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Cooking Tips

Five Simple Ideas for Homemade Christmas Gifts

Are you looking for something special to gift your loved ones this holiday? Here are five ideas you can whip up in your kitchen and leave a lasting impression.

  1. Best Ever Granola

Ingredients

113 grams olive oil or melted virgin coconut oil

255 grams Maple syrup

Two tablespoons turbinado sugar

One tablespoon Kosher salt

255 grams old fashioned oats

96 grams of raw sunflower seeds

96 grams of raw pumpkin seeds

 

Method

Preheat the oven at 149 degrees Celsius.

Place a large rimmed parchment paper on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl add the oil, maple syrup sugar, and salt.

Add the raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, and oats and stir to coat evenly.

 

Place the mixture on the baking sheet and into the oven.

Stir the mixture every 15 minutes until it turns golden brown and is dry.

Let it cool completely before packing.

 

  1. Tart-cherry and dark chocolate bars

Ingredients

228 grams melted dark chocolate

Three grams dried tart cherries

 

Method

Place a double boiler over simmering water and heat the dark chocolate while stirring until it melts. This step should take around five minutes.

Fill four candy moulds halfway with the melted chocolate.

Place the cherries onto the chocolate.

Smoothen the top with a small spatula

Tap the moulds lightly to remove air bubbles.

Place in the fridge for ten minutes.

Remove the chocolate bars from the mould and place them in a dry place.

 

  1. Salted Caramel Bark

Ingredients

Two Tablespoon sugar

156 grams’ peanuts

Three tablespoon corn syrup

340 grams semi-sweet chocolate

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

To a large bowl, add the corn syrup, salt, and sugar.

Add peanuts to the mixture and stir until they coat evenly.

Place on a baking sheet layered with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes until the bark turns brown and completely caramelized.

Cool.

Stir into the melted chocolate until the peanuts coat evenly.

Spread on a waxed paper-lined pan and place in the fridge until the chocolate sets.

 

  1. Chai Vodka

 

Ingredients

One 750 ml bottle vodka

Three cinnamon sticks

Two tablespoons of candied ginger

12 black peppercorns

Ten whole cloves

Ten lightly crushed cardamom pods.

Method

Mix the vodka, candied ginger, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom pods.

Cover the mixture and let it seat for at most three days.

Strain the mixture and pour into bottles.

The chai vodka can last up to two months.

 

  1. Bad Brownie

Bad Brownie is quick to make.

Ingredients

227 grams of melted butter

402 grams of sugar

64 grams of cocoa powder

One teaspoon vanilla extract

Four eggs

204 grams of all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

Method

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius and grease a baking pan.

Mix the melted butter, eggs, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt.

Spread the batter in the greased pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for five to thirty minutes.

Place on a wire rack to cool.

 

Peter Ranson

Peter has been a keen blogger and amateur food critic for over 20 years.  When eating and drink Peter loves spending time with his family and friends.

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