How to Make Homemade Mulling Spices…the Perfect Hostess Gift or Teacher Gift this Christmas

We are headed out to a party tonight and I knew just what I was going to take as a hostess gift…Homemade Mulling Spices. ‘Tis the season for such sweet and spicy aromas! And everyone I’ve ever given this gift to has loved receiving it and many have asked for the recipe.  I mean who doesn’t enjoy having all the ingredients on-hand and readily available to simmer and enjoy the natural scents of Christmas!

I shared my recipe on a post last December and it was a big hit…but this year I wanted to highlight what a great gift idea it is and give you some ideas on how to package it!

Packaging Your Homemade Mulling Spices as a Gift

Mulling spice mixes are an inexpensive, but thoughtful and enjoyable gift that you can throw together easily for a hostess gift, for teacher gifts, for neighbors or coworkers, or as a thank you gift.  It’s super easy to make…all you have to do is gather the ingredients and put them in a container and tie it up with an instruction tag and a pretty ribbon and you’ve got a great gift!

As for containers…I typically use either a cellophane bag or a mason jar…depending on my budget. If you use a mason jar, make sure it is a wide-mouthed one and that your oranges can fit through the opening.  I use the quart size jars.

Now…I’ve made it super easy for you to complete this gift idea with a cute printable tag sheet complete with cooking instructions:

• • I prefer printing the tags on brown kraft card stock and tying it off with a red ribbon.
  • When using a mason jar, I like to cut a piece of burlap fabric to cover the lid and use thin red/white bakers twine to tie it off.
  • The tag can be cut into a square…or if you are crafty and have a circle cutter, you can also cut them out in a circle.
  • I use the instruction tag as my gift tag too.  I just flip it over and write a personal message and sign my name!

Recipe for Homemade Mulling Spices

So here’s the recipe for each serving:

• • One orange
  • 3/4 cup of fresh, whole cranberries
  • 3-5 cinnamon sticks (3″-4″ length)
  • 1 T whole cloves

And here’s one important shopping tip from the original blog that I wanted to make sure I shared again…cinnamon sticks can get expensive if you buy a small jar from the spice aisle of your local grocery store.  I would suggest buying these in bulk if you plan on making these as gifts.  Since they have a long shelf life, it’s totally worth ordering them for big savings.

However, this year I found a 9 oz. jar of cinnamon sticks (that’s about 75 sticks) at our International Farmers market that cost $3.49 for a 9 oz. jar….score! That large jar of 75 sticks was actually cheaper than the small jar of 6 cinnamon sticks that I found on the spice aisle at my local grocery store.  So it definitely pays to buy these wisely. (You can also purchase them online…click here or on the link above.)

For the oh-so easy cooking instructions for your homemade mulling spices, simply click on over to my previous post or take a look at the printable gift tag.

So there you have it…a simple, easy, economical, thoughtful, enjoyable gift for this Christmas season!  And don’t forget to keep some for yourself – you’ll definitely want to make some for you and your family to enjoy!  It makes my house smell so wonderfully Christmas and puts me in the best mood!

Merry! Merry!