Colorado Foodie Gifts: Here's A List Of Delicacies Made Locally

COLORADO – Tingly liqueurs, cheesecake-in-a-jar, salsas, green chilis, and, of course beer – Colorado's foodies are constantly on the lookout for new flavors and cooking and eating experiences. The Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado State University Extension make things easier by offering canning and cottage food certifications for home-cooks who want to bring their delicacies to market.

As holiday gift season rolls around, the Dept. of Agriculture releases a Colorado Food & Agriculture Gift Guide with uniquely Mile High items for the foodies on your list.

Here are some of the most uniquely Colorado delicacies we've found:

Cheesecakes in a jar by Decadence Gourmet, Grand Junction. – Individual, portion-sized quarter-lb. gourmet cheesecakes, each baked in its own recyclable glass jar. They are produced, small-batch style, and shipped in refrigerated packing.

Dó Sauce is a Colorado original, a versatile spicy garlic sauce produced in small batches in a home kitchen in Denver.

Grumpy’s BBQ Sauces Four Grumpy’s Private Reserve flavors, from sweet to heat, made in Denver. Also try Aiello’s Spaghetti Sauce and Pasta, Religious Experience Colorado Salsa and Enchilada Sauce and Gilberto’s Salsa, Hot Sauce and Marinara.

Hacienda Maize Fire-Roasted Chile Jammin’ Jellies are crafted in Denver with only Colorado-
grown chiles and come in three varieties: Mira Sol (Pueblo) chile, Jalapeno and Jalapeno Diablo.

Le Petit Croissant in Colorado Springs offers an award-winning cookbook with high-altitude recipes for French pastries.

Baklava Unlimited, based in Longmont, sells the traditional mediterranean dessert with almonds, and also a gluten-free/dairy-free baklava tart and a gluten-free/dairy-free baklava spread.

Norwegian Kransekake Specialty Cakes, based in Fort Collins creates almond cookie towered cakes for any special occasion.

Colorado Craft Beef Boxes of beef and share options, based in Akron, Colorado.

AC Golden Brewing Company makers of Colorado Native beers in Golden, the company creates lagers brewed with 100% Colorado ingredients: barley grown in the San Luis Valley, Colorado-grown hops, Rocky Mountain water and the oldest variety of brewing yeast in the state.

CopperMuse Distillery, based in Fort Collins, crafts artisan vodkas, rums, gin, whiskeys and liqueurs.

Tingala liqueur is handcrafted in Denver from flowers of the spilanthes plant (buzz buttons), creating a one-of-a-kind booze with a natural tingling taste.

And if you want an easy assortment of some of the most interesting Colorado products, check out Denver's longstanding A la Carte Gifts & Baskets, which has unique gifts, including a chocolate assortment in a box that has a topographical map of the state.

See all of the Colorado Food & Agriculture Gift Guide here.

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