Dec 17 2008
2 Homemade Baked Goodies for Gift Giving
Everyone thinks cookies when they think of quick baked goodies to give. But there are so many more clever ideas out there, and they are very well received by the recipients.
Idea #1 - Chocolate in a Cookie Cutter - I have no idea what else to call these, but they are so cute and clever, I cannot resist doing this for someone this year. First, you purchase metal cookie cutters. The plastic ones do NOT work, please do not use them. Take a baking pan, and place a sheet of tinfoil or waxed paper down. Next arrange the cookie cutters on the baking sheet. Drop chocolate chips, vanilla chips or a mixture of both into the center of the cookie cutters. Place them the baking pan in your preheated 200-250 degrees oven for about 5 minutes. Check to be sure chocolate is melted and check every minute or so after wards until chocolate IS melted. Remove the pan from the oven. If you used more than one kind of chip, immediately take a knife and swirl it through the chocolate gently, careful not to move the cutter in any way. Allow to cool to room temperature. Carefully peel off the tinfoil or waxed paper off the back. Place them in a cellophane gift bag, or in a tin. It’s two gifts in one - pieces of chocolate and when they pop them out to eat them, they are left with a cookie cutter to use. Fun and festive!
Idea #2 - Chocolate Pop Bouquet - In the baking craft aisle at your local craft store, you can purchase molds for just a couple of dollars. One mold tray can make several pops. Be sure and pick up the plastic lollipop sticks too. Follow the directions. When you have finished your pops and allowed them to cool, rubber band the sticks together and put the entire “bouquet” in a plastic cellophane wrapper. Now tie a pretty bow around the center. You can do this by purchasing regular lollipops and wrapping them the same way.
