Quick & easy edible Christmas present ideas

I love new pyjamas and Topshop gift vouchers as much as the next guy but there is definitely something about homemade, edible Christmas gifts which exude a certain kind of charm. I don’t know whether it’s that rustic, handmade aesthetic or the knowing that somebody deems you special enough to be in receipt of their culinary craft but homemade festive foodie presents just might be the way forward.

You don’t have to be Dominique Ansel either – here a few quick, easy and super affordable ideas of my own for you to pinch if you’re on the hunt for a stocking filler with a difference…

HOMEMADE TOFFEE VODKA

You literally would not believe how simple this recipe is, or how bloomin’ easy it is to make your very own homemade toffee vodka – I didn’t! All you need are two basic ingredients, both of which you can grab from your local supermarket and just like magic, you’ve got yourself an edible Christmas gift which tastes divine and makes for a unique addition to any festive tipple collection.

You will need:

• A vessel of your choice
• Enough vodka to fill your vessel (I used Absolut)
• Werther’s Original Butter Candies (I used a full 135g packet for 320ml of vodka)

The method in the madness:

• Fill your chosen vessel about 4/5 with vodka
• Unwrap (duh) and chuck in your chosen volume of Werther’s Originals
• Shake it all about
• Leave in the fridge for a few days (or until all candies have dissolved), shaking regularly

Best served chilled and perfect for splashing into your favourite hot chocolate or coffee for some added extra indulgence.

 

BEJEWELED CHOCOLATE FLORENTINE

You will need:

• Around 300g of any chocolate of your choice (I used a mixture of white and dark)
• Nuts, seeds and/or dried fruit for bejeweling (I used a tub of Tesco’s ‘Fruity Breakfast Sprinkles’ with some extra freeze-dried raspberries and decorative fudge pieces)

The method in the madness:

• Line a baking tray/sheet pan with good non-stick foil
• Melt your chocolate (keeping milk, dark and/or white separate)
• Spoon a generous teaspoon of chocolate onto the tray and flatten with the back of your spoon until you have the desired Florentine size and thickness
• Sprinkle your edible jewels on top
• Leave to set in the fridge overnight

 

NUTTY MARBLE BARK

You will need:

• Any dark or milk chocolate of your choice (I used 400g Cadbury’s Dairy Milk)
• 100g any white chocolate of your choice (I used Tesco own brand)
• About 1 cup of roughly chopped nuts of your choice (I used cashew & hazelnuts)

The method in the madness:

• Line a baking tray/sheet pan with good non-stick foil
• Melt your dark/milk chocolate in a bowl
• Melt your white chocolate in a separate microwavable jug (for pouring)
• Decant your dark/milk chocolate onto the tray in one even layer
• Pour your white chocolate on top in a diagonal squiggle (totally the technical term)
• Gently swirl the white chocolate around with a skewer or the end of a sharp knife until you’ve achieved your desired marble effect
• Sprinkle your nuts over the top (oh stop it you)
• Leave to set in the fridge overnight

Then…

• Remove from the tray and peel away non-stick foil
• Turn face down and smash to smithereens with a rolling pin

 

PRETZEL REINDEER CUPCAKES

You’ve seen these bad boys before but I couldn’t not include them in this post now could I? I mean, does it get much cuter than that? Maybe this is like when a mum thinks their uber ugly baby is the most beautiful thing to grace the planet but if you love these chocolate reindeer cupcakes and their sassy, sparkling pretzel antlers as much as I do, view the full recipe here!

If you give any of these super easy edible Christmas present ideas a pop, don’t forget to show me your snaps on Twitter or Instagram.

Merry Feast-mas!