4 Easy Christmas Gifts to Make and Eat!

One of my favourite things about Christmas is the gift-giving.

However, it can get expensive when you factor in your kid’s teachers, neighbours, friends of the family and others that you want to celebrate with. Making your own gifts is a great way to cut down on the costs and we’ve got some delicious ideas that will not only save you money, but also ensure your house smells delicious!

Here are some of our favourite edible Christmas gifts to try! All of these ones are fun to do with the kids and with the right storing – will last until Christmas (if you can resist!).

When you are creating easy edible Christmas gifts, it is important that you are wrapping them correctly.  Poor food protection can lead to stale bickies, soggy balls and dry fudge. Food protection products are designed to keep your food fresher for longer, whether in the fridge or freezer or even in transport to the lucky recipient. When you are baking to give (rather than to just eat), you want your creations to look as good as they taste!  And protecting them with Food protection products ensures the quality of your baked goods is not compromised.

So when you are shopping for supplies, make sure you add a cling wrap, bake & cooking Paper and snap lock bags to your list. And don’t forget the ribbon!

1. Stained Glass Gingerbread Biscuits 

Stained Glass Gingerbread Biscuits make for terrific edible decorations for your Christmas tree

You Will Need:

• 350 grams plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 100 grams butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup golden syrup of treacle
• 1 egg white
• 200 grams icing sugar
• small boiled lollies in assorted colours

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.  Line two flat baking trays with bake & cooking paper and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt in a bowl.  Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Stir in the brown sugar.  Make a well in the centre and add the beaten egg and golden syrup.  Use a wooden spoon to combine the mixture well until a soft dough forms.  Transfer to a clean bench top with a little flour and knead the dough well until smooth.
3. Divide the dough into half and roll out the dough until about 1/2 centimetre thick.  Use cookie cutters to cut out the desired shapes, and use mini cutters of the same shape to cut out the middle of the biscuits. Use a skewer to make a small hole in the top of the biscuit if you wish to hang it on the tree. Use an egg flipper to transfer the shapes to the bake & cooking paper.  Crush the boiled lollies one at a time with a rolling pin, and carefully fill the small hole in the biscuit with the crushed lolly.
4. Bake for 8 10 minutes or until the biscuits are light brown and the ‘stained glass’ has melted and formed and cool on the trays until cold.
5. To make the icing, whisk the egg white until it becomes foamy and gradually add in the icing sugar to form a soft icing.  Place in a snap lock sandwich-sized bag and snip the end off. Use a different bag for each colour of icing you are using. Pipe your design straight onto the biscuit.  The icing will take about an hour to set hard.

Hints and Tips:

• When resting the dough in the fridge to cool, seal it in a cling wrap and place in the fridge.
• Once your bikkies are baked, place a sheet of bake & cooking paper in between each layer (so they won’t stick together!) and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
• Once placed on a Christmas tree or unwrapped, they will only last up to five days before becoming soft!

Next Page: Chocolate Fudge recipe