Want to do gifts the old-fashioned way? We have some crafty ideas for you. Al Barry/Getty Images hide caption

Want to do gifts the old-fashioned way? We have some crafty ideas for you.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, as they say. That is, unless you ordered the latest gadget too late, and now it's stuck in supply chain limbo.

Or if you are the kind of person who leaves their shopping until it's down to the wire, like Daniel Gritzer, the culinary director of Serious Eats.

"I am very much a last-minute gift giver, scouring the internet and thinking of all the things I'd probably have thought of four months ago to then not be able to remember them, and have to fake something else in desperation," Gritzer says.

Whatever your struggle, we have got you covered this holiday season.

We have asked Gritzer and other food makers and crafters to make the case for going the homemade route this season and have provided the following recipes and project instructions:

Daniel Gritzer's Oven Dried Grapes, which he says are fruiter and brighter than the box of raisins on the grocery shelf. Vicky Wasik /Serious Eats hide caption

Daniel Gritzer's Oven Dried Grapes, which he says are fruiter and brighter than the box of raisins on the grocery shelf.

Gritzer says when he first published his recipe for oven dried grapes, many readers asked: "Why in the world would you oven dry grapes when you could just buy raisins?"

He says it's a valid question, but the dried grapes are pretty special.

"You get caramelization that happens on the surface of the grapes as they dry in the oven. So it's fruitier and it's brighter and it's fresher than you would get from a box of raisins on a supermarket shelf," he says.

Gritzer's notes: The precise cooking time can vary quite a bit depending on the size of your grapes (larger ones will take longer to dry than smaller ones) and how your oven functions (some ovens are prone to big temperature swings, which can speed up and/or slow down total drying time). Make sure to check in on the progress of your grapes periodically to avoid any mishaps.

This recipe was originally published by Serious Eats.

New York Times food writer Priya Krishna says Dorie Greenspan's World Peace 2.0 cookie are impossible to hate. Mark Weinberg/Mariner Books, an imprint of Harper Collins hide caption

New York Times food writer Priya Krishna says Dorie Greenspan's World Peace 2.0 cookie are impossible to hate.

If you're feeling a bit more festive, New York Times food writer Priya Krishna recommends the trusty holiday classic: cookies. Specifically, she says Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies 2.0.

"If someone gave me a jar of cookies the size of a fire extinguisher, I would be so thrilled," Krishna said.

They're a chocolate cookie with a salty note and Krishna says, "they're impossible to hate."

Dorie Greenspan's notes: Although making these cookies is easy, each batch seems to have its own quirks. It's always easy, it's just not always the same. Sometimes the differences have to do with the cocoa. (I usually use Valrhona Dutch-processed cocoa because I love its flavor and color, but I've made WPCs with many kinds of cocoa—they're always good, not always the same.) Sometimes the differences have to do with the butter, and often the temperature of the butter—it's best if it's at cool room temperature, but sometimes I miss the moment when it's just right. My advice is to mix the dough for as long as it takes to get big, moist curds that hold together when pressed. Often this happens quickly; just as often, it takes more time than you think it should. Go with it. Also, when you roll the dough into logs, check that they're solid—squeeze the logs to see if there are hollow spots. If there are, ball up the dough and roll into logs again. Plan ahead: The logs of dough need to be frozen for at least 2 hours or refrigerated for at least 3 hours. Storing: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for 5 days at room temperature (they will get a little drier, but they're still good) or for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Excerpted from Baking with Dorie, by Dorie Greenspan.

Chili crisp is a spicy, sweet, nutty, salty condiment that many food makers say you'll want to eat on everything, even ice cream. Food Stylist: Victoria Granof. Ryan Lieber/The New York Times hide caption

Chili crisp is a spicy, sweet, nutty, salty condiment that many food makers say you'll want to eat on everything, even ice cream. Food Stylist: Victoria Granof.

If your sweets doesn't have a sweet tooth, Gritzer and Krishna suggest making chile crisp — a spicy, crunchy, sweet, nutty, savory condiment they say you'll want to eat on everything.

"People have done ice cream sundaes topped with chile crisp," Gritzer says.

Krishna makes dumplings ever year at the holidays.

"So chile crisp would be a perfect thing to gift me," she says.

This New York Times Cooking recipe, by Genevieve Ko, is highly customizable, especially to your desired degree of heat.

It makes about 1 1/4 cups and takes about 10 minutes.

This recipe was first published in The New York Times.

A "Spa in a Jar" created by filling a mason jar with items like nail polish, hand cream or a hair tie. Aris Rossi hide caption

A "Spa in a Jar" created by filling a mason jar with items like nail polish, hand cream or a hair tie.

If working in the kitchen isn't your thing, fear not. We also have crafts.

For Aris Rossi, a crafter and school teacher who runs the Instagram page Sailing Into Second, a go-to gift is a "spa in a jar".

She fills a mason jar with things like nail polish, nail files, or bath bombs.

"I'll throw in some of my favorite toiletries or just fun spa gifts and wrap a big bow around it," she says.

Ursula Carmona suggests making a gift bag to stash store bought gifts when you insist on a touch of DIY but your recipient doesn't want anything homemade. Ursula Carmona/Home Made by Carmona hide caption

Ursula Carmona suggests making a gift bag to stash store bought gifts when you insist on a touch of DIY but your recipient doesn't want anything homemade.

Finally, for those on your list who don't like anything homemade, Ursula Carmona, who runs the DIY blog Homemade by Carmona, suggests combining something store bought with something a tad crafty.

"I have three teenage girls and they don't want anything homemade," she says. "They just want cash, cold, hard cash."

But, maybe she'll make a bag to stash the cash.

"You don't have to be great at painting. You don't have to be great at a lot of things in order to do something as simple and special as that, " Carmona says. "And I think the receiver will still appreciate those sweet little touches."