Day 20
Need last-minute Christmas gift ideas? Here are some things you can make at home that would make a great present.
Salted Caramels
Ingredients:
- 70g Butter
- 200ml double cream
- ½ vanilla extract
- 150g granulated sugar
- 150g golden syrup
- A handful of flaky sea salt
Equipment:
- Sugar Thermometer
Step 1: Grease and line a small baking tin with some baking parchment
Step 2: Then pour your cream into a saucepan, add the butter and vanilla, and simmer this mixture until the butter has melted. Take the mixture off heat
Step 3: In another pan melt the sugar and syrup together. Once the sugar has dissolved bring the pan to boil and cook until the temperature is at 155C on your thermometer. Remove from the heat and whisk into the cream mixture. Then return this mixture to the heat until it reaches 127C on the thermometer. Remember to constantly whisk the mixture whilst it is heating up.
Step 4: Pour the caramel mixture into the baking tin and allow it to set for 15 minutes. Then sprinkle salt over the mixture and allow it to set overnight in room temperature.
Hot Chocolate Stirrers
Ingredients:
- Flavourless oil
- 300g white chocolate
- 300g milk chocolate
- Mini marshmallows
- Plus anything else you wish to use for decoratio
Equipment:
- 12 empty yoghurt pots
- 2 piping bags
- 12 lollipop sticks/wooden spoons
- Clear cellophane wrap
- Ribbon
Step 1: Lightly grease each yoghurt pot and set aside for later. Then break up then white and milk chocolate and put them into two separate microwave bowls. Put the chocolate into the microwave for 10 second intervals until it has melted.
Step 2: Take the melted chocolate and fill up each yoghurt pot till about two thirds full. You can put your chocolate into a piping bag and fill your pots up that way as less messy alternative.
Step 3: Once all the pots are full carefully push your wooden sticks into the middle of each one. Then as a final touch add some marshmallows on top of your chocolate as well as any other additional toppings. Then carefully place the pots in the fridge and allow them to set for a minimum of about 3-4 hours.
Step 4: Once set carefully pull them out of the yogurt pots and they are all ready to be wrapped up with some clear cellophane and ribbon.
Tip: Each one is to be stirred with 200ml hot water to make the perfect hot chocolate
Candy Cane Lip Scrub
Ingredients:
- Superfine sugar/ if you can’t find this normal sugar is okay to use but it is preferred to use superfine
- Mini candy canes
- Apricot kernel oil
- Peppermint essential oil
Equipment:
- Rolling pin
- Baggie
- 1 oz jar
Step 1: Put around 2-3 small candy canes in a small baggie. Then hit the canes with a rolling pin until they are broken into a fine powder.
Step 2: Add 2 table spoons of sugar into a bowl and then add 2 table spoons of the candy cane powder to the sugar.
Step 3: Then add 2 teaspoons of the apricot kernel oil and 5 drops of the peppermint oil to the mixture, making sure you mix well.
Step 4: Once this has all been mixed well together it should look like a thick sugary paste. Scoop into small 1 oz jars and your edible candy cane sugar scrub is ready.
Snowflake Pretzels
Ingredients:
- 200g of white chocolate
- Mini Pretzels
- White or silver sprinkles
Step 1: Place a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray. Melt white chocolate in a bowl. You can do this either in the microwave or over a hot pan.
Step 2: Add the pretzels to the melted chocolate until they are covered in it. Lift them out with a fork and then place them on a baking tray and put them into the freezer for 5 minutes. Once it’s been 5 minutes dip them into the chocolate again and lay 4 at a time together so that the pointed ends are all in the centre and it creates a snowflake shape. Add extra chocolate to the ends of the pretzels so that they stick together.
Step 3: Sprinkle them with glitter and leave them somewhere cold to set.
Christmas Gin
Ingredients:
- 700ml bottle of vodka
- 2 tbsp juniper berries
- Strip of orange peel
- 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
Step 1: Open a bottle of vodka and add juniper berries, orange peel, cloves and cinnamon. Put the lid back on the bottle and then leave in a cool dark place for 12-24 hours, but no longer as it could spoil the flavours.
Step 2: Strain infused vodka into a jug through a fine sieve. Then poor back into a clean bottle. Serve mixed with tonic.
Feature image credit: Booths
