Christmas Baskets?

Question

I'm looking for good (Yummy) ideas for my christmas baskets. Last year I had White Chocolate Cranberry cookies, Rumballs, Spiced Pecans, and other types of cookies.

Any cool/out-of-the-ordinary ideas you have would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Thanks!!! And Happy Christmas!

Answer 1

"Cherry Snowballs" - 2 1/2 dozen

1 cup butter; softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (6 oz.) jar maraschino cherries without stems; drained and halved
Additional confectioners' sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; gradually add flour. Shape a tablespoonful of dough around each cherry, forming a ball. Place 1" apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 325* for 18-20 minutes or until the bottoms are browned. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.


"Butter Pecan Fudge" - 1 1/4 lbs.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup pecan halves; toasted and coarsely chopped

In a large heavy saucepan, combine butter, sugars, cream and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Stir in confectioners' sugar until smooth; fold in pecans.
Spread into a buttered 8" square dish; cool to room temperature. Cut into 1" squares. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.


"Chocolate Peanut Squares" - 1 1/2 lbs.

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter; melted
TOPPING:
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 1/2 tsp. creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. butter

Line a 9" square pan with foil and butter the foil; set aside. In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, crumbs and butter. Spread into prepared pan.
Combine topping ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl; heat until melted. Spread over peanut butter layer. Refrigerate until cool. Using foil, lift out of pan; cut into 1" squares. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.


"Hazelnut Toffee"- 1 3/4 lbs.

2 tsp. plus 1 cup butter; divided
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
TOPPING:
2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Line a 13x9" pan with foil; coat foil with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Butter the sides of a large heavy saucepan with the 2 tsp. of butter. Cube remaining butter; place in pan; add sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook and stir until mixture turns golden brown and a candy thermometer reads 300* (hard-crack stage).
Remove from heat; stir in hazelnuts. Pour into prepared pan without scraping; spread evenly. Let stand at room temperature until cool, about 1 hour.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips; spread evenly over toffee. Sprinkle with hazelnuts, pressing down gently. Let stand 1 hour; break into bite-size pieces. Store in refrigerator.

Answer 2

Chocolate Biscuit Cakes

Ingredients

300g (12 oz) digestive biscuits
50g (2 oz) dried fruit - raisins or chopped dates
50g (2 oz) flaked almonds
100g (4 oz) soya margarine
1 rounded tablespoon of golden syrup or maple syrup
100g (4 oz) plain vegan chocolate






Grease a baking tray. Place the biscuits into a plastic bag and tie a knot in the top. Roll them with a rolling pin until they are crumbs.

Put the fruit and nuts into the mixing bowl with the digestive biscuit crumbs.

Break the chocolate into squares, and put it into small bowl with the margarine and syrup. Melt them together by putting the bowl into a larger bowl half full of boiling water.

Pour the melted margarine and chocolate over the biscuit crumbs and stir with a wooden spoon until all the crumbs are chocolatey.

ip the chocolate biscuit mixture into the greased cake tin. Spread it out evenly and press it down all over with the spoon.

Put your chocolate biscuit cake in the fridge for at least an hour. Cut it into about 12 slices.

Answer 3

I suggest making a homemade hot chocolate mix, bagging it, and displaying the mix in a cute christmas cute with a chocolate dipped spoon. Also, trying a peanut butter cookie, however, its not the traditional version.

Take a Ritz cracker, spread peanut butter on it, top off with another cracker, and dip in chocolate. Set in the freezer until the chocolate is hard. They are excellent!!

Also, try a bottle of your favorite wine with a pair of wine glasses, homemade dry soup mix, or try making a favorite recipe, and then adding the ingredients and recipe to the food. Then your friends can enjoy your dessert or food, and then can make their own.

~Merry Christmas~

Answer 4

Fudge/ fudge balls
Apple sauce spice squares
carrot cake/ bread
pecan praline cookies
rice krispie squares. you can add food coloring to make Christmas colors in the rice krispies
fruit cake
cheese cake squares

Answer 5

A basket of mini breads. Get the foil mini loaf pans & make banana, orange cranberry, poppy seed, black & white, etc. Or a wine, cheese & bread/cracker basket. A basket for those who love to cook with balsamic, olive oil, flav. olive oil, spices, pasta.

Answer 6

I saw these on Food Network and thought they were some of the cutes things I'd seen in a long time!

Graham crackers
White royal icing
Red royal icing
Chewy fruit candy squares (recommended: Starbursts)
Sugar wafers
Red fruit sheets (recommended: Fruit Roll-ups)
Miniature bear-shaped cookies (recommended: Teddy Grahams)
Twisted red candy sticks (recommended: Twizzlers)
Candy canes
Shredded coconut
Chocolate Santa, foil wrapped

Sleigh bottom #1: Coat 1 side of a graham cracker cookie completely with white royal icing. Place 2 candy canes on top, keeping the hooks pointing upward, holding them in place for a few seconds to let set. Sprinkle coconut over the whole cracker and candy canes and set aside to let dry.
Sleigh bottom #2: Coat 1 side of another graham cracker completely with red royal icing and set aside to dry.

Presents: Pipe ribbons with white royal icing on fruit candies. Set aside to let dry.
Santa's seat: Take 2 sugar wafer bars (attached) and completely wrap with a fruit roll-up. Take another pair of wafers and do the same. Place seam side down to keep from them unfolding. Set aside.

To assemble: Pipe a thin line of white royal icing over the length of the candy canes that are attached to sleigh bottom #1. Place sleigh bottom #2 (red graham cracker) on top of candy canes (red side up)and hold for a few seconds to let set. Make a seat out of the fruit rollup covered sugar wafers by making an "L" shape on top of red cracker. Use 1 as the seat and the other as the back of the seat.

On 1 side of the seat stack a few candy gifts and on the other side, place the chocolate Santa. Spread out 1 fruit rollup and place a few gifts in the middle and make a pouch, tying the ends of the rollup together with a twizzler, like a beggar's purse. Place gift pouch behind Santa's seat.
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They used all store bought items, but you could change out and use home made or a mixture of the two. Have fun!

Answer 7

You're part way there. Make it a Rum and slip in a bottle of Rum for the thirst. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Answer 8

Fudge! Everyone loves fudge. Allrecipes.com has lots of quick recipes that you don't even need a candy themometer for. Look for quick, microwave fudge!

Answer 9

I always try to stick with one main theme (i.e. Chocolate, coffee, fresh fruit, etc.). Here's a few baskets I've made for my family over the years:

Coffee lover: Two coffee mugs (travel mugs make nice gifts as well), 4-5 single-pot packages of differently flavored coffees, chocolate or other flavored spoons for stirring, mocha brownies, chocolate-covered coffee beans

Chocolate lover: Two mugs; 4-6 individual packets of cocoa or large nicely-packaged fancy/specialty cocoa; peppermint sticks for stirring; chocolate covered cherries; brownies; chocolate chocolat-chip cookies; fudge; and Ghiradelli chocolate bars

Fresh fruit baked goods: Blueberry muffins; Cranberry orange bread; apple crisp; strawberry rhubarb pie; cherry tarts

Apple-cinnamon basket: Two mugs; Apple-cinnamon tea bags (or box of); cinnamon sticks for stirring; fresh apples; apple pie/tarts or Apple-cinnamon struesel cupcakes (I also threw in a bottle of a homemade liquor called "Apple Pie", because my family likes to drink ;) - a liter of everclear with apple juice, apple cider, and a little bit of apple pie spice)

Bloody Mary Basket: Large bottle of Absolute vodka; large bottle of margartia mix (or Large bottle of V-8 Tomato Juice; celery salt; salt; pepper; Tabasco sauce; and Worsteschire sauce); Fresh celery sticks; Jar of fancy green olives; two-four glasses (I used Margarita glasses) - this one was a big hit at my family's house

"Survival" Basket: compass; mini-maglite; books on survival (or fictional ones like Swiss Family Robinson or The Call of The Wild); thermal packs (usually bought in threes); swiss army knife; couple of energy bars (more nonperishable food packages available at Gander Mt. or REI), water purifier packets; canteen; 1 person pop-up tent; rain poncho; mosquito spray with DEET; sunblock; and thermal blanket (made of silver shiny stuff that comes in thin package from outdoor stores... pretty cheap)... you could put it all in a nice hiking backpack if you want to spent the extra money

Other ideas: Hunting, beach bum; spa; margarita; baking (recipes, utensils, ingredients); grilling ("tools" for the grill; spices); gardening (seeds, "tools",gloves, signs with sticks for labeling); romance (bottle of wine, glasses, candles, nightie, silk boxers, lotions, perfumes, maybe even tickets to a movie or theatre or gift certificate to nice dinner)

Hope these help!

Answer 10

Prepackaged pound cake or muffins. I also use chocolate candies in mine like Gheradelli or Dove.