Cheap treats I can make?

Fuzzy_Duck

My brother and I decided not to buy Christmas presents for each other this year, as he is skint. However it'll be his last Christmas at home as he is moving abroad, and I will feel really mean if I don't get him anything. At the same time, I don't want a gift to cause any embarassment, so it must be cheap to make.

I want to make a few nice foodie bits for him, so I can say I already had the ingredients in my cupboard and it cost me nothing! He pretty much likes anything, and I'm fairly decent at baking.

Does anyone have any ideas and or recipes for some tasty baked goods I can whip up easily and cheaply?

MrsTinks

Nobbly bites?
50gr rice crispies
50gr oats
50gr crushed digestives
25gr marshmellows chopped
300gr milk chocolate

Melt chocolate and add all the other stuff and mix well - place in either small muffin cases or on baking paper in bitesize pieces Present in a pretty box with a ribbon round them

Red_Cat

Could try making millionaire's shortbread or tiffin and put in a nice jar.

Sorry, I don't have a recipe to hand, but the shortbread is pretty easy.

tanmu

how about fudge or scottish tablet? there's a good recipe here I'm going to use.... http://scruss.com/tablet.html

or maybe cookie mix in a jar - just pick your favourite recipe, pour ingredients into a jar in layers, add a nice lable and instructions on how to bake...

you could also make him some jam/chutney/pickle

jonaylor

What about a photo album of family photos? Or get all the family together for a family portrait, (your point and shoot will do if you take a friend to do the pointing and shooting) and frame it.

Fuzzy_Duck

Nice ideas all, thanks very much I'll probably have a go at making all of those, then having a tasting session to see what comes out best

jonaylor that's a lovely idea but I'd have no luck at all getting my family in a picture, we all hate having our photo's taken! All our photo albums seem to be of our cat bizarrely... actually knowing him he'd probably prefer a nice framed pic of his cat than the rest of us

McKneff

What about peppermint creams.

Icing Sugar sieved
eggwhite
peppermint essesnce.

Mix altogether, roll out balls, press flattish with a fork (for a pattern)
dip some of them half in chocolate,
Still remember from being at cookery lesson at school mmmmmmmmmm

McKneff

Fuzzy_Duck wrote: »

Nice ideas all, thanks very much I'll probably have a go at making all of those, then having a tasting session to see what comes out best

jonaylor that's a lovely idea but I'd have no luck at all getting my family in a picture, we all hate having our photo's taken! All our photo albums seem to be of our cat bizarrely... actually knowing him he'd probably prefer a nice framed pic of his cat than the rest of us

Get everybody to email you a picture and cut and paste into 1 picture.:j

MarsdenCuckoo

Know this is going against the food theme but if you have a printer why not put together a (monthly) calendar for 2010, including family photo's, and marking off all family/mutual friends' birthdays/anniversaries? Good reminder, useful, and it's the effort that counts.

sethsgran

I do my peppermint creams with Icing Sugar, Condensed milk, Peppermint Essence and Green food colouring. When they are rolled into small balls my 3yr old grandson helps by using a fork, plastic, and he presses them down, this creates ridges which adds to the presentation. When they have dried out I melt white chocolate and plain chocolate, seperate bowls then Seth and I dip a fork in and drizzle it over the sweets, I like to do dark choc first. We also make truffles. You could make him a recipe book of his favourite meals

MrsTinks

I posted on this last nigth but lost my post LOL

Sethsgran - thanks for that - I would love to make pepermint creams this year but I don't like using raw eggwhites incase I unknowingly gave some to a pregnant lady :eek: But I will be giving these a go for definite! Thanks so much!