6 Easy Homemade Holiday Food Gifts
These are fun to make and people love getting these for a present!
Print the recipe so you can keep it!
Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
Ingredients
- 8 ounce(s) milk chocolate, broken into pieces
- 27 (8-inch long) pretzel rods
- Flaked coconut and/or green, red, and white sprinkles (for topping)
Directions
- Place chocolate in microwave-safe measuring cup or mug. Heat, covered with waxed paper, in microwave on High 1 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring occasionally until smooth.
- Meanwhile, place each topping choice on separate sheet of waxed paper or on individual plates.
- Holding 1 pretzel rod at a time, dip in melted chocolate, tipping cup to cover about half of rod with chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off pretzel back into cup. Immediately sprinkle coated pretzel with choice of topping. Carefully place coated pretzel rod in pie plate or shallow bowl, leaning uncoated portion on edge.
- Repeat with remaining pretzels (try to keep pretzels from touching one another in pie plate), and refrigerate about 20 minutes to set coating. Store pretzels in tightly sealed container, with waxed paper between layers, at room temperature up to 1 week.
Pistachio and Tart Cherry Chocolate Bark
Pistachio and Tart Cherry Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
- 1 pound(s) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 8 ounce(s) white chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 12 ounce(s) pistachio nuts, shells removed (1 1/2 cups), toasted
- 8 ounce(s) (1 1/2 cups) dried tart cherries
Directions
- Place semisweet chocolate in microwave-safe 8-cup measuring cup or large bowl. Place white chocolate in microwave-safe 2-cup measuring cup or medium bowl. Heat semisweet chocolate in microwave, covered with waxed paper, on High 2 to 3 minutes or until almost melted, stirring once. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth. Heat white chocolate in microwave, covered with waxed paper, on High 1 to 2 minutes or until almost melted, stirring once. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.
- Stir 1 cup pistachios and 1 cup cherries into semisweet chocolate. On large cookie sheet, spread chocolate mixture to about 1/4-inch thickness. Spoon dollops of white chocolate onto semisweet-chocolate mixture. With tip of knife, swirl chocolates together for marbled look. Sprinkle with remaining pistachios and cherries
- Refrigerate bark 1 hour or until firm. Break bark into pieces. Store in tightly sealed container in refrigerator up to 1 month. Pack in decorative boxes lined with waxed tissue paper or colored cellophane for gift giving.
Chai-Spiced Tea Loaves
Chai-Spiced Tea Loaves
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup(s) water
- 1 tablespoon(s) water
- 1 tea bag (black tea)
- 3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon(s) chai spice blend
- 1 teaspoon(s) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
- 3/4 cup(s) vanilla low-fat yogurt
- 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
- 1 cup(s) granulated sugar
- 1 cup(s) packed light brown sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup(s) confectioners\' sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour six 5 3/4\" by 3 1/4\" by 2\" mini loaf pans.
- In microwave-safe 1-cup liquid measuring cup, heat 1/2 cup water in microwave on High 1 1/2 minutes or until it boils. Remove from microwave. Place tea bag in water; press with spoon to submerge. Set it aside to steep and cool while continuing with recipe.
- Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine flour, chai spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In small bowl, mix yogurt with 1/3 cup cooled tea; discard any remaining tea.
- In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in granulated and brown sugars. Beat 2 minutes or until fluffy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until well blended. Beat in flour mixture alternately with yogurt mixture just until combined. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans.
- Bake loaves 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool loaves in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Run thin knife around loaves to loosen from sides of pans; remove loaves from pans, and cool completely on wire racks, about 2 hours.
- When loaves are cool, place waxed paper under wire racks. In small bowl, stir confectioners\' sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon water until smooth, adding more water, a few drops at a time, if necessary to make a thick glaze. Place glaze in heavy-weight plastic bag; snip small opening from corner, and drizzle glaze in zigzag pattern over loaves. Let stand until glaze sets, about 30 minutes.
- Wrap each loaf in plastic wrap or foil. Store loaves at room temperature up to 3 days. Or place wrapped loaves in self-sealing plastic bags, and store in freezer up to 3 months.
Sweet and Sassy Nuts
Sweet-sassy-mixed-nuts
Ingredients
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 cup(s) sugar
- 1 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon(s) ground chipotle chile pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
- 3 can(s) (10 to 11 ounces each) salted fancy mixed nuts
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 15 1/2\" by 10 1/2\" jelly-roll pans with vegetable oil, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In large bowl, with wire whisk, beat egg white until foamy.
- Add sugar, cumin, chipotle pepper, and cinnamon, and beat until well combined. Add nuts to egg-white mixture; with rubber spatula, stir until well coated.
- Spread nut mixture evenly in prepared jelly-roll pans. Bake on 2 oven racks 20 to 25 minutes or until coating on nuts is golden-brown and dry, stirring once and rotating pans between upper and lower racks halfway through baking for even browning.
- Cool nuts completely in pans on wire racks, at least 1 hour. With hands, break apart any large clusters of nuts when cool. Store cooled nuts in tightly sealed containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.
Curried Lentil Soup
Curried Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 ( 1 quart) jars with tight-fitting lids
- 1 pound(s) red lentils
- 1 1/2 teasp salt
- 6 tablespoon(s) minced dried onion
- 2 tablespoon(s) curry powder
- 1 teaspoon(s) garlic powder
- 1 pound(s) green lentils
- 1/2 package(s) (5-ounce) dried apple rings, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoon(s) dried parsley leaves
Directions
- In bottom of each glass jar, place 8 ounces red lentils; top with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 3 tablespoons dried onion, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 8 ounces green lentils, 1/2 cup apple pieces, and 1 tablespoon parsley, in that order. Seal jars and store at room temperature up to 1 month.
- Prepare labels with cooking instructions; attach to jars. Add these cooking directions to each label before giving as a gift: Place lentil soup mix in 3-quart saucepan with 7 cups water. Heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 8 cups soup.
Cookie Jigsaw
cookie-jigsaw
Ingredients
- Lightweight cardboard or sturdy paper for pattern template
- 3/4 cup(s) (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
- 3/4 cup(s) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon(s) milk
- 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
- 3/4 cup(s) light corn syrup
- Assorted decorations: green, red, white, yellow, and blue sugar crystals; chocolate sprinkles; multicolor, white, and star-shaped candy decors; and small round yellow candies
Directions
- On cardboard or paper, draw a Christmas-tree template 10 inches high (from tip of tree to top of trunk) and 10 1/2 inches wide (at base of tree above trunk), with a 1-inch high by 2-inch wide trunk. Cut out template and set aside.
- In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until well blended (mixture may look curdled). On waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. At low speed, beat in flour mixture just until blended. Pat dough into a small rectangle.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour large cookie sheet. Place dough in center of cookie sheet. With floured rolling pin, roll dough into 13\" by 11\" rectangle. Bake 15 minutes.
- Place cookie sheet on wire rack; center tree template lengthwise on warm cookie. With knife, cut around template into cookie; remove template, leaving tree outline. Press floured 1 1/2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter into cookie at top of tree; remove cutter, leaving star outline. Press floured 1-inch round cookie cutters into tree in several places, leaving ornament outlines. Press 2 1/2-inch star cutter into remaining cookie around tree, leaving star outlines
- .
- Cut Christmas tree into various geometric-shaped puzzle pieces, being careful not to cut into ornament outlines. Cut remaining cookie around tree into puzzle pieces, being careful not to cut into star outlines
- .
- Return cookie sheet to oven and bake 12 to 14 minutes longer or until cookie is light brown. Set cookie sheet on wire rack; cut through all designs and pieces. Cool cookie puzzle on cookie sheet 10 minutes. Carefully slide puzzle, in 1 piece, onto wire rack; cool completely.
- To decorate: In 1-quart saucepan, heat corn syrup to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil 1 minute, stirring. Remove round ornament pieces from tree; brush tree and trunk with corn syrup. Sprinkle tree with green sugar crystals to coat, then attach small round yellow candies as desired. Sprinkle or dip trunk into chocolate sprinkles. Brush ornament pieces with corn syrup; sprinkle or dip into choice of colored sugar crystals or decors.
- Remove star decorations from around tree; brush with corn syrup and sprinkle or dip into yellow sugar crystals. Brush puzzle pieces around tree with corn syrup; sprinkle with blue sugar crystals to coat, then sprinkle lightly with white decors and stars.
- Reheat corn syrup if it becomes too thick.
- Allow puzzle pieces to dry completely, about 1 hour. When pieces are dry, reassemble puzzle on large tray to serve, or store puzzle in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 1 week.
momndaughters
Owner at Mom 'N Daughter Savings
I am a SAHM.My youngest is 16 now.I have 5 kids in all.We've lived in Georgia now for almost four years.We moved here from Ohio for my husband's job.I love blogging and writing about my passions.I do reviews and giveaways and I try to get homeless animals new homes.
My story is also here about loving addicts, recipes, and crafts.
My story is also here about loving addicts, recipes, and crafts.
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