Make your own Christmas Prezzies!

krankykitty

Edible Christmas Gift Ideas

Some recipes on the Guardian website: chestnut chocolate cookies, hot chocolate fudge sauce, homemade fresh mint truffles, biscotti, macaroons

biddywiddy

I love this thread! It's so great to see it's still going strong.

I'm making hampers for family and friends again this year. So far I've made:

Limoncello (and have more stewing to make another batch)
Christmas pudding vodka
Spiced Beetroot and Orange Chutney (yum, by the way)
Nigella's Pink Grapefruit Marmalade (made this on Sunday but still have to taste. I'm not sure if this was a success)
Honey Spiced Mustard (a half batch made loads)

Still to make:
Chocolate biscuit cake
Chilli Jam
Nigella's Chocolate Christmas Cake (I've made 3 regular Christmas cakes, but will put a big wedge of Nigella's cake in the other baskets)


I sourced some bottles in Heatons, and I'm reusing (and sterilising) old jars for the rest. I'm thinking of covering some sturdy cardboard boxes with fancy paper and filling with shredded newspaper (instead of buying baskets) - has anyone done this?

Also, +1 on the chocolate chips from Mortons. Too many have failed to make it into chocolate chip cookies!

Fifik1112

Got the choc chips in Morton's. Thanks for the tip.

Wow Biddywiddy that Christmas pudding vodka looks fantastic!

Blingy

250g of cranberries for 1.99 in tesco.
Anyone see any rhubarb in the shops?

annamcmahon

Tesco sell frozen rhubarb.

biddywiddy

6 pack of tomatoes for 69c in Aldi Super 6 (1 - 19 Dec). Good value for Chili Jam!

Pistachios & cream

First hamper of the year got a secret Santa pressie at work Christmas party. Couldn't add photo sorry

blueturnip

biddywiddy wrote: »

Christmas pudding vodka

I made the same biddywiddy! It's very strong, but very delicious!

biddywiddy

blueturnip wrote: »

I made the same biddywiddy! It's very strong, but very delicious!

Brilliant! I'm going to bottle it at the weekend. Hoping there's some left over for me

Blingy

Honey-ec wrote: »

Cranberry & White Chocolate Cookies - makes about 3 dozen

2.5 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter
.75 cup "normal" sugar
1 packed cup demerara sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped white chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 175C.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour & baking powder.

3. In another bowl, beat the butter for a minute or so until creamy. Add the sugars and beat again until the mixture is pale & fluffy in texture. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract.

4. Add the flour mix a third at a time, beating well after each addition. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the cranberries & chocolate.

5. Drop the cookies by lightly rounded tablespoons onto baking trays lined with parchment paper. Leave a good gap between each of them, as they will spread quite a bit. Bake for 10 - 13 minutes each, switching the positions of the trays halfway through to make sure they brown evenly.

6. Remove from the oven while they're still slightly soft to the touch (you want these to still be chewy when they cool). Leave to rest on the baking tray for 3 minutes, then move to a wire rack.

Thought I had pics of them somewhere, but I can't find 'em. I'll add them later if I do.

Edit: Don't have a "naked" pic of them, but here's how I packaged them for last year's hampers.

How long do the cookies last? I presume not a couple of weeks?

Faith

Finally got around to starting! I have apple & cranberry chutney simmering away now. The comments on the recipe lead me to believe I'll get about 6 jars from it - probably a few more than I need!

No idea what else I'm making yet. I think mulling syrup, but I'll need jars for that. Also probably a few chocolate or biscuits nearer the time, and perhaps cookie mix jars because they look great.

livinsane

Spent four hours making the Three Fruit Marmalade last night [recipe from this thread]. I doubled the quantities because I always end up with less than I'd hoped...and ended up with eleven jars of all shapes and sizes!

Already have Tomato and Chili Relish and Spiced Apple Chutney made since November and Christmas puddings since June. I got some green and white gingham material to cover all the El Paso/Dolmio lids!

Three varieties of jars:



The whole family:

Cerulean Chicken

First post in this thread Been reading it for ages. This is the first of my little Christmas boxes, gave it to a lovely boardsie friend today who was my guinea pig. There's chocolate & Baileys truffles, vanilla fudge, chocolate & hazelnut fudge, and more chocolate & Baileys truffles with milk chocolate bases. My mum makes truffles every year and I adore them, this is my first time to try them, they were lovely (if I do say so myself!). Hope the pic isn't too big.

RoseBlossom

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

First post in this thread Been reading it for ages. This is the first of my little Christmas boxes, gave it to a lovely boardsie friend today who was my guinea pig. There's chocolate & Baileys truffles, vanilla fudge, chocolate & hazelnut fudge, and more chocolate & Baileys truffles with milk chocolate bases. My mum makes truffles every year and I adore them, this is my first time to try them, they were lovely (if I do say so myself!). Hope the pic isn't too big.

That looks fab!!

How do you make fudge without burning the pan or having it all gritty?!? I messed up again this afternoon and it's so depressing! Would you have a good foolproof recipe? (I've been trying to make Rachel Allen's White Chocolate Fudge from Home Cooking for about two years now...)

Related question: Anyone got any tips for removing ("flat") scorch marks from the bottom of a saucepan? It's steeping at the moment.

Cerulean Chicken

RoseBlossom sorry but I'm of no use to you, it was my first time making fudge and I wasn't totally happy with how they came out so I wouldn't listen to me if I was you! Mine were two random recipes I found, one was with the Supervalu Christmas flyer (and I think there's a mistake in the recipe, I changed it after it went wrong and didn't set), but they are very sticky to move and to touch, I just tolerated them really The microwave fudge recipe on this thread is meant to be amazing. I just kept stirring the fudge, and I have really good non stick saucepans, I watched it and the temp very closely, so that helped.

Dinkie

RoseBlossom wrote: »

Related question: Anyone got any tips for removing ("flat") scorch marks from the bottom of a saucepan? It's steeping at the moment.

Try putting some water in the pot and adding baking soda. Put pot on stove and simmer for a while. Then try rewashing the pot.

I didn't bother making prezzies last year. This year I'm back with avengence. Have limoncello brewing as I type, have onion marmalade made - and i'm going to make biscotti, grainy honey mustard, fudge (the microwave method as that worked well in the past) and rum balls if I have time.

RoseBlossom

Thanks, might try that microwave one! Trying to put together some little gift bags for the office - our Christmas lunch is on Friday and I'm a bit behind... They won't be a patch on your box though! Think I'll just get some small gift boxes and line them with baking paper.

So far I have mini-iced Christmas cakes (left over mix made into buns), burnt-ish toffee (I didn't beat the fudge when I took it off the heat, so it has quite a chewy toffee-type consistency), chocolate-covered marzipan balls (made homemade marzipan for the Christmas cake), and am going to try to add Bailey's truffles and raspberry macarons between now and Friday.

RoseBlossom

Dinkie wrote: »

Try putting some water in the pot and adding baking soda. Put pot on stove and simmer for a while. Then try rewashing the pot.

Thanks! Will try that now. Always have a good supply of soda on hand for unblocking the ever-contrary sink (as opposed to baking!)...maybe the kitchen's just not for me! :pac:

hootietootie

The microwave fudge is good(if its the one I put up), but I tried it using a different condensed milk and it kinda exploded:eek: Back to my normal carnation and its all fine again. Waiting on my new sugar thermometer to make marshmallows along with the fudge this week, should be here Monday. Mother in law was babysitting and used mine to open a hot water bottle-cue burnt saucepan and black smoke! I have found a bit of washing powder in pan with a little water and back n a low heat saves all pans!!!!

Raminahobbin

I just made Nigella's Chili Jam, and it came out wonderful Seems to be setting perfectly.

HOWEVER, I managed to fill 2 x 500ml Jars with a tiny bit left over. I was hoping to put this jam in 3/4 hampers, so I was wondering if it would completely ruin it to pick up a few smaller jars tomorrow and transfer? Or should I just quit while I'm ahead...

Eviledna

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

First post in this thread Been reading it for ages. This is the first of my little Christmas boxes, gave it to a lovely boardsie friend today who was my guinea pig. There's chocolate & Baileys truffles, vanilla fudge, chocolate & hazelnut fudge, and more chocolate & Baileys truffles with milk chocolate bases. My mum makes truffles every year and I adore them, this is my first time to try them, they were lovely (if I do say so myself!). Hope the pic isn't too big.

If I could thank that post twice I would. I bet very lucky recipient of that gorgeous gift will be fighting off their loved ones to keep them!

Your truffles are perfectly coated - any tips for getting such a smooth outer coating on what must be a delicate (delicious) interior?

Cerulean Chicken

Eviledna wrote: »

If I could thank that post twice I would. I bet very lucky recipient of that gorgeous gift will be fighting off their loved ones to keep them!

Your truffles are perfectly coated - any tips for getting such a smooth outer coating on what must be a delicate (delicious) interior?

Have the truffles chilled when coating, just out of fridge, makes them very easy to coat. The cold weather was really helping, they set very quickly so less chance of me touching them when half set and fecking them up.

Cedrus

I made pate last year and will again this year, I used a recipe from Clodagh McKenna but it's so simple you don't really need a recipe, Chicken liver fried off with some onion and deglazed with a splash of brandy or port then whizzed with some butter. The hardest part was finding appropriate containers.

Blingy

Anyone know where to buy cellophane to wrap the gift baskets?

WesternNight

Blingy wrote: »

Anyone know where to buy cellophane to wrap the gift baskets?

I've been keeping an eye out for this as well. Last year I got rolls of cellophane wrapping in Lidl, but no sign of it there yet.

Eviledna

Blingy wrote: »

Anyone know where to buy cellophane to wrap the gift baskets?

I bought a roll of it in Easons last year, much cheaper than asking florists for some!

Toto Wolfcastle

If you live near a florist supplies shop you could get it there. There's one in Sandyford if you're in Dublin.

blueturnip

Ok so did a trial run of the oat, raisin and walnut biscuit things and while delicious by themselves, much much too sweet with cheese and chutneys! Fine with cheese on its own, but sure that then defeats the purpose of my chutneys!

Might see if I can find a recipe for some sort of plainish crackers.

Yes I tried two of my chutneys also I needed to make sure they were ok... They were! Tried the onion marmalade and carrot jam.

the-ging

Hey all, I made Donal's Chilli Jam and its really good, I also made the beetroot chutney as its sounded lovely, but I really am not a fan of it. Can I still give it as a gift if I don't like it....

Might make some small rocky road to go with them.

Pistachios & cream

the-ging wrote: »

I also made the beetroot chutney as its sounded lovely, but I really am not a fan of it. Can I still give it as a gift if I don't like it....
.

Is it that the beetroot chutney isn't to your taste or is it just not nice?

If it's not to your taste then i'd still give it as everyone has different likes and dislikes. HOwever if it is just not nice i'd think about leaving it out or only giving to people you don't really like;)