Chocolate Covered Candied Orange Zest

Now that I have started to show you how to make some Edible gifts, I am going to show you fun and easy ways to package them!

Packaging your treats in a beautiful way is almost as important as the gift itself!  You know what they say, "You eat with your eyes first!"  And it's true!!  You want to eat something that appeals to you!

Here are a few tips for when you are packaging your treats!

• If you have a fragile treat, take special care that you package it in a way that will not ruin all your hard work!  If it is cookies with icing on top that will get messed up, package them in a box so they can lay in a single layer, rather than stacking them!
• On the other hand, if your treat is more stable, you have lots of options for packaging!  Boxes, bags, and tins will all work great!  The Chocolate covered candied orange zest below is packaged in a Christmas tin since they can be piled on top of each other without getting ruined. 
• Finding packaging for your budget!  I love the dollar stores at Christmas time!  They have such great deals on packaging.  I got tins, shown below, for just $1!  So you know I had to stock up!  They also have lots of great treat bags, either clear or with pictures on them.  If you want to make something extra special and it is in the budget, you can get some beautiful packaging from stores like The Container Store, Nashville Wraps, or Sur La Table.
• Package your homemade treats in a gift basket with a clear basket bag and tied with a beautiful ribbon!  Stuff the bottom of the basket before you add the gifts with raffia or tissue paper, then place your gifts on top.  

Photo: raffiaonline.com

• Another alternative to a gift basket is a gift bag!  Add your goodies to the bag and then find some coordinating tissue paper to stuff in the top.  Add a ribbon to tie the handles together if you like!  Beautiful gift bags can be very inexpensive!
• Add a pretty label so that your loved one knows exactly what you made, or who it is from.  My Own Labels has always been a favorite of mine to order pretty labels.  And they are very reasonable!!  They also have great pictures on their site for different ways to package things!  
• If you are doing a theme gift basket, use a more creative item as the basket.  For example, if it is for a baker, use a stainless steel bowl that they will be able to use for a long time!  If it is for a hot chocolate lover, put some homemade hot chocolate mix in a pretty mug.  Every time they re use the bowl or mug, they will be reminded of your delicious and thoughtful gift!

Here are the Chocolate Covered Candied Orange Zest that I made!  See the post I made about making Candied Orange Zest and then simply dip them in melted chocolate.  I used dark chocolate here, but you can use milk or white if you prefer!  Then, I laid them down on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Once all of them are dipped, put in the fridge so the chocolate can harden.  

To package, I just lined a pretty tin with parchment paper and filled with the orange zest.  So easy right?  Anyone could do this!  These are unbelievably delicious!  I make candied orange zest every year, but I have never dipped them in chocolate before so my family is in for a treat on Christmas!

Share these delicious treats with someone you love this holiday season!