Do you need a few Christmas food gift ideas? You will love these festive recipes. Just in the Nick of Time…Stir up your gifts for Christmas gift giving! Chocolate Stained Glass Candies, Double Fudge White Chocolate Brownies in a Jar and Sweet Almond Rolls are some of this season’s favorite go-to-gifts for giving. With a little bit of elf magic in a twinkling of an eye, you will have these treats ready to give at a moments notice. These gussied-up food ideas are easy, quick and just In the Nick of Time for holiday gift giving.
Nick of Time Stir Up Your Food Gifts for Christmas
Have you watched the movie ELF during the Christmas season? With a play on Elf-isms… as in the movie I have come up with a few of my own Elf-isms to share with you. You will be a busy little elf in the kitchen creating these sweet gifts from minutes in prep time to a wee bit longer as in letting yeast rolls rise.
Elf-ism number 1:
“It’s the thought that counts” when giving food as gifts to family and friends. Nothing taste better than home baked goodies, but if you are not a baker, no worries, the Chocolate Stained glass candies will be you’re go-to-recipe. Chopped dried apricots and cranberries with pistachios are placed on top of melted dark chocolate rounds that look like stained glass windows once set up.
Nick of Time Stir Up Your Gifts with Chocolate Stained Glass Candies
No stirring, no blending, no refrigeration, just drop and stack the chocolate rounds with dried fruits and nuts. Once the candy is firm it can be stored in a covered container with waxed paper between layers until ready to package.
You will have a hard time keeping your family out of these treats so make sure you make double the recipe. For this candy, Ghirardelli 60% Cacao baking chips were tested and proved to be the best morsels for this treat. The candies set up the quickest and stayed firm. Elf Tip: Go for the best chocolate for best results and rave reviews.
Nick of Time Stir Up Your Gifts Bake Almond Sweet Rolls- recipe at bottom of page.
Elf-ism number 2:
“Celebrate everyday like Christmas”. If you are baker, then you will want to make Danish Sweet Rolls with Almond Filling. See bottom of page for recipe.
If you are not a baker, you can still make these sweet rolls using refrigerated dough sheets.
For this recipe the dough is rolled into a rectangle, filled with a Solo Almond Filling, rolled like a jelly roll and sliced into 1-inch rounds. Bake the rolls in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. Once cooled, drizzle with a creamy white glaze over the tops of the rolls. Elf Tip: Allow the rolls to cool completely before glazing or the glaze will run off and not look pretty.
For gift giving, position the rolls on a white round serving plate in the shape of a Christmas tree. A cut out butter cookie in the shape of a star is placed at the top of the tree. Dot the rolls with mini red M& M’s as edible ornaments for the garnish.
Elf -ism number 3:
“Send your best with a home-made treat means so much more!”
Sometimes we elves have to pass on baking and make mixes in a jar for gift giving.
This easy-to-make recipe mix is placed in a large bowl with added ingredients. The recipient stirs up the batter and bakes. Double fudge white chocolate brownies in a jar include white chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips and special dark cocoa. The dry ingredients are layered at an angle inside the jar. Recipe at bottom of page.
Elf Tip: To create the layered angle appearance of the mix in the jar, simply tilt the jar and add each dry ingredient through a paper funnel while the jar is tilted. After the jar is filled, stand it upright, cover the lid with festive fabric or wrapping paper and attach the band to the jar. Ta Da! Done!
How to Present Your Christmas Food Gifts
Speaking of presentation before you start creating these fun recipes, think about how you will present the gift. Stir up your creative gifts within you for gift giving. Search quaint retail shops for interesting jars and containers for clever packaging. Sometimes it is easier to find a cute jar or serving dish first then figure out what you can make or bake to fill it.
If you bake a cake, consider giving the gift on a cake stand or give a brand new muffin tin with fresh baked muffins or cupcakes as a total gift package.
How to Garnish the Gift Packages
Layering bows and ribbons, special gift tags and chalkboard labels, cookie cutters or kitchen utensils related to the food gift can be attached to most packages. Line simple tins with pretty papers or lovely linens for presents. Create your own packaging ideas and turn these recipes into memorable gifts for your family, friends, co-workers, teachers and neighbors.
Elf-ism number 4:
”Saddle up the reindeer and lets ride.” Santa has many elves around the world not just the North Pole. There is a little bit of elf in each of us. It’s not too late to bake or make something creative this Christmas. Stir up your inner joy and spend an afternoon in the kitchen with your little elves; not only will you create something delicious you will be making memories just In the Nick of Time for Christmas!
Photo credit: Liz Bushong taken at Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, North Carolina
Helping you Make a Statement, Make it Sassy and Make it Yours! ®
Double Fudge White Chocolate Brownies in a Jar
The dry mix is given to the recipient in a decorative jar with an attached recipe card for them to bake with a few added ingredients. Giving a baking pan with the mix and recipe would be a great package.
- Yield: 16-2" brownies 1x
Ingredients
Layered Mix
2-cups sugar
½ cup special dark cocoa-tested Hersey’s
1-cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1-cup white chocolate morsels
1-cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Add-Ins
1-cup butter, melted
4 large eggs
1-teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In large jar or quart mason jar, layer sugar, cocoa, flour, baking soda, salt and white morsels, then chocolate morsels at an angle.
- Tilt the jar and add each ingredient through a paper funnel while the jar is tilted.
- Stand up right and cover with lid and band.
Notes
Recipe card text:
To make brownies, place mix into large bowl. Stir in 1 cup melted butter; add 4 eggs and 1-teaspoon vanilla. Blend well. Spread batter in a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 until done, 40-50 minutes. Cool well and refrigerate before cutting. Frost brownies with chocolate buttercream frosting if desired and decorate with red and green mini M & M’s and white chocolate chips.
Stained Glass Candy Medallions
- Yield: approximately 24 candy pieces 1x
Ingredients
1–10 ounce bag Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet morsels
½ cup chopped dried apricot
½ cup chopped dried cranberries
½ cup chopped pistachios, dry roasted and salted
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Lightly spray with cooking spray, set aside.
- Place chocolate morsels in a zip lock sealed bag.
- Immerse this bag in a bowl of very warm water, knead bag until morsels are completely melted.
- Pat dry baggie filled melted morsels completely.
- Clip one end of bag and pipe small 1-1 ½”rounds onto baking sheet.
- Immediately add chopped fruits and pistachios on chocolate rounds.
- Let chocolates set until firm for about 2 hours before storing.
- Candies are best served with in 2-3 days.
- Place candies in a covered container with wax paper sheets between layers.
Sweet Almond Rolls
- Yield: 12 pinwheel rolls 1x
Ingredients
4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1-teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
¼ cup warm water-110 degrees
1-cup evaporated milk
1-can Solo Almond Filling
Instructions
- Heat water in a microwave safe bowl 30 seconds until temperature is 110 degrees.
- Add 2 teaspoons sugar to water, stir to mix, add dry yeast. Let yeast sit until it proofs.
- Meanwhile, sift flour with 2 Tablespoons sugar and salt and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add softened butter to flour mixture, toss with pastry blender or hands until mixture is mealy or well blended like the size of peas.
- Add proofed yeast and evaporated milk to flour, add eggs. Mix well until smooth. Do not over mix or beat batter. Cover batter with plastic wrap and chill dough over night or at least 2 hours.
Assemble rolls: Cut dough ball in half. Roll out one half of chilled dough on floured surface to a 9 x 12-inch rectangle. Spread half of the almond filling over the center and to the edges of the rolled rectangle. Starting on long side of rectangle, roll dough tightly into a jellyroll. Seal edges and slice roll into 1” slices. Place rolls on parchment lined baking sheet, Allow rolls to rise double in size, then bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool rolls before glazing.
Glaze: ½ cup confectioners sugar, 1 teaspoon evaporated milk, ¼ teaspoon crème bouquet or vanilla extract, mix to desired consistency. Drizzle over rolls before serving or presenting.
Notes
To serve as a gift: Place rolls in shape of Christmas tree on serving platter, Drizzle rolls with glaze right before serving/wrapping gift. A cut out star shaped butter cookie can be used as the tree topper.
Tip: You can bake the rolls and freeze them with out glaze for up to 6 weeks. Be sure to wrap in plastic wrap and foil or sealed freezer container to freeze. Thaw before gift giving.
Other Ideas You Might Like to Try:
Pecan Twist Cinnamon Rolls 
