Itβs the most wonderful time of the year.
The weather is finally bearable, you get to break out all your cute sweaters and everything smells like pine trees or gingerbread.
As fun as the holiday season is, before you know it, itβll be Dec. 24 and youβll be scrambling to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones. Wouldnβt it be nice to actually enjoy the holidays and eat all the cookies you want without all the shopping stress?
Thankfully, this year Iβm here to help! Since the city is full of delicious food and local bakers, give your loved ones a little taste of Tucson with these foodie-inspired gifts. I mean, who wouldnβt enjoy a tasty gift?!
Coffee and cocktails
Customers at Desert Dreams XO booth during the Summer Night Market at the MSA Annex, Tucson Ariz., June 30, 2023.
Everyone loves a fun drink. As a coffee lover myself, I always love receiving cute mugs or tumblers β it makes my coffee taste better. For the coffee lover in your life, Desert Dreams XO makes cute glass tumblers decorated with cacti, smiley faces and cheeky sayings. They also have drink sleeves and car coasters that would make perfect stocking stuffers.
To go with the cute glasses, local coffee shopΒ Presta Coffee RoastersΒ sells their own coffee in all kinds of flavors, bringing their shop into the comfort of your home. For the tea drinker in your life, check out Tucson Tea Company.
For those who need a gift for someone who enjoys inventive cocktails, Creative Kind has you covered. The shop has different sour mixes, such as prickly pear and spiced honey, that can be used to add a little kick to at-home margaritas. They even carry cactus-themed wine glasses and Tucson-themed shot glasses. (They also carry various food items like popcorn and spices, as well as cute kitchen dΓ©cor.)
El Be Goods also has camp craft cocktails, which are mason jars filled with different ingredients, making unique cocktails a much simpler task. Peppermint bark martini, affogato and sangria are just a few flavors they offer.
Treats and food
Dirty T Tamarindo is known for its spicy versions of sweets like Gushers and gummy worms.
Tucson has many special bakers and vendors who create all kinds of treats that even the pickiest of eaters enjoy.
For those who have a sweet tooth, Ube Bae Desserts sells homemade cookies in all kinds of yummy ube flavors. This month, they are offering take-and-bake cookie dough, so your friends can have all the fun of making Christmas cookies without having to deal with all the prepping and cleanup. Ube Bae also has Thai spice gingerbread cookies and pandan crinkles that would make the perfect sweet treats for loved ones.
AZ Baking Company also offers their mesquite chocolate chip cookie mix for the bakers in your life. Their popular cookie mix is made with mesquite flour, which has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor.
Give your friends a taste of Southern Arizona with candy that has a spicy kick. Dirty T Tamarindo and Tanna's Botannas both make gummy candy covered in TajΓn and chamoy, giving people the best of both worlds: sweet and spicy. They both also offer the viral pickle kits and rim dip for those who want to make micheladas at home.
To gift a little taste of the desert, Cheri's Desert Harvest is home to jellies and candy all make with prickly pear.
You can never go wrong with chocolate! Monsoon ChocolateΒ makes the prettiest chocolate you will ever see. With so many flavors and options to choose from, your loved ones will be in chocolate heaven. Holiday bon bons, peppermint bark and malt balls are just a few mouthwatering treats that Monsoon Chocolate offers.Β
Kitchen dΓ©cor
La Vida. Taprut. will be at the Tucson Together market with their handcrafted functional wood pieces for your home, including bench scrapers, vases and cheese boards.
Cute kitchen dΓ©cor and utensils are the perfect gift for the Gordon Ramsay in your life. La Vida TaprΕ«t makes beautiful cutting boards, plus different handmade wooden utensils and charcuterie boards (plus some of their items are on sale right now!).
At Juju and Moxie, you can gift the cutest Arizona-themed kitchen towels. These towels have every design you can think of: cacti, wildlife and Dirty T prints.Β
Give your friends a little taste of Tucson with a cookbook inspired by the cityβs food scene. Taste of Tucson by Jackie Alpers includes all kinds of Sonoran-style recipes such as pozole, chicken mole and adobo pulled pork.
Quirky foodie gifts
A peek inside Hola Chingona, where you can find concha slippers, horchata lip balm and more.
Want to step outside of the box and gift your foodie friends something other than food? At HolaΒ Chingona, they have so many food-inspired items itβll be hard to choose which one to get. Find concha purses and slippers, paleta soaps, MazapΓ‘n pillows and bolo ties that look like chicken nuggets.Β
Not only does Chez Peachy make the cutest bento cakes, now she makes cake dΓ©cor! Mini heart-shaped Hello Kitty jewelry boxes, heart-shaped Sanrio mirrors and cake cowgirl hats are now available at Chez Peachyβs holiday pop-ups. Each item actually looks like a cake that Chez Peachy would make! Plus you can pick up a bento cake for yourself while you holiday shop.
Dining experiences
Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink has recently opened a new rooftop bar.
As a City of Gastronomy, Tucson has some amazing restaurants with picturesque views.
Treat your loved ones with gift cards to their favorite place to eat (plus you can tag along, so itβs a win-win situation!).Β Reillyβs, Mojo Cuban Kitchen, The Coronet and Tohono Chulβs Garden Bistro are just a few places that have gift cards available.
