THE Christmas party season is upon us, and I think it's always a nice gesture to take a little gift for your hostess.
Rather than buying a bunch of flowers, why not offer something that you've made yourself?
These recipes are easy, taste wonderful and from past experience I know that they're always well received.
Package your gifts in attractive containers finished with pretty ribbons and festive tags. Small cellophane bags from a craft store are great to have on hand for the nuts and biscotti.
TIGER BUTTER
This is a delicious peanut butter/chocolate candy. Buy only high quality chocolate (especially the white) because it will melt evenly - white chocolate chips don't work well. Make sure the top portion of the double boiler doesn't touch the simmering water below; you can also use a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to melt chocolate.
1 pound white chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 pound semisweet chocolate, melted
1 1 ?3 cups crunchy peanut butter
Line a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet (jelly roll pan) with parchment paper.
In the top of a double boiler over simmering (not boiling) water, heat white chocolate and peanut butter. Stir constantly until they melt together. Spread into prepared pan. Pour the melted semisweet chocolate over top (make s-shape patterns with it rather than one big puddle) and swirl into white chocolate with a knife to create a marble pattern. Chill until firm, then cut into one-inch squares. Store in refrigerator. To give as a gift, place into a decorative tin (dollar stores are a good source for these) lined with parchment paper. Put a square of parchment between layers. Makes 150 pieces.
SPICED PECANS
These are completely addictive and super easy to make.
10 oz pecan halves
2 Tbsp butter
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 ?8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more or less to taste)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt (preferably sea salt or kosher salt)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pecans in a medium bowl. Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan; add cumin and cayenne and stir until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Pour over the pecans; add sugar and salt, then stir to coat. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are toasted, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes (watch carefully because they can burn quickly - nuts are done when they smell toasty). Store cooled nuts in an airtight container.
CINNAMON BISCOTTI
Fabulous dipped into a latte.
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 tsp vanilla 2¾ cups all purpose flour
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup toasted slivered almonds
1 egg white
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (rimless sheets make it easier to slide biscotti off to slice). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time; beat in sour cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, three teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into batter in two additions; mix in almonds.
Divide dough into thirds and pat each third into a log about ½-inch thick and 15 inches long. Place logs about three inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden and just firm to the touch. Let cool on pans on racks for five minutes.
Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.
Transfer logs one at a time to a cutting board and using a sharp serrated knife, cut into ½-inch thick slices (I like to slice them on a diagonal). Place the slices upright on baking sheets. Beat the egg white lightly; in a small bowl combine remaining teaspoon of cinnamon with the granulated sugar. Brush the top of each biscotti with egg white and immediately sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Return biscotti to 325-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until firm.
Let cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks. Store in tins at room temperature (or you can make these ahead of time and freeze them for up to one month in airtight containers). Makes about 50 biscotti.
