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GIFTS FROM THE KITCHEN
By Christy Rost
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Homemade gifts from the kitchen are always
appreciated by friends and neighbors.
Busy moms with little time to bake, elderly neighbors who no
longer have energy to cook, and special friends who feel pampered by
your thoughtfulness – these are the ones we love to remember
during the holiday season.
We’re all busy at Christmastime, but it’s
still possible to surprise friends with homemade treats from the
kitchen. Timesaving
recipes, confections that start with packaged items, and
easy-to-make recipes that feed a crowd can transform a long gift
list into an enjoyable and manageable task.
One of my favorite semi-homemade gift ideas
comes from my dear friend, Nancy Upson.
During a recent morning of tea and conversation, she served
beautiful, swirled butter cookies dipped in dark chocolate and
topped with finely chopped almonds.
They were pretty-as-a-picture and absolutely delicious, and
when I asked how she made them, Nancy admitted she started with a
good-quality packaged cookie, then dipped one end in melted
chocolate and sprinkled it with almonds.
A few days later, I expanded on my friend’s
recipe during a television appearance devoted to last-minute gifts. Not only did I dip butter cookies in dark chocolate, but I
dipped them in white chocolate and dusted them with edible holiday
confetti and colorful sparkling sugar.
Another quick idea is to dip large Dutch-style pretzels
face-down in white chocolate until one side is completely covered,
then sprinkle with multicolored nonpareils.
Pop them into the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. Look
for nonpareils in your grocery store’s cake decorating aisle.
Homemade caramel apples drizzled with dark and
white chocolate are positively decadent and make a beautiful holiday
gift. After dipping
each apple in melted caramel, place it on a tray coated in nonstick
cooking spray and chill until the caramel has hardened.
Drizzle the apple with dark chocolate and chill until the
chocolate is firm; then drizzle it with white chocolate and chill
again. Place each apple
on a decorative paper plate, wrap it loosely in clear cellophane,
and tie with a gold ribbon.
Everyone loves caramel corn and it’s so quick
and easy to make your own. Best
of all, one batch of my recipe for Hazelnut Caramel Corn makes
enough for multiple gifts. And
what would the holidays be without buttery Sugar Cookies cut into
bells, and trees, and snowmen.
Decorated with icing and a dusting of sparkling sugar, the
memory of these holiday cookies far outlasts the final crumb.
When your holiday shopping is done, but you
still need gifts for neighbors and friends, it’s time to get in
the kitchen. With
simple ingredients and only a few pleasurable hours, you can create
delectable gifts you’ll be proud to give.
*Note: Christy Rost is the host of Fort Worth
television's popular cooking/lifestyle show, Just Like Home, and the
author of The Family Table: Where Great Food, Friends, and Family
Gather Together (2004, Capital Books). To see recipe's from
Christy's show, or to see a list of upcoming personal appearances,
please visit her website at www.easyentertain.com.
Holiday Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1
cup soft unsalted butter
1 ½
cups sugar
2
eggs
2
teaspoons vanilla
3 ½
cups flour
1 ½
teaspoons baking powder
1 ½
teaspoons salt
1
Recipe Glaze
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream
butter with sugar until light, about 5 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking
powder, and salt until well blended.
Stir flour mixture into the butter mixture in thirds,
stirring with a large spoon until well combined.
Transfer cookie dough to a smaller bowl, cover
tightly, and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
When cookie dough is cold, preheat oven to 375
degrees. Roll half of
the dough 1/8-inch thick on a floured pastry cloth.
Cut shapes with cookie cutters dipped in flour and place on
ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven 6 to 7 minutes until
edges are barely brown. Remove
cookies from the cookie sheet while still hot and transfer them to
wire racks to cool. When
cookies are cool, frost with the glaze.
Glaze
2
cups sifted confectioners sugar
3
tablespoons milk
¼
teaspoon vanilla
Tinted sparkling or decorator sugars
Whisk confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla
until mixture is very smooth. Divide
the glaze into several small bowls and tint with food coloring to
desired shades. Spread
a small amount of glaze on each cookie with a knife.
Sprinkle with tinted sugars as desired.
Allow decorated cookies to dry several hours.
Store in airtight containers up to 2 weeks, or freeze.
Recipe makes approximately 6 dozen cookies.
Hazelnut Caramel Corn
Ingredients:
6
quarts popped popcorn
¾
cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
¾
cup butter
2
cups brown sugar, packed
½
cup light corn syrup
½
teaspoon salt
3
tablespoons hazelnut syrup (I use Torani®)
½
teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a large roasting pan with
nonstick cooking spray, add the popcorn and sprinkle it with the
hazelnuts; set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over
medium-low heat, stir in the brown sugar, and cook the mixture 2
minutes until the brown sugar has partially dissolved.
Stir in the corn syrup, salt, and the hazelnut syrup.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook it 5
minutes, without stirring.
Remove the caramel from the heat, add the
vanilla, and stir to mix. Slowly
pour the hot caramel over the popcorn.
Spray a large wooden spoon with nonstick cooking spray and
gently stir the caramel into the popcorn mixture.
Bake in a preheated oven 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to
distribute the caramel which gathers on the bottom of the pan
throughout the mixture.
Remove the caramel corn from the oven, stir
well, and set it aside to cool.
Serve when the caramel corn is completely cool, or transfer
it to airtight containers. Popcorn
stays fresh for 1 week.
Recipe makes 6 quarts of caramel corn.
Get more of Christy Rost's recipes in her
archives. Click here.
Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com
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