Sweet Holiday Treats

Give the Gift of Sweetness
When putting together your homemade gifts, try to make every item included useful. The key is to use our basic ideas as your guide, then mix and match items in your packages to make each gift unique and personal.

Vanilla Sugar & Classic Butter Cookies
Layers of raw sugar and fragrant vanilla beans make the perfect mix for homemade gift giving. You can also sprinkle the sugar on baked goods like our Classic Butter Cookies.

Vanilla Sugar

Makes 2 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS
3 vanilla beans (Look for soft, moist beans.)
2 cups raw turbinado sugar or granulated sugar

1. Using a small sharp knife, cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise to expose the seeds.
2. Cut each half into 2-3 pieces.
3. Layer the sugar and vanilla beans in a glass jar with a lid. Replace lid and store at room temperature.

Delicious Uses: Stir in to sweeten tea or coffee. Sprinkle on top of baked goods.

Tip: Vanilla flavor and aroma develops in about one week, but is best after two to three weeks. The sugar will keep indefinitely. Vanilla beans can be left in the sugar or sifted out.

Gift presentation idea: Using a decorative dishtowel, wrap a glass shaker of Vanilla Sugar side-by-side with half-a-dozen sugared butter cookies packaged in colorful cellophane. Tie the towel together at the top using ribbon, and then attach the cookie recipe and a holiday cookie cutter so the gift recipient can make their own cookies and use their brand new shaker of special sugar!

Alternate Ideas: Decorate your own custom container for homemade cookies using our Creative Cookie Jar project ideas. Include a small jar or spice tin to hold the sugar, along with a decorative spoon for sprinkling.

Recipe Card: Print out our Classic Butter Cookies with Vanilla Sugar recipe card to include with your homemade gift presentation.

Ginger-Infused Honey & Herbal Tea Mixes
Ginger-infused honey adds comforting sweetness to a cup of your own herbal tea mix. The honey is steeped with fresh ginger, and loose tea leaves are mixed together to create a personal blend that complements the honey.

Loose tea is available in some grocery stores, coffee shops and specialty retailers. You can also use your own favorite tea bags to create a custom mix. Each tea bag contains about 1 1/2 teaspoons of tea.

Ginger-Infused Honey

Makes 1 cup
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup mild honey, such as orange blossom or clover
1 3" piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 whole cloves

1. In a small saucepan, combine honey, ginger and cloves. Heat over medium high heat just until honey begins to boil, stirring frequently.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. Gently reheat to a pour-able consistency.
3. Strain through a piece of cheesecloth into a decorative bottle or jar. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Delicious Uses: Add to tea as a sweetener, spread on toast or drizzle over hot cereal.

Tip: Try vanilla beans, lavender, rosemary or even hot peppers for your infusion instead of ginger. You can tailor the flavor to the tastes of the person receiving the gift.

Gift presentation idea: Package your herbal tea mix in a small cellophane or plastic bag and nestle inside a teacup with a small tea infuser. Place a small glass jar of honey under the teacup with a complementary saucer underneath. Wrap the stacked package together using tulle ribbon.

Alternate Ideas: Wrap up your tea mix and a small jar of honey inside a pretty winter hat, scarf or mittens.

Recipe Card: Print our special Holiday Tea recipe or try
homemade blends of Black Currant Jasmine Tea and
Lemon Myrtle Chamomile Tea from our Cooking Maven, Deborah.

Cinnamon-Spiced Maple Syrup and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
This spiced take on classic maple syrup is perfect for pouring over stacks of fluffy pancakes made from your own homemade mix. Pure maple syrup is steeped with cinnamon sticks and spices. To make the pancake mix your own, add a secret ingredient like white chocolate chips, dried fruit, chopped pecans or walnuts to the dry ingredients.

Cinnamon-Spiced Maple Syrup

Makes 8 ounces
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces pure maple syrup
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
3 whole allspice berries

1. In a small saucepan combine the syrup, cinnamon sticks, cloves and allspice berries. Bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Remove spices with a slotted spoon. Use immediately or package in a microwave safe bottle or jar for gift giving.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use. Reheat gently to desired temperature, and serve.

Delicious Uses: Heat and pour over pancakes, waffles or crepes.

Gift presentation idea: Pour the pancake mix into a cone-shaped plastic bag with the breakfast recipe card tied to the top. Place Cinnamon-Spiced Maple Syrup in a glass, screw-top bottle with
this custom label. You can also include a decorative spatula or syrup pitcher.

Alternate Ideas: Layer your special ingredient on top of the sifted pancake mix in a jar or bag. For the syrup, try a glass oil cruet, which has a built-in spout for easy pouring.

Recipe Card: Print out our Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes recipe card to include with your gift.