Friday, November 26, 2021

You can't get more thoughtful than a homemade Christmas gift!

There's nothing more thoughtful than a homemade Christmas gift to show someone you really care this festive season. Even better if the gift is edible! Here at Kiddy Cook, we’ve picked 2 of our favourite recipes that are so easy, kids could make them by themselves, from start to finish.

Whether these delicious edible gifts are made for family, friends, or teachers, you can be sure they'll be fun to make and gratefully received by all!

Christmas Bliss Balls

  ​

Ingredients

• 200g almonds
• 120g dried prunes, pitted
• 100g dried cranberries
• 40g cocoa powder
• 30g Maple Syrup
• 40g coconut oil
• 1/2tsp allspice
• 10g molasses
• zest of 1 orange, finely grated
• coconut (for rolling)
• sprinkles (for rolling)

Method

1. Put everything in a food processor and go to town until you get a smooth mixture. You may need to add a little water depending on how thick the batter is, but you don't want it too gooey.
2. Scoop out the mix into Walnut sized balls and place on a baking tray in the fridge.
3. Roll in coconut or Christmas sprinkles

These Christmas Bliss Balls will last about 7-10 days in the fridge...or about 4 in Kiddy Cook’s fridge!

Christmas Cookie Jar

Ingredients

• 120g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 60g light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75g caster sugar
• 75g oats

Topping

• 100g chocolate chips, Smarties, nuts or dried fruit - whatever you like really

Method

• Wash and dry a 0.5 litre / 1 pint glass jar.
• Add salt, baking powder and plain flour to the jar.
• Push down to compact the ingredients using the back of a spoon or the end of a rolling pin.
• Add the caster sugar and compact it down.
• Add your chosen topping(s) – we like Smarties.
• Add the light brown soft sugar, cinnamon and ginger then compact it down again.
• Top up the jar with the oats compacting as you go to get them to fit.

When you gift a jar of cookie mix, you’ll need to tell that person how to make the cookies. The fun way to do this is to make a gift tag and attach it. You can make these by hand which is a lovely thing to do and personal too.

What you need

• 1 Egg
• 90g Butter – melted
• 500ml Cookie Mix (this jar!)

What you need to do

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan.
• Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
• Empty the cookie mix jar into a mixing bowl.
• Add 1 egg and the melted butter.
• Mix to form a dough.
• Spoon the mix onto a lined baking tray. Use a teaspoon for mini cookies or a tablespoon for larger cookies.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Allow to cool then enjoy!

Think about the wrapping

Take time to think about how to wrap your finished gift. If you make our cookie recipe (above) as 1 giant biscuit - this would look just the part served in a pizza sized box and wrapped with a ribbon.

Pretty boxes, lined with paper and filled with your homemade Christmas bliss balls are an extra thoughtful touch as are pretty glass jars and bottles for chutneys.

If you’re aiming for a more eco-friendly Christmas - use recyclable wrapping paper - if in doubt, do the 'scrunch test'. If you make a ball of used paper, then let go, recyclable wrapping paper will stay scrunched, while non-recyclable wrapping paper will open out and needs to be added to the general waste.

Happy Christmas & happy cooking from Kiddy Cook!