Karen Gordon: Holiday recipes ideal for gift giving

If you’re looking for holiday edible gift ideas that you can make easily at home, read on. Homemade gifts are a labour of love and a beautiful way to show friends and family how much they mean to you.

From candies to savoury snacks, cookies to squares, it’s easy to create homemade edible gifts to suit every taste. Here are four simple recipes you can make at home, plus tips to help you elevate the look of your homemade gifts.

The secret to beautiful homemade gifts is, presentation. The most impressive looking gifts are finished beautifully. You can spend hours baking, but if you package them in disposable plastic containers or old school cookie tins, they won’t look the least bit special.

A little effort and a few extra dollars can be the difference between something that looks like your aunt’s annual Christmas baking or a gift from a boutique bakery.

ORANGE CRANBERRY PINWHEEL COOKIES

These cookies not only look labour intensive (which they’re not), they also have a deliciously complex flavour making them taste like they came from a pastry shop.

3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 cup (227g) butter, softened at room temperature

1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 large navel orange (divided)

Filling:

1½ cups (150g) fresh or frozen cranberries

1/3 cup sugar

Instructions:

Whisk flour and baking powder together. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, outfitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and half the orange zest. Beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix until dough comes together. Do not over mix. Divide dough into 2 portions. Roll each portion between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it measures approximately 14 inches wide by 10 inches deep. Transfer rolled out dough to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours.

When ready to roll the dough, prepare the filling. Add the cranberries, sugar, and the other half of the orange zest to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

Working with 1 sheet of dough at a time, remove dough from refrigerator. Spread half the cranberry mixture over the dough. Starting from the long end, roll dough into a log. Repeat for other sheet of dough. Wrap tightly with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Remove log from the refrigerator. Slice into ½-inch slices and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.

Remove and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes before moving them onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Store in refrigerator until ready to gift. Package a dozen cookies in medium size clear cellophane bags and tie with a pretty bow.

SRIRACHA PRETZELS

These sweet yet savoury snacks deliver a spicy punch.

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp sriracha sauce

1 large 370g bag pretzel snacks

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 200 F.

Add all the ingredients except the pretzels into a large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine.

Add the pretzel snacks and toss well with a rubber spatula.

Transfer pretzel onto a parchment lined rimmed baking pan. Spread pretzels out so that they toast evenly.

Bake in the oven for 75 to 90 minutes until brown. Stir to separate pretzels every 15 minutes to ensure they toast evenly.

Remove and let cool. Package in large cellophane bags and tie tightly with ribbon.

CHRISTMAS TOFFEE BARK

Also known as Christmas crack, this five ingredient treat is very addictive. Highly recommend you make extra or else there may not be enough to give away.

1 cup (200g) brown sugar

1 cup (227g) butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups (340g) chocolate chips

1 sleeve saltine crackers

Flake Maldon sea salt (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Line bottom and sides of a 10 by 15-inch rimmed baking tray with parchment paper. Add a single layer of crackers on the bottom of the tray.

To make the caramel sauce, add brown sugar and butter to a medium size saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly until sugar is melted and mixture comes to a boil. Add vanilla extract, stir, and remove from heat.

Pour caramel over the crackers. With a rubber spatula, spread caramel evenly over the crackers.

Bake for 5 minutes.

While crackers are baking, melt chocolate in a microwaveable bowl in 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is smooth.

Pour chocolate over the crackers and spread with a rubber spatula. Lightly sprinkle with flake Maldon sea salt if using.

Cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight.

Using a sharp knife, cut bark into snack-size pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator until needed. Add a dozen pieces into a large glassine envelope, punch 2 holes with hole puncher, then thread ribbon through and tie into a bow.

Candy Cane Peppermint Truffles

These peppermint chocolate truffles have a smooth yet crunchy finish and are a year-round candy in our home.

¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream

½ tsp peppermint extract

1½ cups (340g) good milk or dark chocolate, chopped

¼ cup (100g) crushed candy cane

1 cup (225g) good white chocolate, chopped

Instructions:

To make chocolate ganache: Add milk or dark chocolate to a bowl. Heat heavy cream and peppermint extract in a small saucepan until simmering. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 3 mins. Stir until smooth. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from refrigerator. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out ganache and roll into balls then roll in crush candy canes. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and chill for 2 hours in refrigerator.

Melt white chocolate in microwaveable bowl in 15 second intervals. Using a fork, dip truffles into the white chocolate and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Return to refrigerator and chill for another 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator until needed.

Add a dozen chocolate truffles to a medium size cellophane bag and tie with a pretty ribbon.

How to package and elevate your homemade gifts

When gifting homemade edible gifts, I recommend gifting at least three different treats in one package. Instead of placing them directly into a container where their flavours would intermingle, package the treats separately.

Then use an online program like Canva to create pretty labels. Print the labels on card stock and trim to size with scalloped scissors if possible. Punch a hole in the label and thread the ribbon through the hole before tying it into a bow.

If using a paper gift bag, line it with pretty tissue paper before adding the treats. For that wow factor, instead of a dollar store bag, use a gift box instead. Gift boxes will add a premium quality to the gift, making them look even more special. Like the gift bag, line the box with tissue paper before laying the treat packages down with the label facing up. Tie the box with a pretty bow for a beautiful presentation.

Karen Gordon is a food blogger from North Vancouver who shares her recipe creations online at karentology.com, on Instagram at @karen.t.ology, and on Pinterest @karentologyblog.

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