Good recipes for home made gifts?

Question

I'd like to give some hand made gifts this year as christmas presents or for birthdays, have you got any good recipes you can suggest? I'm looking for anything from chocolates to cakes to liqueurs. Can you also tell me how long they would keep please. Thank you

Answer 1

Great idea!!!

Twice I've tried this - but each time I end up eating all the lovely things I have made as I am such a fat greedy bear. I end up face down in the kitchen, unable to move due to the massive bloated pain in my tummy, covered in chocolate and wine and shite.

Answer 2

Make a mint brittle caramel with sugar, water, drop of lemon juice and mint flavouring. Let it set, then smash it up. Melt some plain chocolate. Stir the bits of caramel in once it cools abit. Leave to set. Then wrap up fancy..

Answer 3

I have a whole bunch of gifts from the kitchen in my cooking group. LIke soup in a jar, etc,

Free to join and no obligations

http://groups.msn.com/CookingWithKay

White Chocolate-Macadamia Cookies Mix in a Jar

1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 cup white chocolate or vanilla milk chips

1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 cup buttermilk biscuit and baking mix

1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar

1 cup buttermilk biscuit and baking mix

In a 1-quart wide-mouth jar, gently layer and pack ingredients in the order listed.

If there is any space left after adding the last ingredients, add more nuts or baking chips if desired.

Place lid on top. (For a decorative lid, cut an 8-inch circle of fabric, place over lid, secure with a rubber band, then tie with ribbon or raffia.)

Attach the following gift card to the jar:

Empty contents of jar into medium bowl. Stir in 1 stick butter or margarine, melted, 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract. Mix until well combined. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen.







White Christmas Bars in a Jar

1/4 cup white chocolate or vanilla milk chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted* and cooled

1/2 cup sweetened dried cherries or cranberries

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed**

1 cup buttermilk biscuit baking mix

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed**

1 cup buttermilk biscuit baking mix

In 1-quart wide-mouth glass jar, gently layer and pack ingredients in the order listed, beginning with the white chocolate or vanilla chips. If there is any space left after adding the last ingredient, add more white chocolate or vanilla chips to fill the jar. Place lid on top.  Cut an 8-inch circle of fabric to cover lid. Place fabric over lid; secure in place with ribbon or raffia. Decorate as desired.

Make a gift card to attach as follows:

WHITE CHRISTMAS CHERRY BARS

Preheat oven to350 degrees F. Empty contents of jar into medium bowl. Stir in:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Press into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until bars are light golden brown and center is almost set. Makes 16 bars.

* To toast pecans, place in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring every minute.

** After measuring the brown sugar, crumble it between your fingers for uniform texture. Be sure to pack the brown sugar firmly in the jar to prevent the baking mix from sifting down through it



Snowman Soup Mix

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup nonfat dry milk

2 cups instant NesQuik

3/4 cup nondairy creamer

1 (6 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and store in airtight containers.

Add the following instructions to a gift tag:

Snowman Soup

To enjoy, add 3 tablespoons Snowman Soup Mix to a cup of boiling hot water. Use more or less mix depending upon size of mug and your taste buds.



CHRISTMAS JAM FOR GIFTS  

3 lg. oranges

1 lemon

7 c. sugar

1 (No. 2) can crushed pineapple

1/2 c. water

1 sm. jar maraschino cherries, drained

Peel oranges and lemon. Squeeze juice from oranges and lemon; remove seeds. Grind orange and lemon skins twice; mix with sugar, pineapple, water, orange juice and lemon juice in large kettle. Cook over low heat for 1 hour. Remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Chop cherries fine; stir into pineapple mixture. Pour into sterilized glasses; cover with thin layer of melted paraffin. Let set. Place Christmas seal on top, add another layer of melted paraffin. Yields 9 glasses.

Answer 4

Chocolate fudge? It's surprisingly easy to make as well!

Ingredients:

300g dark chocolate (70% coco content minimum for it to work)

400g tin condensed milk

Method:

Break the chocolate up into even sized pieces in a microwaveable dish.

Microwave the Chocolate for 1 minute and stir then repeat.

If the chocolate has still not melted microwave for an extra 20 seconds and stir. Repeat the 20 seconds until the chocolate has melted being careful not to over cook the chocolate.

Then add the tin of condensed milk to the chocolate, stir in well. You will feel the mixture thicken.

Pour into a tin foil lined tin, spread evenly and smooth the top. Allow to cool for a couple of hours.

Take the fudge out of the tin and peel off the tin foil. Cut in to small mouth sized chunks.

Your chocolate fudge is now ready to eat or put into a little box if you are giving it as a gift.

One batch is enough to make two gifts.

Answer 5

there are lots of good recipes on  Allrecipes.com or at Kraftfoods.com  I get a lot of ideas from there