Homemade for the Holidays
How it Began
This holiday season was different than those of the past. There are a few reasons why this is true, but the biggest reason by far is what I would like to call, “ holiday clarity”.
Back in October I sat down with my close friends asked them what they thought about a homemade Christmas gift exchange. Most of us work part time, have children, husbands, extended family and expenses we must keep up with.
Factor all of that in with the rising cost of living and stagnant pay, you have a recipe for a stressful holiday season. Gift giving can create both financial and emotional exhaustion. Never knowing if your gifts for the nieces and nephews are enough, worrying if your family will feel like you didn’t put thought into their presents like they did for you, all of these concerns bounce off the walls of my mind like battery powered ping pong balls.
Needless to say, my friends were on board, they loved the idea of scaling back and making it more about the experiences shared together and less about the consumerism of material things. This brings us to the next part, the gift making.
Time to Get Cracking
This was the best part of the homemade gift making, creating and crafting whatever it was I wanted to give.
Instead of scrolling online to buy something that had several replicas out there, I started making a list of what I could make to give to my loved ones.
I decided on 3 easy yet thoughtful gifts. Homemade granola, peppermint lip scrub, and made from scratch salted maple caramel candies.
Each gift I made was done with care and love, even though the caramels took me two tries to get right and took forever to cut and wrap, they were DELISH.
Below I will list the steps and ingredients used for each gift. You can’t go wrong with using these recipes for making birthday, anniversary or any other gift giving occasions.
I saved several of my Bonne Maman jam jars to use for my homemade gifts. You can use any mason jar to gift your granola in, I just found these jars to be whimsical and cute.
Homemade Granola
I started making something I have made multiple times and every time it’s came out delicious. That is a tip for all you homemade gift givers out there, stick with something you’ve made time and time again, this will help reduce the stress of attempting something new and potentially having to start over. I personally cannot afford to waste ingredients!
Ingredients
3 cups old fashion oats
1 cup salted pepitas
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 and line a 9x13 baking sheet tray with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all your ingredients and mix until well coated.
Spoon your granola mixture onto your baking tray and press flat so no lumps or clumps remain. You want your granola to lay as flat as possible so it can crisp up while it cools. If you have lumps of granola clumped together, you won’t have a crispy result.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool completes on the baking sheet tray before breaking apart and storing in an air tight jar or container.
Homemade Peppermint Lip Scrub
Ingredients
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2-3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tsp peppermint extract ( the kind you use in baking, food safe)
crushed up candy cane for the top
Directions
In a bowl, combine your sugar and coconut oil, mix until smooth.
Add in your peppermint extract and mix for a few seconds.
Put your mixture into a clean glass container and sprinkle some of your crushed candy cane on top for extra cutenesses.
Salted Maple Caramel Candies
Ingredients
2 sticks or 1 cup of unsalted butter
one 8 oz can of condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp maple extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Add your butter, sugars and condensed milk to a heavy bottom medium sauce pot. Gradually bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
Whisk in your corn syrup and once the mixture reaches 245 degrees, cut the heat and remove.
Whisk in the extracts before pouring carefully into a parchment lined 8x8 baking pan.
Sprinkle flaky salt immediately on top before allowing to cool on the counter before transferring to the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.
Slice into small cubes and wrap in parchment paper.
Store in a dry place in a box or container for up to 2 weeks for optimal freshness.
