What are some awsome recipes for gifts at Christmas?

Question

I am looking for some tride and true no fail recipes that I won't have to worry about not coming out right. Cookies, candies, gifts in a jar, muffins, brownies, bars, etc.
I really like to give food for Christmas.... tell me what you think!

O My Goodness....... these are really great... I will try each recipe that is given and I thank you all so much for your help.

Answer 1

BREAD-IN-A-JAR FOR GIFT GIVING

This recipe is easy to do, but the instructions must be followed exactly. The nicest thing about giving Bread-In-A-Jar is that those who receive it can keep it until they get over the holiday food blahs.
Bake in pint size wide mouth canning jar, seal immediately upon removing from the oven. It will keep on the shelf for up to one year. Take jars out the oven one at a time. When jars have cooled enough to handle them, tighten the tops. As jars cool, they will seal. 2 2/3 c. sugar 4 eggs 2 c. canned pumpkin 2/3 c. water 3 1/3 c. flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. ground cloves 1 1/2 tsp. salt 2/3 c. nuts

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs, pumpkin and water. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Add to pumpkin mixture into greased wide mouth pint jars, filling half full. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. When done, remove one jar at a time, wipe sealing edge with paper towel or cloth and screw cap on tightly. The heat will vacuum seal the jar and the bread will keep up to one year.

Makes 8 pints.


VARIATIONS:

Substitute for pumpkin, one of the following:

2 cups shredded apples or carrots
1 bag whole ground fresh cranberries
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 3/4 cup applesauce plus 1/4 cup pineapple
1 3/4 cup applesauce plus 1/4 cup raisins
2 cups mashed bananas
2 cups apricot
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 cups chopped fresh peaches

APPLE PIE IN A JAR

4 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
10 c. water
Apples to fill 7 quart jars

Peel and slice apples. Mix all ingredients except apples and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbling. Add lemon juice.
Fill hot jars 1/3 full of sauce; pack with apple slices and add more sauce to within 1-inch of top. Adjust lids and process in water bath canner for 25 minutes.

For pies, pour contents of jar into prepared pie crust. Dot with butter. Top with crust and bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

If you are giving homemade treats, you can experiment with the Toll House cookie recipe, using different kinds of chips...they have a lot of really extravagent ones now. Just use them as as straight sub. My personal fav is andes mint bits but you could use cinnamon, peanut butter chips, white chips, the filled choc chips with syrup in them, etc.

Toll House is an excellent basic cookie recipe. How you dress it up is totally your call.

I made a homemade instant coffee mix that is similar to Gen Foods instant coffee, which is good for at the office, etc.

I start with Folgers crystals, but walmart of all places has an instant arabica coffee that is very good, and of course you can use decaf if you like. I run it through the blender to powder it up so it mixes well with the other ingredients.

Then you add powdered milk, I personally like Nestle Nido because it is powdered WHOLE milk. If you want skim, you can use whatever kind you like.

Then you add powdered flavored creamer. Sugar free and fat free is available in some flavors. I always make mine with hazelnut.

Then you add sweetner or sugar.

You put this in an airtight container with a good lid and some room left at the top, and shake it until it is well combined. Then scoop into a pretty jar.

The recipe is about 1 part coffee to 2 parts everything else, excluding sweetners. But you would make it and sample it as you go, making it to your taste.

IF you are really ambitious, you might try making your own wine, or a microbrew beer.

You can make large batches of spaghetti sauce and can it.

You can purchase different spices and make rubs, marinades, or salad dressings, or popcorn toppings.

You can give a table top herb garden.

You can also do theme baskets where you combine some gourmet ingredients use up, and some neat kitchen tools to keep. Example: different varieties of baking chips and flavor extracts, and then a whisk, a silicone spoonula, some measure cups and spoons, a silpat cookie sheet liner...and tuck them all in a mixing bowl, and place it all on a cookie sheet and wrap it in cellophane with a pretty ribbon.

Answer 4

I adore giving out cookie mix. I take a quart jar and layer in all of the dry ingredients for homemade cookies. Then I include a recipe card attached with a ribbon around the jar. You could also include a cookie cutter as well. Very cute and economical.

Answer 5

*******SPICE CAKE IN A JAR
2/3 c. shortening
2 2/3 c. sugar
2 c. applesauce
2/3 c. water
4 eggs
2/3 c. nuts (optional)
3 1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
Cream shortening and sugar; add applesauce, water and eggs; mix well. Mix dry ingredients in another bowl and add to first mixture. Add nuts (or raisins) if desired. Spray wide mouth pint jars with Pam and fill about 1/2 full. This will fill 6 to 8 jars. Bake at 325 degrees exactly 45 minutes. Remove jars one at a time and quickly screw the lid on each jar. Let set until ready to eat. When you use canning jar lids this cake has a shelf life of a year. A great gift idea!

Nut Bread in a Jar


This bread is made in jars, and baked in the oven. The bread lasts indefinitely because in essence, it is canned. Can be made well ahead of the holidays.

Ingredients
2/3 C. shortening
2 3/4 C. sugar
4 eggs
2 C. pumpkin, fresh pureed or canned
2/3 C. water
3 1/3 C. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cloves, ground
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C. walnuts, chopped or crushed
8 wide mouth jars with lids and rings for sealing, (8 pint-sized or 4 18-oz. jars)
8 wax paper circles cut to fit - inside; jars
Directions
Cream shortening and sugar together, adding sugar slowly. Beat in eggs, pumpkin and water. Set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and stir well. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into greased canning jars, filling only half-full. Place jars in a pan of water. Bake upright in preheated 325-degree oven for about 45 minutes. (Cake will rise and pull away from sides of jar.) When done, remove one jar at a time from oven. If cake rises above the top of the jar, slice off the excess.
While still hot, place wax paper circle on the top end of the cake. Wipe sealing edge of jar. Place lid on jar and close tightly with ring. Turn jar upside down. (Cake will loosen at this time.) Repeat with other jars. Leave jars upside down until sealed. (Jar is sealed if lid remains flat when pressed in center.)

To serve: Open jar, slide a knife around inside of the jar to loosen the cake, and remove the cake from the jar. Warm cake in the oven if desired, or slice and toast. Slice and serve with whipped cream or butter. Because the jar is sealed, the cake keeps indefinitely. It can be made ahead of the holidays.
Substitute for pumpkin:
2 cups shredded apples or carrots
1 bag fresh ground cranberries
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 3/4 c. applesauce plus 1/4 cup pineapple, crushed
1 3/4 c. applesauce plus 1/4 cup raisins
2 cups mashed bananas
2 cups apricots
2 cups fresh peaches, chopped

Answer 6

Homemade vanilla is great. Just add some vanilla beans to vodka and leave sitting until christmas. Shake every once in a while. Decant into smaller bottles.

Answer 7

Ginger and Cherry Fudge -
i got this from Phil Vickery's 'a passion for puddings' book (yes, i brought a Phil Vickery cook book! lol)
they look very well presented in cubes in a box with baking parchment paper, and i think they will make an ideal gift....

397g can of Carnation Condensed milk
150ml milk
450g demerara sugar
100g butter
150g glace cherries (halved)
50g stem ginger (chopped)

*grease 20cm square cake tin with baking paper
*heat both milks, sugar and butter in large pan on low heat until sugar dissolves completely.
*bring to boil and simmer on low heat for 10-25 min - stirring continuously and scraping the base until soft balls of fudge are formed when a little of the mixture is dropped into a jug of ice cold water.
* remove from heat and beat by hand until thick and grainy
*gently stir in the remaining ingredients. pour into tin and cool before cutting into squares.

it makes about 1 kg, and looks very tasty...if you like fudge of course :)

Answer 8

BETTER THAN SEX CAKE

1 PKG CHOCOLATE DEVILS FOOD CAKE
PREPARED ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS

NEXT: 1 CAN OF CARNATION SWEET MILK, POKE HOLES IN THE CAKE WITH THE TOP OF WOODEN SPOON WHILE CAKE IS STILL WARM AND SPOON THE MILK INTO THE HOLES

NEXT: DO THE SAME WITH CARAMEL ICE CREAM SYRUP

NEXT: SPREAD COOL WHIP OVER THE TOP

NEXT: CRUSH UP 3-4 OF YOUR FAVORITE CANDY BAR (I USE BUTTERFINGER BECAUSE IT CRUSHES BETTER AND MAKES A BETTER LOOKING TOPPING) AND SPRINKLE OVER THE TOP.

CHILL UNTIL READY TO EAT......
TAKE OUT AND ENJOY!!!!!!

Answer 9

i know this is simple but its easy and fun!

get some pretzel rods and melting chocolate..white or milk choc. and dip the pretzel in the choc after melted leaving the bottom two inches plain to hold, then decorate with peppermint or green and red drizzled dyed white chocolate.

:) MMmmmm

Answer 10

go to this website provided by Yahoo it has so many great gift ideas that you can make and they are inexpensive and very cute
www.buget101.com

Have fun and good luck
Merry Christmas!!