or Bucheron.  Maybe it’s you. Or it could be your work-wife. Your boss. Your bestie from college. Your brother. Whoever it is, that person is crazy about cheese, which we consider a sane passion. Be a good buddy and fulfill their cheesy dreams.

Make their holidays by satisfying their … wait for it, wait for it … grate passion for Parmesan. Brie their best friend ever. (OK, we’re done.) Just check out our favorite cheese items.

ARTISANAL CHEESES

First, the cheese.

Murray’s Happy Holidays | Buy Now

Murray’s Cheese

Cheese is made gift-able with this package, great for entertaining over the holidays or for the lucky recipient to keep in the family. Three delicious cheeses are chosen by Murray’s expert cheesemongers, paired with cranberry orange jam, prosciutto, and crackers. The items come in a Murray’s signature gift crate and include: heavenly cave-aged selles-sur-cher, nutty cave-aged gruyere, stilton, spicy cranberry-orange jam, silky prosciutto di parma, and crispy Rip Rap crackers. The gift is 1.25 pounds of cheese and 3 ounces of meat, estimated to serve 6 to 8 festive folks. Buy it here.

Rodolphe Le Meunier’s French Cheese Selection | Buy Now

World Market

Your Francophile friends should get a kick out of these French cheeses by master cheesemaker Rodolphe le Meunier. The classic camembert is sure to please, the richly flavored Dagobert is washed in brandy, and the Jeune Autize is made of goat’s milk with a vegetable-ash vein through its center and an auburn washed rind. Buy it here.

Wisconsin Cheddar Ascent Gift Crate |Buy Now

Wisconsin Cheese Mart

Your cheese enthusiast can take her/his time climbing up the ladder of aged Wisconsin cheddar, tasting the increasingly pungent flavor as the cheese matures. This gift set starts with a mild and creamy cheddar and Wisconsin’s original Colby cheddar. The flavors start emboldening, growing sharper and tangier as the taster progresses up the line. This gift crate is 2.5 pounds and includes five American-made cheeses: Wisconsin Colby, mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, white 1-year cheddar, 2-year cheddar, and a Wisconsin-made branded wooden crate. Buy it here.

Plymouth Cheese Bundle | Buy Now

Brooklyn Slate

This gift contains a half pound (each!) of three varieties: sharp hunter cheese, smoked cheese, and hot pepper cheese. The cheese is made by Plymouth Artisan Cheese, known for its raw cow’s milk cheese from one dairy herd in Plymouth Notch, Vermont. Buy it here.

Italian Cheese Plate | Buy Now

Dean and DeLuca

Give 1.18 (to be exact) pounds of Italian cheese to the cheese addict in your life, especially if she or he has a penchant for all things Italian. The gift includes: Perlagrigia Sotto Cenere-semi-soft with black truffle; Fontina Fontal-mild and creamy; Podda Classico-aged and pungent; and Raschera-semi-hard, moderately sharp made with raw goat’s, cow’s, and sheep’s milk. Buy it here.

DESSERT CHEESES

We think cheese is pretty sweet on its own, and so do the French, a culture that eats cheese after the meal instead of beforehand. But combine a wedge with some fig jam, put some goat cheese in a tart or whip up some ricotta or mascarpone in a cake or pastry, and you’ve really got us swooning.

Junior’s Traditional Collection Cheesecake, Delivered | Buy Now

Junior’s

New York-style cheesecake fans will be blown over when they find a Junior’s gift certificate that lets them choose their own favorite cheesecake, which will be delivered to their home anywhere in the United States. Junior’s cakes are made with cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs, and a touch of vanilla. With no water and no fillers, all cheesecakes are hand-blended in small batches and mixed for over 40 minutes. They use fresh fruit, homemade purees, imported chocolates, and fresh spices. Nothing canned. Ever. The cake is shipped frozen, chilled with gel packs. Buy it here.

Mini Cannoli Making Kit | Buy Now

Mackenzie Limited

Crisp, golden pastry shells cradle a velvety ricotta cheese filling in this classic Italian dessert that you can adjust to your liking (chocolate chips, coconut, figs, whatever). Assembly is simple, and it can involve the whole family to make the 24 cannoli. Buy it here.

CHEESE UTENSILS

Cut that stinky cheese the right way, nice and smoothly, with these tools. Cheese is important enough to require its own knife. Yet there are many cheese knives, each shaped according to the needs of different types of cheese: hard, semi-soft, soft, crumbly, and so forth. Some people like graters, or those wire knives. Spreaders are good for chevrés. So a set of different cheese utensils is your best bet for the cheese lover in your life.

Vin Kesso 5-Piece Cheese Knife Set | Buy Now

Amazon

The set contains a spreading knife, soft-cheese knife, hard-cheese knife, crumbly-cheese knife, and a serving fork. Each knife is about 5.5-inches long. They’re stainless steel in a satin finish and come in a handsome case. Buy it here.

Wüsthof Gourmet Wine and Cheese Set | Buy Now

Sur la Table

Made in Germany for the last 200 years, knives with the Wüsthof name demand respect. Now they offer a oenophile cheese gift set, with a cheese plane, cheese knife, corkscrew, and 8-inch-by-12-inch bamboo board. Wüsthof cuts its knives with lasers, using a single piece of high-carbon stainless steel. There’s a lifetime warranty, but you still should hand-wash their knives. Buy it here.

Personalized Vintage Cheese Knife | Buy Now

Etsy

This vintage, silver-plated cheese knife has a mother-of-pearl handle. Stamped with “Cheese Please,” a simple, sweet message of desire, we’re won over before we even take a taste. But you can get another message stamped on there if you want. Buy it here.

Cuisinart Electric Fondue Maker | Buy Now

Amazon

We consider this a utensil because, well, there are fondue forks in the set, and the maker helps you eat cheese in liquid form, which we like. You could also use the pot for chocolate (yasss), broth, or oil. The set includes the base, bowl, temperature probe, eight fondue forks, and a fork rack ring. The stainless-steel, 3-quart bowl has a nonstick interior. There’s a removable temperature control too, making this device adjustable for a range of recipes. Buy it here.

CHEESE BOARDS

When a regular board doesn’t cut it anymore for your cheese needs, you need to get a special surface. Most cheese boards are meant for not only slicing, but presenting your cheese to guests. Frame it right.

Cheese Board Starter Kit | Buy Now

Brooklyn Slate

For the blossoming cheese devotee, a starter kit is in order. This kit from Brooklyn Slate features the company’s signature slate cheese board, a hand-carved wooden cheese knife, a pack of soapstone pencils for writing the names of cheeses on the board, and a bottle of food-grade mineral oil for maintaining the board’s good looks. Slate cheese boards are all the rage because they’re easy to clean, don’t retain odors, are hardy, and rustic-chic. Buy it here.

Scandicrafts Green Marble Cheese Cutting Board | Buy Now

Amazon

The 10-inch-diameter, round board is good for cutting, and it’s eye-catching for serving your cheeses as well. Hand wash it. Buy it here.

Personalized Walnut Wood Cheese Board | Buy Now

Etsy

Take rustic to another level with this live-edge, disc-cut walnut wood board that’s great for cutting and serving cheese. Unlike slate, it’s a little harder to clean, but it’s so beautiful you might not care. And you can get a script initial and family name engraved on it. Buy it here.

CHEESE READS

Cheese-focused cookbooks, magazines, coffee table beauties, and almost academic texts can take the cheese enthusiast to the next level. Salivate over the photos and learn trivia to toss out at the next party over some Gouda.

The Oxford Companion to Cheese | Buy Now

For the hard-core cheese nerds, there’s this encyclopedic tome by the esteemed publisher that brought us their trusted dictionary. Called the first major reference work dedicated solely to cheese, this companion contains 855 entries on cheese science, culture, history, and production. Buy it here.

Culture Magazine | Buy Now

Give a subscription to the ultimate bimonthly periodical on cheese, with stories on the world’s cheese, cheesemakers, mongers, regions, recipes, and how-to help. Buy it here.

Artisan Cheese Making at Home | Buy Now

Here’s a comprehensive guide to cheese making at home, with step-by-step instructions for creating your dreamiest cheeses and other dairy items, like yogurt. Buy it here.

Grilled Cheese Kitchen: Bread + Cheese + Everything in Between | Buy Now

Anthropologie

This mouthwatering book features 39 grilled cheese recipes created by Heidi Gibson, winner of seven grilled cheese championships and the co-owner of the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in San Francisco. There are 40 other recipes too, for accompaniments and side dishes, such as hearty soups, mac and cheeses, spicy pickles, and tangy spreads. And then you get tips and techniques, from buying the right stuff to grilling it to oozy, drippy perfection. Buy it here.

CHEESE PARAPHERNALIA

There is just so much. If you’re a fan of cheese, like a big one, then you have so many options to show your allegiance. Whether it’s with practical or pretty accompaniments or funky socks with mac-and-cheese splashed all over (it’s a thing), you are in luck.

Red Tote: Cheese Survival Kit : Buy Now

Shopspring

Create your very own cheese survival kit inside this well-made, sturdy and bright tote bag. Hand-pulled in Brooklyn on 100-percent cotton, the tote features an original illustration of the essentials to plate, pair, store, and savor cheese. Buy it here.

Porcelain Cheese Markers | Buy Now

Sur la Table

This set of four cheese markers allows you to label your selections so you don’t have to continually identify them for your guests. Plus, they look pretty. You can use the included pen to label each marker and then wipe them clean when the party’s over. Some customers like the short stems for more delicate cuts of cheese. Buy it here.

For a Gouda Time T-Shirt | Buy Now

Murray’s Cheese

Hey, what can we say? Cheese sells. Not everyone has to agree with it. But it’s been going on for thousands of years. To honor this institution, get your funny friend this T-shirt and call it a day — a … gouda day. Buy it here.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of Cheese Art | Buy Now

Etsy

They are indeed. Choose your standard size, buy a nice frame, and give someone this cool burlap print, which is a play on the beginning of that 1983 Eurythmics song. And as that blue dot says, you can even buy prints for two friends and keep one yourself, for free. Buy it here.

And let’s close with this piece of wisdom:

Meme Maker

Related Video: 17 Blue Cheese Recipes Even Haters Will Love

— Head Image: Dairy Goodness.

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