Christmas homemade gifts to impress

Meryl at Floral Media

Getting ready for the festive period by making homemade Christmas treats is great fun. This was the morning’s agenda at Floral Media recently when I showed how Grandma’s traditional recipes made impressive gifts for family and friends for not much money and not too much time and effort. And during the morning there was chance to taste the recipes. One of the participants said it was like ‘tasting heaven’! 

We started off with Cranberry& Apple Chutney 

Mincemeat in jars with attractive covers and ribbons

 

A Christmas cake tin contains Boxing Day Cake, a lighter cake with dates and honey and an alternative to Christmas Cake.

Pretty gift bags with Coconut Macaroons, MincePies, and Oat and Ginger biscuits. 

Shortbread stores well in a pretty tin.

Fill gift boxes with Peppermint Creams

Dip Almond Balls made from left over Almond Paste in melted chocolate 

Many thanks to Paula and Steven for such a warm welcome to this wonderful venue in Caunton, Newark UK. And an extra thank you to Steven for his fantastic support as sous chef!  

Don’t forget to tell me about home made edible Christmas gifts you've made. Happy Christmas baking!

Orange and Cinnamon take the biscuit

 Orange and Cinnamon Biscuits

Grandma always made the most of spices to enhance the flavour and reduce the sugar. Cinnamon is one of those very useful spices as it adds flavour to both sweet and savoury dishes and it’s even said to have a beneficial effect on your health by reducing blood pressure.

Here's a family recipe from Gill. These biscuits are very easy to bake and tick all the boxes for aroma and taste with orange and cinnamon. 

Orange and Cinnamon Biscuits

2 tsps cinnamon

8oz/225g self raising flour

4oz/110g butter

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp golden syrup

1oz/25g soft brown sugar

1 egg beaten

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Sift the flour into a bowl and mix in the cinnamon. Melt the butter, honey, golden syrup in a pan with the sugar. Allow to cool slightly and then add this to the flour. Add the beaten egg and then the orange zest and juice. Mix well to combine. Place small teaspoonfuls of the mixture on baking trays about 5 cms/2 inches apart. Bake in a preheated oven  180C/Mark 4/350F for 10-12 minutes until brown at the edges. The mixture makes around 30 biscuits.

Meryl’s tip : These biscuits are very tempting but if you leave them to cool the flavour of the orange and cinnamon intensifies even more. Let me know what you think.