DIY Breakfast Gift Basket with Gingerbread Pancake Mix

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom Thumb. All opinions are 100% mine.

Need a simple gift for a foodie in your life? Make them a festive breakfast gift basket with homemade gingerbread pancake mix (easy recipe included), gingerbread syrup, ground coffee, creamer, maple syrup, and a few other goodies. This makes a thoughtful gift during the fall & winter months, and especially around Christmas when everyone's craving warm spices & cozy foods. Keep reading for plenty of tips, tricks & inspiration!

I'm back with another DIY gift basket! This is the last one of the year, so I'm going all out to make it timely and festive.

One of my favorite things to do in December is walk through grocery store bakeries to smell all the cozy gingerbread treats. Surely I'm not the only one? It's heaven!!!

The combo of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice in those baked goods gives me all the feel-good vibes. Everyone can use more of that right now. Ahem.

So, I thought I'd replicate the gingerbread goodness at home in the form of fluffy pancakes and infused simple syrup. It worked beautifully! The pancakes had a light gingerbread scent & flavor and the gingerbread syrup topping added just the right about of sweetness & spiciness. Yum!

But, I couldn't keep it all to myself, so I'm sharing the pancake recipe with you today, along with plenty of tips & tricks, so you can turn it into a breakfast gift basket that's perfect for the holiday season. Let's make some beautiful & delicious things this year to spread the holiday cheer, y'all.

What to Put in a Breakfast Gift Basket

There are lots of options for items to include in a breakfast gift basket; however, there are three main things you should definitely include:

• one major food item (ex: pancake mix, waffle mix, granola, muesli, overnight oats, etc.) that will become the "theme" of your basket
• beverage to pair with the food (coffee or tea usually, but you can go wild and do a bloody mary mix or orange juice + champagne for mimosas)
• mix-ins or toppings for the main food item (maple syrup, homemade pancake syrup, honey, yogurt, fresh or dried fruit, flavored syrups, jams, hot sauce, whipped cream, etc.)

If you're gifting this to someone who lives nearby, you can also include refrigerated items to make their basket more convenient (so they don't have to run to the store for extra ingredients). Examples: coffee creamer, whipped cream, butter, eggs, milk or buttermilk, yogurt, bacon, or sausage links.

Gingerbread Syrup

In the mood for a sweet & spicy treat? Fix a batch of gingerbread syrup on the stovetop in about 40 minutes with simple ingredients like water, sugar, fresh ginger, molasses, and whole spices. Drizzle the syrup on pancakes or waffles, use it to make a gingerbread latte, or stir it into fall & winter cocktails for a warming & fragrant kick. (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free & vegan)

The winter solstice, Christmas, and my birthday are all quickly approaching, and I'd like nothing better than to wrap myself in something warm & soft, curl up by my new space heater (best Costco impulse purchase ever), and relax with a good book (probably Outlander) + plenty of festive food and drink for the rest of the year. 

I'm thinking white chicken chili, one-pot spaghetti, peanut butter balls, chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, cranberry sangria, charcuterie boards & rosemary spiced nuts will do.  

If someone happens to stop by to clean my house or wash all my dishes, I wouldn't complain. Can you relate?

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In the meantime, I'll make do with this lovely gingerbread syrup so I can give myself all the Christmas vibes while I finish working on my homemade food gifts & peppermint lip balm.

I have a half batch sitting in my fridge, which I plan to use for maple gingerbread lattes or maybe even hot chocolate over the next several days (I'm currently loving cashew milk for the base). Once that's gone I'll fix another batch to keep in my fridge for homemade gingerbread pancakes & waffles.

Homemade Hot Cocoa Gift Basket

Learn how to put together a cozy & festive DIY hot cocoa gift basket in minutes with a homemade hot cocoa mix (easy recipe included), marshmallows, bar chocolate, and a few other fun goodies (like hot chocolate bombs). This makes a simple, yet thoughtful gift for all ages & any occasion. 

Time for another themed gift basket! I'm kind of addicted to making these right now, so I hope you're not tired of them yet. They're super fun to put together (especially with the little themed knick-knacks) and it gives me joy seeing people's reaction to receiving them. 

Last December I shared a self-care gift basket (I had no idea it would be so timely for 2020), a few months ago I posted a wine & cheese gift basket (mmmm), and right now I'm working on a yummy breakfast-themed one (coming soon).

Today's gift basket is hot cocoa & hot chocolate themed because that's one thing everyone loves! Well, almost everyone. There are some weirdos who dislike chocolate. Sucks for them, right? ;)

If that's the case, coffee is probably a safe bet. Or liquor. Or spicy, savory things. Do some online sleuthing on your person and find out what they like. If you need tips on that, read my self-care gift basket post (link above). Or pick something random from my homemade food gifts round-up. 

Since we're close to Christmas, this gift basket makes an awesome last-minute holiday gift, but it's also great for a random "thinking of you" care package (these should be far more common) or a thank you gift to show your appreciation for someone who's helped you recently. 

Housewarming gifts, bridal showers, and baby showers are also excuses to make one. I mean, do we even need a reason? Not when chocolate is involved.