Making chocolates or sweets

chloepops

I'm going to make these Turkish/Greek/Arabic sweeties made with filo pastry, nuts and honey syrup; cut them into small (inch square) pieces and put in a little box - a person only needs a few before it gets too rich!

ingredients:
a box filo ready rolled pastry (from any supermarket)
large knob of butter - melt in microwave
packet of chopped mixed nuts (or can choose any one type of nut)
half a cup honey
cup of sugar
cup of cold water
teaspoon of orange flower water or rose water (optional)
tablespoon lemon juice

also need a pastry brush and a small roasting tin (or bread tin). and an oven.

method:
put oven on to 160 degrees
syrup: dissolve sugar and honey in water in a pan. add lemon juice and simmer for 5-10 mins or until the syrup is half the amount and thick and gloopy. remember gets gloopier when cooled. add orange blossom water and simmer for 2 more mins. allow to cool.

pastry:
brush tin with melted butter
one by one, brush around 8 sheets of pastry with butter and lay out in tin, fold any edges over to make it flat
cover with layer of chopped nuts, till about half a centimetre thick
repeat more pastry layers
cut into inch square diamond or square shapes

bake for about 25 mins at 160, then whack up heat to 190 for another 10 mins.
pour over cool syrup onto hot pastry and allow to cool. try to stop yourself eating it, yum!

SeaBee

I decided to do lots of edible gifts this year too. For my colleagues I have made: Christmas Pudding truffles a la Nigella, Baileys Fudge, Lemon Truffles, Chocolate Shards and Mini Christmas Cakes.

Pinched a few wrapping ideas from this thread. Gave them today and they have been very well received.

Some pics below

jetty

SeaBee wrote: »

I decided to do lots of edible gifts this year too. For my colleagues I have made: Christmas Pudding truffles a la Nigella, Baileys Fudge, Lemon Truffles, Chocolate Shards and Mini Christmas Cakes.

Pinched a few wrapping ideas from this thread. Gave them today and they have been very well received.

Some pics below

They look great :T

Quackers

I went on an emergency shop to the supermarket at 9pm last night after reading this thread

I'm planning on making the 15's, baileys truffles and the mint choc stuff.

I'm going to leave making the truffles til the 23rd - to give as a gift on 24th.

How far in advance does anyone think I can make the 15's recipe?? I'm going to have a practise tonight so I can make sure it tastes ok :cool:

LOVE this thread....am concerned for my belly :D

Kazipoo

Ok, not so many pictures, but have taken a few...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4237356&l=bd2a7dd6b1&id=649230718

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4237357&l=24b1f8731d&id=649230718

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4237357&l=24b1f8731d&id=649230718

ChrissieT_2

Choc truffles are lovely, but dates stuffed with cream cheese mixed with tia maria are absolutely divine.
This is my first ever post. Have I done it okay?

Quackers

ChrissieT wrote: »

Choc truffles are lovely, but dates stuffed with cream cheese mixed with tia maria are absolutely divine.
This is my first ever post. Have I done it okay?

You did just fine and dandy :T

Welcome to MSE

kemo_2002

Im planning on giving sweets/chocs in jars, my question is, if i put the sweets in now (shop brought) are they likely to go soft? sweets are things like allsorts and miget gems...

also homemade cookies/muffins/biscuts ect , if made now will they keep for xmas??

annie123

Sorry if this is daft but......isn't the taste of cheese odd in truffle/sweetie things?

elysia2003

Hiya, sorry to bother you. I've just made my first batch of peanut brittle using this recipe pasted from this thread.

What have I done wrong? It was bubbling away nicely for 10 mins and was a lovely clear toffee colour - until i put the second lot of ingredients in - then it became a sludgy mess! I'm hoping it will taste better than it looks.