Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen

Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen

Some of my favorite memories of growing up were being in the kitchen with family and friends preparing for the holidays. My mother made goodies for everyone she knew, but it was a chore to keep us from eating them before they were delivered to the intended person! Maybe that's why it took days and days of cooking to get everything done?

Even today, all those cookies and candies are a part of my holiday activities. It's a tradition that I hope to pass down to my nieces and nephews to enjoy with their own families.

My mother would also never give us money to buy Christmas presents with, but she'd let me use whatever she had in the kitchen, so even at a young age, folks I knew would receive edible gifts or something I made by hand. In this article, I am going to share my mom's recipes and offer a few suggestions for packaging them as Christmas gifts. Trust me, everyone will love you for it!

Caramels

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1/2 cup butter

In a heavy pot, mix all ingredients except butter and 1/2 pint of cream. Bring to 220 degrees F (test with candy thermometer), then add remaining cream. Remove from heat and add butter. Then return to heat and bring back up to a temperature of 254 degrees F, stirring constantly. Pour into buttered 8 1/2 x 11 pan and cool until lukewarm but not sticky. Cut into squares and wrap in waxed paper. This will make about 75 pieces of caramel.

Divinity

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 egg white, stiffly beaten
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pecan halves (about 30 pieces)

In a heavy pot, mix sugar, corn syrup, water, and vinegar and cover. Heat to boiling over medium heat, removing cover after five minutes. Bring to a hard boil (260 degrees F), and remove from heat. Cool slightly, then mix gradually into egg whites (which you’ve already stiffly beaten). Continue beating constantly until very stiff. Allow to cool, stirring occasionally, then stir in vanilla. Drop onto buttered cookie sheet or by teaspoonfuls, and press a pecan half into the center of each drop. This recipe will make about 30 pieces of divinity.

Oven Caramel Corn

• 8-9 quarts of popped popcorn
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup white corn syrup
• 1 tsp baking soda

In a large pot, bring all ingredients except for popcorn and soda. Boil for five minutes, mixing well and stirring frequently. Remove from heat and quickly stir in soda. Pour popcorn into pot and mix quickly and well. You’ll need two large flat pans (I spray mine with non-stick cooking spray) – spread the popcorn mix over the pans in a thin layer, and bake at 250 degrees F for about one hour, stirring a couple every 20 minutes. This stores very well in a tightly sealed container. For variations, you can add peanuts or pecans in when you add in the popcorn!

Peanut Brittle

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups raw peanuts
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla

In a large pot, mix sugar, syrup, and water, bringing to a hard boil (test with candy thermometer). Then add peanuts and stir well, then mix in butter. Cook this to a hard crack stage (again, test with candy thermometer). Remove from heat and mix in baking soda and vanilla. This will foam up, that’s why you need a large pot. Pour onto a buttered cookie sheet immediately, stretching out as thick or thin as you like it, and then let it cool and harden. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.

Praline Pecans

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 tbsp light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk mixed with 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp maple extract
• 1 1/2 cups pecans

Bring all ingredients except maple extract and pecans to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to cook until mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 236 degrees F. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature without stirring. Then stir in maple flavoring and pecans and mix until the candy begins to hold its shape. Drop onto waxed paper by spoonfuls to form 4” patties. Be sure to work quickly! This will make about a dozen pralines.

Darlene’s Rice Krispy Treats

This is so easy! Follow the recipe for Rice Krispy Treats on the cereal box, but instead of using the marshmallows, use six regular sized candy bars – your favorite. I use Snickers Bars. Melt them with the butter, exactly like you make them normally, then mix in your cereal, spread into a pan, cool and cut into serving sizes. Everyone loves these with their own favorite candy bars. Dave likes Nut-Rageous. Try them with your favorite!

Along with a few pieces of each candy, I also make cookies, brownies, and mini loaves of bread. I just love those new mini loaf pans that are one piece like muffin tins! They’re perfect for gifts.

Banana Nut Bread

• 2 eggs
• 2 mashed bananas, extra ripe
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 1 tsp hazelnut extract
• 2 tbsp banana extract
• 1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Beat eggs and sugar together until frothy and slowly beat in oil. Stir in bananas, extract and nutmeg. Add flour (1/2 at a time) and stir well. Add nuts, and mix thoroughly. Pour into mini loaf pans, 2/3 full, and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until nice and brown.

Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup crushed graham crackers
• 1 6 oz pkg chocolate chips
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 can sweetened, condensed milk

Melt butter in a 9” x 13” pan, and then add the remaining ingredients in order and in layers. Bake at 325 degrees F until lightly browned (watch carefully, and be careful to take out before the bottom burns… this will only take about 20 minutes or so, depending on your oven). Cool completely before cutting.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 2 tsps almond extract

Bring first 4 ingredients to a rolling boil, and then boil 1 minute longer. Remove from heat, and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well, and drop quickly by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let sit for 15 minutes or until cool before serving.

Brownies

• 2/3 cup shortening
• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

On top of stove, over low heat, melt shortening and chocolate. Beat in vanilla and sugar, then quickly beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour and salt, and then mix in nuts. Bake in a well greased and floured pan at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into individual servings.

Now, you’ve got a kitchen full of mini banana breads, cookies, and candies. All you need from here is some colorful plastic wrap and some pretty Christmas tins or wicker baskets. I give all the men in my family tins of goodies with perhaps a cool coffee mug or a sports trinket of their favorite team, and the women get baskets of goodies with a cappuccino or bubble bath added in. Be creative and add a personal touch for each person.

I hope you have fun at home in your nice, warm, un-crowded kitchen while you’re enjoying making a few special Christmas treats! And here’s wishing all of you a very merry Christmas!

Previously published by T. Darlene Cheek at Suite101.com - http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/17442.