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Buying gifts can be overwhelming. We've got some great ways you can personalise gift-giving this Christmas!
These 'Make You Own' gifts can be easily achieved in a few hours and won't break the bank. We've got waste-free pickled veggies, jars full of scrumptious biscuits and drink mixers that all ages can enjoy.
Pickled Veggies
Ingredients :
-
500g vegetables of choice (we used dutch carrots, radishes and red onions)
-
1 cup vinegar
-
1 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground salt
- 2 tsp whole spice (we did a variation of fennel seeds, mustard and nigella seeds, cumin seeds and garlic, and fenugreek and mustard seeds)
Method
-
Boil the kettle. Scrub clean all vegetables. Trim any excess leafy tops (see notes). Add vegetables to a bowl and pour over boiling water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Drain vegetables.
- To make pickling liquid add vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar and salt have dissolved.
- Add vegetables and spice of choice to clean jars. Pour in hot pickling liquid until vegetables are fully submerged.
- Seal jars and keep them refrigerated.
Notes: carrot and radishes tops can be blended to make pesto.
Want to make this at home? We used Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, dutch carrots and Global Spice's cumin seeds from the Dinner Twist Marketplace.
Biscuit Jars
Ingredients:
- 50g icing sugar
- 50g caster sugar (allow extra sugar for sprinkling if desired)
- 60g cornflour
- 60g rice flour
- 280g plain flour
- 2g salt
- 5g Lemon Myrtle
- 250g unsalted butter
You will need: baking tin, baking paper
Method:
- Preheat oven to 160ºC fan forced. Line a tin (approx 20 x 26cm) with baking paper.
- Pour dry mix into a bowl. Melt butter and add to bowl. Mix well with a spatula and tip into lined tin. Spread evenly and, using a knife, mark into desired squares or fingers. Prick with a fork, sprinkle with extra sugar (if desired) and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Allow to cool in tin. Remove and cut into pieces.
Cinnamon and Almond Cookie Sandwiches (we used the Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Mix off the Marketplace)
Ingredients:
- 2g vanilla powder
- 5g cinnamon
- 5g baking powder
- 3g salt
- 360g plain flour (allow for extra flour for dusting)
- 220g white caster sugar
- 100g almonds, finely chopped
- 250g unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 200g caramel filling (see notes)
You will need: electric beaters, 2 oven trays, cookie cutter
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180ºC fan forced. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. In a large mixing bowl, use electric beaters to beat the butter until smooth and creamy (roughly 3 minutes). Add egg and beat until combined. Add remaining ingredients (minus caramel filling) 1/2 cup at a time and mix until combined.
- Divide the dough into 3 even pieces. Using 1 piece at a time, roll out on a floured bench top to approximately 5mm thick. Cut out with cookie cutter and place on a lined oven tray.
- Bake the cookies (in batches) for 6-8 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on tray for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack.
- Use a small spoon to spread caramel filling on bottoms of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies.
notes: caramel filling can be purchased from the supermarket or make your own by adding a closed tin of condensed milk to a saucepan of boiling water. Cook for 2 hours (top water up so that tin is always fully submerged). Remove from pan and allow tin to cool before using.
Chocolate Drops
Ingredients:
- 200g chocolate of choice (we used dark chocolate and white chocolate for variation)
- 1/2 cup muesli or granola
You will need: lined oven tray
Method:
- Melt the chocolate (we melt chocolate in a glass jug so that it is easy to handle).
- Pour 1 teaspoon sized drops of chocolate onto lined oven tray.
- Sprinkle muesli onto melted chocolate.
- Place in the fridge to set. Shake off excess muesli.
Want to make this at home? We used Gail's Lemon Myrtle Shortbread Mix, Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Mix and Coastal Crunch Cacao, Hazelnut & Chia Lupin Granola from the Dinner Twist Marketplace.
Drink Mixers
These drink mixers are great gifts for people of all ages. Use as cordial and mix with sparkling water for a refreshing summer's afternoon drink, or add gin or sparkling wine for a grown-up serving! Pop down to your local second-hand store to pick up some affordable crystalware to gift the drink mixers in, or clean out and repurpose wine bottles.
Cucumber, Mint and Ginger
Ingredients:
- 3 cups white sugar
- 1 litre water
- 60g ginger
- 1 large bunch mint (approx 60g)
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers
- 1 lime
You will need: blender
Method:
- Add sugar and water to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Peel and grate ginger. Pull apart mint leaves. Add ginger and mint to boiling sugar water. Turn down to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until syrup becomes a light golden colour. Remove from heat.
- Add cucumbers to blender. Process until finely chopped. Zest and juice lime. Add to syrup and stir to combine.
- Transfer to clean bottles/containers and refrigerate until needed.
Elderflower and Lemon
Ingredients:
- 20 large fresh elderflower heads
- 2 lemons
- 2 cups white sugar
- 750 ml water
Method:
- Gently shake the flowers over the kitchen sink to clean out any bugs. Do not wash the elderflower heads as this will wash out any pollen from the flowers. Trim stalks off flowers.
- Zest the lemon.
- Add sugar and water to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Add flowers and lemon zest to sugar water. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until syrup becomes a light golden colour. Remove from heat.
- Transfer to clean bottles/containers and refrigerate until needed.
Want to make this at home? We used Lebanese cucumbers, limes and lemons from the Dinner Twist Marketplace.
