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Chocolate Truffles. Easy, very quick to make, you can flavour them any way you want with nuts, booze etc... and if you present them well people tend to be very impressed too ! It is amazing how many people think Truffles are hard . Like Mayonnaise I think many people shy away from making their own when it is child's play.
Dark Chocolate, Cream, Butter and basically anything you care to add to it, from Almonds to Vodka, lemon Zest, Orange Zest, liqueurs, Rose Water, Vanilla , chilli flakes, ginger, cinnamon , etc... And a teeny , tiny pinch of goodsea salt to bring out the chocolateyness of it all....
Hundreds of recipes online so chose whichever one suits you best. Mine is a very basic French one which works for my purposes ! It's basically a Chocolate Ganache which I flavour as I wish , depending on my mood and the people I wish to give to.
I rarely cook for friends as I loathe cooking but when I do a dish of those at the end of the meal with coffee always impresses and even better if you give your guests a little pack to take away with you !
Last edited by Mooseketeer; 12-01-2011 at 05:09 AM..
I do. I like to make an assortment of cookies, plus one type of bread (pumpkin bread, zucchini bread) and one candy (truffles, chocolate pretzels), and I pack them in pretty boxes and bags. I have six or seven boxes to send out, so I use the Priority Mail flat-rate boxes. One year I made oatmeal cookies "in a jar": a tall mason jar filled with the dry mix for oatmeal cookies with rice krispies in them. I gave those to friends and family with little kids as a rainy-day project. I haven't decided my baking plan yet ... probably this weekend.
My Wife makes peanut butter fudge, chocolate fudge, with and with out nuts...
Baked assorted cookies, and nut rolls.
We give them out in 'tins' she has collected through out the Summer, (when people dont return them for a refill for the next year LOL).. and she has a list of people who get these every year!
I help her with the stirring of the fudge, because she has to get the ingredients and toss them in at the time of her choosing, and the peanut butter is really strenuous to do, as you have to be quick and strong
I make "Drunken Sot Fruitcake". No crystallized anything - lots of spices, lots of good fresh fruit - soaked in brandy and rum - then little fruitcakes, baked then soaked again in melted butter, brandy and rum. I also make "Chocolate rum balls" rich chocolate cake, coconut, and ground pecans all molded together with rum, then rolled in powdered sugar (several times).
My family and friends put in their orders every year, especially the ones with holiday parties where liquor is served.
I make some flavored vodkas & fruits in rum. Pretty bottle or jar, seasonal decorated guarantee a big smile like this
I give them often. In fact we are going to a holiday party in a week or so with a gift limit of $5.00. I am making a cheese ball as the gift. I also made flavored vinegars and hot chile oil this year. Next year I think I will do the liquors thanks to your suggestion.
Sweets are so overdone around the holidays. I make cheeseballs which I have been told are delicious. Philadelphia brand cream cheese, HV Ranch dip packet, chopped grean onion, bacon bits (not the fake crap), shredded sharp cheese and either sliced almonds or diced walnuts. I wrap them in colored plastic wrap, tie with pretty ribbons. I've had recipients request them from me all throughout the year.
Testing out Chocolate Gingerbread Brownies right now. If they bomb it will be truffles, biscotti, and other assorted goodies.
My in laws don't really need another "thing" so the appreciate homemade goodies. They also serve as nice thank you's to the Garbage guys, Post office, UPS, Fedex, Mechanic, Vet and the best benefit is when I spend all this time baking I have no desire to eat any of it.
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