Edible Christmas gifts – what could be sweeter?

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With a few festive recipes, some cellophane gift bags (which you can buy cheaply from unipackworldwide) and a load of ribbons, bows or tinsel you can make some beautiful homemade gifts that kick the crap out of shop bought stuff, are far cheaper and all together more personal.

Here are some ideas to get you going…

Fudge cookies

Ingredients
125g unsalted butter, softened
100g light brown sugar
2tbsp golden syrup
1tsp vanilla essence
160g self-raising flour
150g fudge pieces (Bags of fudge are available from Thorntons or any sweet shop.)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat the golden syrup into the butter and sugar with the vanilla essence. Mix in flour and chocolate chunks until just combined.
Take a teaspoonful of the mixture, roll it into a ball, then place onto a greased baking tray, flattening it slightly with the palm of your hand. Repeat with the remaining dough, allowing plenty of room for the cookies to spread while baking.
Bake for 12 mins until golden brown.
Allow cookies to cool on the tray for few mins before transferring them to a wire rack.

Pop several into your cellophane bags, twist and tie off securely with sparkles and ribbons.

Tip*
This recipe can be adapted to make as many kinds of cookie as you can imagine. Why not try crushed whole nuts or candied ginger, classic chocolate chips or brightly coloured smarties.

Cranberry and apricot honey flapjack

Ingredients
200g/7¼oz unsalted butter
200g/7¼oz demerara sugar
200g/7¼oz honey
400g/14¼oz porridge oats
50g/1¾oz cranberries and apricot, chopped.
You will also need a 20cm x 30cm (8in x 12in) cake tin, greased

Method
Put the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add the cranberries and chopped apricots and mix well.
Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared cake tin and spread to about 2cm (¾in) thick. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges, but still slightly soft in the middle. Let cool in the tin, then turn out and cut into squares.

Pop several into your cellophane bags, twist and tie off securely with sparkles and ribbons.

Tip* Popping the cooked, cooled flapjack into the fridge for a few hours makes it easier to cut into neat squares ready for your bags.

Iced gingerbread
There is nothing more festive than gingerbread. Check out the recipe here and how to stencil ice them here.

If you don’t fancy icing them how about dipping the cooked, cooled biscuits in melted chocolate and leaving to set.