Edible Christmas Gifts

So today in one click officially marked the end of my Christmas gift shopping.  Yes, sorry family and friends as much as I love you, I’m now done! Don’t you just love internet shopping?

 

As well as bought gifts I also like to make up hampers and homemade edible gifts for my family as little treats.  I think that they really appreciate the effort of handmade foodie gifts.  Last year I made up a huge hamper for my Nan for Christmas that really had that personal touch and she loved it.  It was filled with crackers, cheeses, jams, homemade mince pies, my Guilt-Free Ginger Bread Cookies, shortbread and chocolaty treats.

This year I’m going to make another hamper for my Nan and some treats for the rest of the family.  This weekend I started on making some chocolaty treats to give as gifts..

 

*Marbled Chocolate Bark*

I don’t mind if I do!

Ingredients (makes one large generous slab)

• 300g of good quality dark or milk chocolate

• 100g of good quality white chocolate

• salted nuts of your choice (I used peanuts)

• dried cranberries (optional)

Melt the milk and white chocolates over separates double boilers on a low heat.  Next on a sheet of grease proof paper or a Teflon baking sheet spread out the milk chocolate making a large rectangular shape with a spatula (it doesn’t have to be neat).  The spoon onto the milk chocolate random blobs of white chocolate and hen using the end of a spoon or a cocktail stick drag the white chocolate into the milk chocolate, making swirly marble patterns.  Sprinkle on the peanuts and dried cranberries pressing some of them into the chocolate and leaving dome to rest of top. 

Leave the chocolate to set at room temperature for a few hours.  When it has fully set place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes so the chocolate hardens and requires that snapping sound when broken. Next break up into shards and place in foodie gift bags to give as Christmas presents or dinner party favours.

 

I decided to use milk and white chocolate as these seem to rule over dark chocolate in my family. If I was making it for my self I would just use dark chocolate, but you could also mix in white or milk chocolate in with the dark chocolate as well.

Optional add-ins could include dried cranberries, raisins, coconut, candied fruits, dried cherries, ginger, cinnamon, chilli powder.  The options are really endless and you can personalise the chocolates to individual tastes quite easily.

Do you make your own edible Christmas gifts?

What would you like to receive as an homemade edible gift this year?

Also go and check out my guest post on Sarah’s fab blog Welsh Girl Eats!