I’ve been making a lot of candy and sweet treats lately, somewhat out of boredom, but mostly because it’s nice to show up to places bearing gifts around the holidays. None of the recipes below (except the last one) are very labor-intensive, and the ingredients are all pretty inexpensive, so they’re affordable gifts with a homemade touch. Wrap any of these treats in a cute box or an old jar, tie a ribbon around it, and you have a tasty, homemade gift for any occasion.
Peppermint patties in all of their forms (York Peppermint Patties, Junior Mints, Andes Mints) are probably my second favorite candy, right behind Salted Nut Rolls. When I saw a recipe for do-it-yourself peppermint patties, I knew I had to try them. They’re super easy to make, and they’re way better than their often stale store-bought counterparts. I would recommend making slightly smaller ones (maybe quarter or half-dollar size) because they’re fairly rich. Even my naysaying boyfriend who likes to tell me that Junior Mints are breath mints and not candy loved these.
I made these candied peanuts for either Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve last year at my aunt and uncle’s house, and they were a big hit. I made another batch this year to bring to Matt’s parents’ for Thanksgiving, and they loved them, too. They’re easy to make as long as you’re patient, and the process is really cool to watch. I have a big container of raw almonds in my cupboard right now that’s waiting to be used for my next batch.
Butter + sugar + flaky salt. Not much more to say.
Always a winner.
Caramels with a tinge of maple.
Yet another variation on caramels.
Christmas Dinosaurs
In theory, these would have been perfect to send to my brother and his girlfriend in Portland. In reality, my first attempt at making royal icing yielded less than delicious results, which didn’t do much to improve the slightly over-baked cookies. Some things are not worth shipping across the country, and so-so cookies are one of them.
