Last-Minute Online Gourmet Gift Ideas Slideshow

For the budding  and experienced cooks on your list, gift a boxed set of a year's worth of Canal House Cooking, a book of delicious home cooking recipes created by two cooks who simply wanted to share what they were cooking, along with their love of food and its rituals. With recipes like "Grandmother's Gnocchi," or "Chocolate and Toasted Hazelnut Crepes," there are many recipes sure to delight every home cook.

Part of a group of family-run businesses in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Zingerman's Bakehouse makes a trio of rustic European breads by hand, the likes of which are difficult to find in many parts of the country.

Their French Mountain Bread, similar to the traditional peasant bread of France, is popular with customers, while another favorite, the Farm Bread, is a classic white-wheat mix made with a sour starter, similar to a French pain au levain. If you've ever been to Austria or Germany, you might recall the traditional wheat-free, dense loaves of bread served at breakfast. Zingerman's Volkornbrot loaf will transport you back. Deliciously chewy and nutty, all it needs is a good smear of butter for the perfect snack.

Looking for a new dessert to serve on Christmas Eve? St. Clair Ice Cream creates hand-molded and glazed ice cream desserts. For the holidays, they offer molded Santas and Christmas trees in a variety of flavors, as well as a multi-flavored 9-inch Bûche de Noël. Served on a pool of warm chocolate sauce, any of these molded treats will delight your guests.

For the person on your list with a discerning palate, why not indulge them with caviar from only the best — Petrossian.

This family-run business has been importing the best sustainably-harvested caviar for years. 50 grams of their Royal Transmontanus caviar, paired with some mother of pearl caviar spoons, blinis, and crème fraîche, makes for a delicious Christmas gift to give — and share.

Know a person who loves to travel, but isn't able to make a European escape in the next couple of months? Bring Italy — and its delightful cuisine — to them with gift of A.G. Ferrari's Cucina Ferrari Membership. Every month, a new Italian treat will arrive on at their door, ranging from polenta and risotto, to an array of gourmet products, along with a members-only newsletter full of recipes, cooking tips, and travel information.

A special gift for the seafood lover or bagel fan on your list. A couple of packages Charlie Trotter's Citrus Cured Smoked Salmon are a welcome treat to send ahead of your arrival, if visiting family, or are good just to have in the house during the holidays for a healthy snack at any time during the day.

The dry cured, applewood-smoked salmon is flavored with an exclusive blend of citrus juices, zests, herbs, and spices. Excellent when paired with cream cheese on a hearty slice of toast for breakfast, with avocado in a salad at lunch, or with blinis and sour cream for the perfect appetizer.

What could be more exciting or delicious than a chance to design-your-own snack bar? Perfect for the college student or athlete on your list (or any other person on-the-run), these snack bars from Element Bars are all natural, low-fat, and full of "real" food — no high-fructose corn syrup, no hydrogenated oils, or artificial flavors. Sounds good to us.

Hot cocoa is a favorite wintertime treat, and what could be better than to pair a delicious hot chocolate mix with fresh-baked cookies?

Renowned chocolatier Jacques Torres is known for his thick and rich hot chocolate, made with real chocolate, not cocoa powder. His signature French Kiss cookie is his interpretation of the classic chocolate chip cookie, but infinitely better with big chunks of gooey dark chocolate.