cooking up some presents...

tfak85

anyone cooking up some christmas presents this year?

i make bags of chocolates for friends of family, i do toffee-nut crunchie things (florentines, crushed and covered with choc) and pudding truffles every year and this year i've also made a panaforte that i'll cut into little chunks...

was thinking about making some of nigellas chilli jelly too.. just have to get some nice jars.

Minder

You read my mind - I'm just back from the shops with a kilo of jam sugar for Nigella's chilli jam.

Faith

Minder wrote: »

You read my mind - I'm just back from the shops with a kilo of jam sugar for Nigella's chilli jam.

Awesome, I might make some of that!

tfak85

what kind of jars are you going to put it into? i'm gonna have a shop around over the next few days..

Toto Wolfcastle

I usually make truffles and fudge. I'm going to make some fudge next week and I can't find my usual recipe anywhere. I'm making them for the first time for my boyfriend's parents and I'm hoping I'll find a good recipe.

Minder

I saved up some fancy jam jars. Made the recipe with all chilli and no sweet pepper. We had it with some cheesey bites this evening as a starter. Good flavour, lots of chilli with a vinegar spike - it will be interesting to see if it mellows or gets hotter. I got four jars from the batch I made.

dublingal80

janeybabe wrote: »

I usually make truffles and fudge. I'm going to make some fudge next week and I can't find my usual recipe anywhere. I'm making them for the first time for my boyfriend's parents and I'm hoping I'll find a good recipe.

Janeybabe, can you pm me or post here the recipe for your truffles and fudge. Dying to find a good recipe THANKS

gillylilly

I was going to try and make up a batch of chutney! What kinds of jars do you use for them? Do you recycle old ones, or buy them new? Wasn't sure what to do, keep reading about the importance of sterilising

muckety

I tried this fudge recipe -> http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brown-Sugar-Fudge-108365

which worked well and was very easy. You will need a sugar thermometer.

Toto Wolfcastle

dublingal80 wrote: »

Janeybabe, can you pm me or post here the recipe for your truffles and fudge. Dying to find a good recipe THANKS

I made this recipe for fudge tonight because I can't find my usual one and it is fabulous. I'm trying not to eat the whole batch. I can't gice you a truffles recipe as my one has disappeared and I haven't made them yet this year. Hope this helps.

MissFlitworth

My family asked that this year no one spend a fortune on Christmas presents so I'm baking hampers for a couple of people. Planning on making

parmesan & black pepper biscotti
Rocky Road
Chocolate ginger bread
and this nut/pretzel mix

I'm also seriously considering fudge after looking at that link, thanks a mill janeybabe

Sapsorrow

Its too late for this year but I put a couple pf jars of whatever jam and chutney I came up with during the summer and a bottle of home brew wine (apple and elderflower this year)
How about a few different types of cookies muddled up and wrapped up in nice paper and string?
I found a lovely cookie mould in a chrity shop during the year from germany for making ginger bread cookies or christmas tree decorations, they're of two foxes a boy and a girl one wearing clothes so sweet.
Also edible chirstmas decorations would be cool, if you made little bundles of homemade or shop bought sweets wrapped up in nice paper/plastic with curled ribons etc... that could be hung on a tree for kids

Sapsorrow

thats a good link Janey think I'm gonna try the coconut Burfi and blueberry mallow rocky road for my presents. Is it easy to find condensed milk in Ireland? I'm pretty much vegan so don't know much about buying dairy..

Toto Wolfcastle

Condensed milk can be found either with the baking products or the tea and coffee in most supermarkets.

tfak85

these are my little pudding bon bons (ala nigella) and my toffee/nutty chocolates...

MissFlitworth

them little puddins are ridiculous! so cute

MissFlitworth

janeybabe wrote: »

I made this recipe for fudge tonight because I can't find my usual one and it is fabulous. I'm trying not to eat the whole batch..

Just in case anyone else is thinking of it, this recipe rocks! Best fudge I've ever had. I added peanut-butter oreo crumbs to it and, boo hoo, the gift jars I bought won't fit it all in so I have a big plate of it I'll have to eat by myself.

Toto Wolfcastle

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Just in case anyone else is thinking of it, this recipe rocks! Best fudge I've ever had. I added peanut-butter oreo crumbs to it and, boo hoo, the gift jars I bought won't fit it all in so I have a big plate of it I'll have to eat by myself.

Oh that's terrible!

I made some for work and another batch for my boyfriend's parents and they both went down very well. It's a brilliant recipe. It's really easy.

Dolbert

janeybabe wrote: »

Oh that's terrible!

I made some for work and another batch for my boyfriend's parents and they both went down very well. It's a brilliant recipe. It's really easy.

Thanks for this! I'm defo gonna make some as presents this year

muckety

How long will the fudge last once made? What should I put as a 'use by' date when giving as gifts - I'm assuming that the sugar will keep it preserved for a good while?