Homemade Christmas Candy Gifts

This Christmas there will be many of us dreading the cost of buying Christmas presents. So what can you do to make your money go that bit further and make the person receiving your gift this Christmas feel extra special.

Make some homemade candy

This may seem an odd answer and you are probably wondering how you can you use homemade candy to make your money go further and personalize your Christmas presents.

The answer is quite simply as you can place your homemade candy to almost any container to give it a unique twist. In the first part of the hub I give some ideas on just how easily this can be done and then in the second part I give some very simple and some not quite so simple recipes to make your Christmas candy.

The traditional container in which to give your Homemade Christmas Candy would be a Christmas themed box or bag but some of these can be quite expensive for something which is just discarded once the candy has been eaten.

You want to buy your mom a new lasagna dish as you know she needs a new smaller dish now that your younger brother has finally got himself his own apartment and moved out but it isn't a very inspiring present. So what can you do to personalise this. You unpack it from the box, wash it and then make a mix of homemade fudge and use the dish to put the fudge in. You can then pipe your own very personalised Christmas message to decorate the fudge.

Your daughter wants to give her Mathematics teacher a Christmas present and a funny mug is a fairly inexpensive present but why not buy the mug and get your daughter to make some Oreo Truffle Drops (Recipe is further down the hub) to fill it and then wrap the mug in a cellophane bag and tie with a festive ribbon.

You can personalise a mug in this way to give as a present for almost anybody for any occasion as there are just so many different mugs out there.

This is the sort of present you can keep ready to put together at almost anytime.

You're going to dinner at a friend's house over the holiday period and want to take something a little different than the customary bottle of wine. Why not buy them a beautiful clear acrylic and stainless steel wine chiller and then fill it with three or four bags of your home made candies instead of a bottle of wine.

If you're lucky your host or hostess might use your candy to accompany the after dinner coffee and all the other guests will be bowled over by the special effort that you took to personalise your gift for the host or hostess.

This is probably the most obvious container in which to place your home made candy but nevertheless it works exceptionally well. This works well as a present for almost anyone of any age and you can often find a jar which fits a niche that the recipient identifies with such as the New York Giants!

Another obvious container but also a very useful and practical present.  I would probably fill a cookie jar with home made millionnaire shortbread rather than candy but that's possibly so that I've got an excuse to make a couple of batches and get to eat the leftovers myself!!

A new lunchbox is a practical and useful present for little people and for those who are a little bigger as well. Imagine the look of delight when the recipient opens the lunchbox to find your delicious home made candy inside.

As more and more of us need to make our money go further packing up your own lunch to take to work is an excellent way to save few dollars each day without really noticing any difference to your way of life.

Ingredients:

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1and1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon  salt
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Confectioners' (icing) sugar for dusting

Equipment

• Bowl
• Electirc mixer
• Small saucepan
• Candy thermometer
• 8 x 12 non metalic baking dish
• Sieve
• Board

Instructions

1. Put gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the mixer bowl.
2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and a further 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan
3. Heat the mix over a medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
4. Increase the heat to high and continue cooking until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on the thermometer.
5. Remove from the heat and with the mixer on a slow speed slowly add the syrup to the dissolved gelatin.
6. Once all the syrup has been added increase to high speed and continue whisking for approximately 15 minutes until the mixture becomes very thick.
7. Add the vanilla essence to the mix and stir in well.
8. Dust the baking dish with confectioners' sugar using the sieve.
9. Pour in the marshmallow mix, smooth the top and dust the top with more confectioners' sugar.
10. Allow the marshmallow mix to dry overnight until it has dried out.
11. Tip the mix onto a board and cut into cubes and dust again with confectioners' sugar.

I've also included a Youtube video on making Turkish Delight which you might find amusing.

Ingredients

• Sunflower oil, or other similar neutral oil, for greasing
• 25 g powdered gelatin
• 255 ml water
• 4 tsp rose water
• 450 g caster sugar
• 5-6 drops pink food colouring
• 3 tbsp confectioners' (icing) sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour

Equipment

• 20 x 25 cm baking tin
• Large heavy based saucepan
• Bowl

Instructions

1. Lightly oil the baking tin.
2. Mix the rose water, water sugar and gelatin in a large heavy-based pan.
3. Heat gently until the sugar and gelatin have dissolved, stirring all the time..
4. Bring to the boil without stirring.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat, mix in the food colouring and leave the mix to cool for a couple of minutes.
7. Pour the mix into the oiled tin and leave to set for about 24 hours
8. Mix the cornflour and confectioners' sugar in a bowl
9. Cut the Turkish Delight into cubes and toss in the bowl containing the cornflour and confectioners' sugar
   

Ingredients

For the base

• 150g (5½oz) plain flour
• 55g (2oz) caster sugar
• 115g (4oz) butter

For the filling

• 150g (5½oz) butter
• 150g (5½oz) dark brown soft sugar
• 397g can condensed Milk

For the topping

•  200g (7oz) milk chocolate, melted

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• 20cm (8in) square brownie tin, lined with baking parchment
• Non stick frying pan

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Mix the flour and sugar together and then rub in the butter until you have a fine crumbs.

3. Press this mixture very lightly and evenly into the tin and bake for about 15 – 20 minutes until pale golden.

4. Place the butter for the filling and the sugar into a large non-stick frying pan and stir over a medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.

5. Add the condensed milk, and stirr continuously until the first bubbles appear on the surface.

6. Remove from the heat as soon as it comes to the boil.

7. Spread the caramel evenly over the shortbread base and then cool and chill for about half an hour.

8. Melt the milk chocolate in a small bowl and pour over the caramel, smoothing to the edges.

9.When the chocolate has hardened a little cut into squares.

Ingredients

• 2 rolls/tubes store-bought, refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 8 oz. package cream cheese

Equipment

• 9 x 13 inch non stick baking tin
• Medium size bowl

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and cream cheese.
3. Press one roll of the cookie dough into the bottom of the baking tin.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on top.
5. Crumble remaining roll of cookie dough on top of cream cheese mixture.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Cool completely and refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into bars

Ingredients

• One package OREO (regular flavor) cookies
• 8 ounce package cream cheese
• 10 ounces good white or milk chocolate
• Sprinkles to decorate

Equipment

• Food processor

• Food mixer
  

Instructions

1. Place half of the cookies into the food processor and blitz until finely ground.
2. Pour crumbs into the bowl of a stand mixer. 
3. Repeat this with the other half of the cookies. 
4. Soften the cream cheese and add to the cookie crumbs and mix until well blended.
5. Form into one-inch balls.
6. Melt white chocolate and spoon a dollop of it onto each truffle drops
7. Decorate with Sprinkles of your choice and allow to cool.

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup salted butter
• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounce package toffee bits

Equipment

• 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish
• Small saucepan
• Large bowl

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Butter and flour the baking dish.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan
4. Stir the sugar into the melted butter until smooth and then set aside to cool for a few minutes.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda.
6. Beat the eggs and vanilla into the sugar mixture and then add to the flour mixture.
7. Stir until a smooth, thick batter forms and then fold in the toffee pieces.
8. Pour the batter into the glass baking dish and spread evenly.
9. Bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. this will take about 25 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
11. Cut into squares and serve.