HM Sweets for Xmas Presents - cheap recipes?

LilacPixie

See why did I not think up these ideas. Thankyou everyone

timmmers

http://www.joyofbaking.com/candy/christmascandyrecipes.html

Where does everyone get decent chocolate to use I wonder? Always costs me a bomb to get high cocoa dark stuff .

t

esio_trot

my mum always used to make macaroons, though I really can't remember the exact recipe. I'm fairly sure it was essentially just mashed potato and icing sugar made into a thick fondant like centre, shaped into bars or balls then coated in melted chocolate and rolled in dessicated coconut. very sweet and very yummy!

Pink.

Hi LilacPixie,

There are lots of recipes for homemade sweets that may help on these websites:

uktv.co.uk

greenchronicle.com

thefoody.com

There's an earlier thread with lots of recipes and advice on making sweets:

OS Style homemade sweets/toffees/fudge

I'll add this thread to that one later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

pancakequeen

timmmers wrote: »

http://www.joyofbaking.com/candy/christmascandyrecipes.html

Where does everyone get decent chocolate to use I wonder? Always costs me a bomb to get high cocoa dark stuff .

t

I get my very high percentage cocoa solids chocolate from Aldi or Lidls. They usually have in at least 70% if not a higher % one.

HTH

mrcow

timmmers wrote: »

http://www.joyofbaking.com/candy/christmascandyrecipes.html

Where does everyone get decent chocolate to use I wonder? Always costs me a bomb to get high cocoa dark stuff .

t

Don't use high cocoa stuff for sweets like truffles, rocky road, chocolate fudge, mallow fudge, cakey truffles etc - complete waste of money.

I also use smartprice butter 74p per block.

I make hundreds of sweets every year and always use ASDA branded dark, milk or white chocolate - (was on offer 2 x 200g for £1 two weeks ago).

I've never had problems with anything setting and I've certainly never had any complaints over my sweets before!

LJM

if it was me a jar of love hearts would be heaven

Miss_Rosie_Beau

I made sweets to sell at the Open day at work. Peppermint creams are good and easy and I think I googled it. Coconut ice is another good one, google again. Truffles are a favourite but only last a week. Fudge! And my Dad's favourites are orange sticks from the River Cottage Pam's Jams book.

4-5 large oranges (scrubbed and peeled and cut into sticks)
500g sugar

Place orange sticks in a pan of water (2 litres). Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and put back in a pan with 1 litre of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 mins covered. Add the sugar and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes more. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 24 hours.

Bring to the boil again and boil gently for 30 minutes till the liquid has evapourated and all the sticks are covered in lovely syrup. Allow to cool and the remove with tongs. Place on a wire rack and allow to dry for 24 hours.

Have as they are or dip in dark chocolate. Mmmm. Very chrismassy too!
Hope you like!
I bought cellophane bags from Lakeland and placed my truffles in little petit fours cases inside the bags.
xxx

nikki2804

Caramel shortcake? not sure how long it lasts though because it gets munched very quickly. My mum uses a recipe from an old cooking chocolate wrapper (scotbloc?) Its very yummy!

LolaLemon

Aril wrote: »

This probably sounds absolutely disgusting but I was a 1970s child:D I find if I'm craving a sugar hit then a brown sugar sandwich does it for me [it's only a couple of times a year honest:o] When I was a child I also used to enjoy syrup sandwiches and ones with chocolate spread and hundreds and thousands. How I've got to the age of nearly 42 with no fillings and all my own teeth still is a bit of a miracle really:rotfl::rotfl:
Aril

You have got to be Scottish!!! :rotfl:

Bestthing for a sore throat/tonsilitis is a piece with a scraping of butter and a liberal sprinkling of sugar, fold piece in half to make a sandwich and eat away, the roughness of the sugar strips the throat of the infection and the smoothness of the bread calms it. the 'rich' alternative is toast with honey....

jennyjelly wrote: »

On the subject of the 'dried fruit soaked in booze and dipped in chocolate' type sweeties, try this for a double header.

Make blackberry vodka by filling a jar with blackberries & sugar, filling up with vodka and leaving for a few weeks then straining it off.

Then instead of chucking the blackberry remains away squeeze it out, make it into little balls and dip them in melted chocolate.

Two lots of deliciousness for the price of one.

If you can, leave it in the bottle for 2 years and u have made a fruit liqure (My german teacher told me how to make a lot of alcohol, but we dont have basements to keep it stored for the desired time and we generally drink it before its times up :rotfl:)



I have copied a lot of the recipes on this to make after christmas, *might* take to a newyears party, if it lasts lol