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10 Tasty Baked Goods You Can Give as Gifts - November 2018
What do you give the person who has everything or needs nothing for Christmas? Especially when you're on a budget? Something they can eat of course!
Edible gifts are not only inexpensive, but always welcomed - who can resist a delicious homebaked treat, especially when they didn't have to bake it themselves!
This list has ten very easy, and inexpensive gifts you can bake right in your own kitchen. Best of all, no special skills required. They are all very easy, and use ordinary ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Edible gifts are not only inexpensive, but always welcomed - who can resist a delicious homebaked treat, especially when they didn't have to bake it themselves!
This list has ten very easy, and inexpensive gifts you can bake right in your own kitchen. Best of all, no special skills required. They are all very easy, and use ordinary ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
1. Chocolate brownies. Who can resist this slightly gooey, always slightly decadent, chocolate treat? Easy to make, these all-American treats are now popular around the world. They will only take you about half an hour to make and will last for up to two weeks in an airtight container. Another plus is that you can freeze them too, so make a big batch and spread the love.
2. Muffins and cupcakes are another baker’s standby. Quick and simple to make, they are perhaps best when fresh, but they too can be frozen. The great thing about muffins is that you can vary the recipe in dozens of different ways, to tickle the recipient’s palate.
3. Cakes are synonymous with occasions where you give gifts. Why not make one as the gift itself? Home-made fruity Christmas cakes are an excellent Christmas gift in their own right and a beautifully iced cake shows you’ve put a lot of thought and effort into celebrating someone’s birthday, anniversary or other celebration. For a bite-sized alternative, you could consider making elegant little petit fours.
4. If you are confident with making pastries, you will have a huge choice of recipes for delicious morsels that are ideal to give as a gift. One of the easiest pastries to make are simple cream puffs, using a choux pastry. Fill them with custard or cream, top them with chocolate and they'll be a hit. Chocolate eclairs and raspberry matchsticks are other simple, but popular pastries that will delight friends and family.
5. You can’t go wrong with biscuits, especially for children and the elderly. With cookie cutters in amusing shapes and all sorts of possibilities for decoration, biscuits allow you to customize your baked gift in scores of imaginative and enchanting ways. Cranberry Hootycreeks are cheery and Christmassy. Shortbread is easy to make and always a hit. Gingersnaps add a touch of spice to an Aussie Christmas.
6. Giving a pie or quiche can be the next best thing to taking someone out for a meal. Sweet or savoury, a pie is the essence of homemade, wholesome goodness. Pies are also a great option if you have a seasonal abundance of fruit in your garden.
2. Muffins and cupcakes are another baker’s standby. Quick and simple to make, they are perhaps best when fresh, but they too can be frozen. The great thing about muffins is that you can vary the recipe in dozens of different ways, to tickle the recipient’s palate.
3. Cakes are synonymous with occasions where you give gifts. Why not make one as the gift itself? Home-made fruity Christmas cakes are an excellent Christmas gift in their own right and a beautifully iced cake shows you’ve put a lot of thought and effort into celebrating someone’s birthday, anniversary or other celebration. For a bite-sized alternative, you could consider making elegant little petit fours.
4. If you are confident with making pastries, you will have a huge choice of recipes for delicious morsels that are ideal to give as a gift. One of the easiest pastries to make are simple cream puffs, using a choux pastry. Fill them with custard or cream, top them with chocolate and they'll be a hit. Chocolate eclairs and raspberry matchsticks are other simple, but popular pastries that will delight friends and family.
5. You can’t go wrong with biscuits, especially for children and the elderly. With cookie cutters in amusing shapes and all sorts of possibilities for decoration, biscuits allow you to customize your baked gift in scores of imaginative and enchanting ways. Cranberry Hootycreeks are cheery and Christmassy. Shortbread is easy to make and always a hit. Gingersnaps add a touch of spice to an Aussie Christmas.
6. Giving a pie or quiche can be the next best thing to taking someone out for a meal. Sweet or savoury, a pie is the essence of homemade, wholesome goodness. Pies are also a great option if you have a seasonal abundance of fruit in your garden.
7. Who can resist fresh bread? If you’re a skilled bread maker, whether using an oven or a bread making machine, you can turn out a delicious gift with relatively little effort. As a gift you may want to go beyond a plain white loaf. Try sweet fruit breads or savoury breads with cheese and herbs that are something really special.
8. To take to a celebration, cheese straws are classic canapés and an old favourite that’s very easy to make. They are little more than pastry combined with cheese and baked to a mildly crispy consistency. Use exotic cheeses for a gourmet touch. Even simpler, take a sheet of puff pastry and cut it into eight strips. Twist two strips together and lay them on a baking paper lined biscuit tray. Sprinkle with grated cheese and ust with a little paprika. Bake in a hot oven (220 Celsius) for about 12 15 minutes, until the pastry has puffed and cooked through and the cheese has melted and browned. Cool them on a cake cooler. Store in an air-tight container.
9. Sweets are a treat that anyone with a sweet tooth will welcome. Homemade fudge and toffee will always go down well (literally) and can be jazzed up with many variations on the basic recipe. Place in cellophane or a pretty little bag and you have a gift that will not last long, for the best of all reasons. A Christmas favourite is Russian Caramels. Or try Chocolate Fudge. Made in the microwave, it only takes a few minutes and tastes divine.
10. Almost any baked treat becomes a gift if you style and decorate it to match the occasion. For additional inspiration, turn to world cuisine for classic exotic treats like Turkish baklava, Japanese mochi or sweet and nutty halva.
8. To take to a celebration, cheese straws are classic canapés and an old favourite that’s very easy to make. They are little more than pastry combined with cheese and baked to a mildly crispy consistency. Use exotic cheeses for a gourmet touch. Even simpler, take a sheet of puff pastry and cut it into eight strips. Twist two strips together and lay them on a baking paper lined biscuit tray. Sprinkle with grated cheese and ust with a little paprika. Bake in a hot oven (220 Celsius) for about 12 15 minutes, until the pastry has puffed and cooked through and the cheese has melted and browned. Cool them on a cake cooler. Store in an air-tight container.
9. Sweets are a treat that anyone with a sweet tooth will welcome. Homemade fudge and toffee will always go down well (literally) and can be jazzed up with many variations on the basic recipe. Place in cellophane or a pretty little bag and you have a gift that will not last long, for the best of all reasons. A Christmas favourite is Russian Caramels. Or try Chocolate Fudge. Made in the microwave, it only takes a few minutes and tastes divine.
10. Almost any baked treat becomes a gift if you style and decorate it to match the occasion. For additional inspiration, turn to world cuisine for classic exotic treats like Turkish baklava, Japanese mochi or sweet and nutty halva.