Edible gifts from the kitchen smart idea in today's economic climate
TORONTO — Gifts from the kitchen at holiday time are nothing new, but in today's tight money climate, they make abundant sense.
"I think homemade gifts are the best kind, particularly when they are edible and prettily packaged," says Christine Picheca, online food editor for Canadian Living magazine in Toronto.
She adds that making homemade gifts like truffles, biscotti or a dessert sauce ends up being really personal.
"You aren't putting the value on what you spent on something, but you are placing the value on the time, effort and care that you spent actually making the gift from scratch."
These gifts can include recipe cards wrapped with simple festive embellishments such as a sprig of holly with brightly coloured ribbon, Picheca suggests.
If planning to ship holiday treats to family or friends, firm baked goods such as biscotti are the best option, she says.
"Use bubble wrap when packing flat cookies, but perishable or fragile treats like truffles or gingerbread men should be reserved for gifts that you can hand deliver."
Picheca adds that creating gifts in the kitchen is an ideal activity for the entire family because it is a great way for kids to learn about the true spirit of gift giving.
Here is an edible recipe to make as a wonderful gift for the teacher, hockey or soccer coach and babysitters - in fact, everyone on your holiday gift list. If you bought the biscotti from a bakery, it would cost much more.
Homemade Holiday Biscotti
500 ml (2 cups) all-purpose flour
7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) baking powder
2 ml ( 1/2 tsp) salt
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) unsalted butter
250 ml (1 cup) granulated sugar
2 eggs
10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla
250 ml (1 cup) lightly salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) coarsely chopped white chocolate (about 90 g/3 oz)
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) each dried cranberries and chopped dried apricots
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir flour with baking powder and salt.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Then stir in peanuts, chocolate and dried fruit.
Using floured hands (batter will be sticky), divide dough in half. Place each half on baking sheet, spacing as far apart as possible. Form into 2 logs measuring about 25 by 7.5 cm (10 by 3 inches). Bake in centre of oven until golden on top, 28 to 30 minutes. Remove logs from oven, but leave oven on. Let logs stand 15 minutes, then slice into 1-cm ( 1/2-inch) slices.
Stand biscotti on baking sheet. Return to oven and continue to bake until golden on both sides, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze.
Makes 32 biscotti pieces.
Source: Peanut Bureau of Canada.
