Home Made Food Gifts - merged

bestpud

I love the cake in a mug idea!

Has anyone tried it though? Does any cake mix rise to the right level?

I can see it exploding over the top of the mug when it rises!

Maybe I'll have to try one or two first...

BigMummaF

I've scattered this around on various threads, but think it would also look good presented in those tiny petit four cases or a pretty box.....assuming there's some left after you've made sure they taste alright :whistle:

BOUNTY BITES makes 24

200g condensed milk
100g dessicated coconut
8oz approx icing sugar
8oz chocolate of your choice

1. Mix the milk & coconut together & add enough icing sugar to form a stiff dough.
2. Shape..either marble sized; some folk lay the mix between two layers of cling film to roll it out, or line a baking tray with cling film & firm the mix into it as if to bake.
3. Refridgerate for as long as possible--overnight is preferable.
4. Melt the chocolate & coat the mix...leave till set.

I found this on Recipezaar & can vouch for the almost identical taste & texture to the 'real' thing.

MrsTinks

To try and keep things easier to find I have merged the two threads on recipies - definitely going to have a crack at the fudge!!!

SugarSpun

Creole Christmas Fruitcakes

For the simple syrup:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
About 3 tablespoons lemon zest, cut into strips, not minced (from 2 lemons)
2 lemons, juiced (about 1/4 cup)


For the cake:
1 pound of a combination of dried fruits, such as blueberries, cranberries, cherries, raisins and chopped apricots
1 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 ounces almond paste
8 large eggs
1 cup orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier or Aldi's own!)
4 cups bleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup slivered blanched almonds
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup bourbon

Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the lemon zest and juice and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Remove the strips of lemon zest and discard the zest. Set syrup aside.


Combine the dried fruits together in a large mixing bowl. Pour the simple syrup over them, toss to coat, and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve the syrup.

Cream the butter, sugar, and almond paste together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at low speed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat until the mixture is fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing in between each addition on low speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add 1/2 cup of the orange liqueur and mix to incorporate.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium-size mixing bowl and blend well. Add this mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the butter mixture with the mixer on low speed, each time mixing until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The batter will be thick.

Add the warm fruit and all the nuts a little at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease 12 mini disposable loaf pans, or you could use little bean tins until the batter's all used up, which would be better for the environment and portion control.... Divide the batter evenly between the pans, about 1 cup each. Bake until golden and the tops spring back when touched, 35 to 40 minutes (rearranging them after 25 minutes if necessary to brown evenly).
Cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Remove cakes from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Wrap each cake in a layer of cheesecloth. Store in plastic storage bags until they are slightly stale, 3 to 4 days. (You should probably eat one fresh, just to check everything's ok. Maybe two, in case the first one was a fluke).
Combine the reserved simple syrup with the remaining 1/2 cup Grand Marnier and the bourbon. Without removing the cheesecloth, make tiny holes with a toothpick randomly on the top of each cake. Pour 2 tablespoons of the syrup over the top of each cake once every 2 to 3 days until all of the syrup is used. Let the cakes age for up to 3 weeks before eating. Wrap cakes well in a decorative manner if giving as gifts.

bestpud

BigMummaF wrote: »

I've scattered this around on various threads, but think it would also look good presented in those tiny petit four cases or a pretty box.....assuming there's some left after you've made sure they taste alright :whistle:

BOUNTY BITES makes 24

200g condensed milk
100g dessicated coconut
8oz approx icing sugar
8oz chocolate of your choice

1. Mix the milk & coconut together & add enough icing sugar to form a stiff dough.
2. Shape..either marble sized; some folk lay the mix between two layers of cling film to roll it out, or line a baking tray with cling film & firm the mix into it as if to bake.
3. Refridgerate for as long as possible--overnight is preferable.
4. Melt the chocolate & coat the mix...leave till set.

I found this on Recipezaar & can vouch for the almost identical taste & texture to the 'real' thing.

Oh boy, there's something else I will just have to try!

They sound yummy!! :drool:

sammiboo

as a christmas present for my OH god daughter who is three. I was thinking of making some gingerbread snowmen/santa/christmas tree and getting smarties and other sweets with a tube of icing so she can decorate her own biscuits. I did some last year but thought of doing these as a kiddie present

hels102

They look fab Sammi, think I'll be copying them for this year! Thanks x

sammiboo

i think a christmas tree would be fun for them to decorate.

I found this set on cutters on amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Faringdon-Set-Christmas-Cookie-Cutters/dp/B0000BVFSI

hels102

Oh now I really like that cutter set you could do so quite a few things with that - I wanted to get the star cutter anyway to do christmas cards with my little one - glue the star cutter and place on the card so you have a few glue like stars then cover with glitter the effect looks really good!
x

CandyB101_2

Thought this could be a nice idea for boxing your homemade 'foody' gifts etc .....
http://www.makingfriends.com/favor_santa.htm