Christmas

12+ Homemade Edible Christmas Gifts

~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 14 Comments

The festive season is almost upon us so why not make it even more special by making your own edible gifts to share with loved ones? Special chocolates, biscuits or even a hot sauce… everyone can find something they like.

With Christmas comes the yearly dilemma of what to buy for that special someone who is simply an impossible person to shop for. Their odd taste or the fact that they have everything they need makes this job a really hard one, so why not try something new this year? Instead of yet another reindeer tie or a gift box full of fragrant soaps why not try a homemade edible gift.

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
― Mother Teresa

Edible gifts can be a statement of love. Pick what the person likes and build on it. Sweet or savoury, soft or crunchy… the choices are endless but I am sure there is that little something which will put a smile on anyone’s face. Once you have made your choice as to the gift itself, think about a nice presentation – a festive box or maybe a nice ribbon and of course the name card. Finally pick a reliable courier company to deliver your creation. With all the festive work overload you need to pick a company you can trust to deliver your gift in one piece and most importantly who can deliver it on time. We speak from experience, last year in the middle of December my Mum decided to send us a last minute gift… according to the nice lady at the local courier company, who took the parcel and a lot of money, “It will be delivered within 3 days, maybe five at most as it December…” we finally received it in the middle of January after the non-delivery claim was already filed…

“Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.”
― Ben Carson

But back to gifts now.

I’ve put together a selection of edible Christmas gifts which should cater for any taste. Some have a short use by date, others will last for months; some are sweet, others savoury or spicy; some are pure indulgence whilst others fall into the diet friendly category… I hope this round up will give you the answer you were looking for or at the very least spark an idea for what is perfect.

Butterscotch Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares

Candied PecansCashew Chocolate Spread

Cheddar Cheese CoinsChocolate Cranberry Amaretti CookiesCitrus Salts

Coconut and Almond TrufflesCranberry Crunch Dark Chocolate Truffles

Gingerbread Glazed AlmondsHot Chocolate Mix

Hot SauceMaple GranolaSmoked Chocolate Christmas Bark

Swiss Jam Sandwich Cookies

So, what do you think?

Any chance you will be making any of these edible gifts this year?

I know I will.

 

3 Homemade Christmas Dog Treats

~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 8 Comments

Christmas is all about spreading love, joy and indulgences. We have the festive roast with all its trimmings, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and just about anything else we could desire but what about our pets? Christmas is another perfect time to show them our love and appreciation by creating some tasty homemade dog treats.

Just remember no sugars, especially chocolate or any other hazardous ingredients which can potentially bring more harm than joy. Yes, you can spoil your dog whilst at the same time being sure the food they have is both safe and tasty and still be free of additives and preservatives; but be smart about it.

Christmas is all about spreading love, joy and indulgences. We have the festive roast with all its trimmings, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and just about anything else we could desire but what about our pets? Christmas is another perfect time to show them our love and appreciation by creating some tasty homemade dog treats.The natural dog food retailer, Feedem, have shared their top three favourite dog treat recipes with me and today I am passing their knowledge over to you.

Frozen peanut butter yoghurt treats

Despite being human food, peanut butter and yoghurt have become firm favourites with our pooches — and they’re safe for their tummies too. One really easy treat they’ll love is frozen peanut butter yoghurt treats.

Choose a yoghurt that’s free from artificial sweeteners or added sugars. Make sure your peanut butter is unsalted and free from artificial sweeteners too.

Melt one cup of peanut butter in the microwave and mix with 32 ounces of yoghurt. Pour the mixture into cupcake papers and place in the freezer. Once frozen, serve to your dog.

Grain-free dog treats

If you’re catering to a pooch that has a grain allergy, don’t worry — you can still create tasty snacks that won’t upset their stomach. To create these biscuits, you’ll need a cooked, cooled sweet potato, a quarter cup of coconut oil and two cups of quinoa flour.

Preheat your oven to 175°C. Combine the sweet potato and coconut oil in a bowl and mix well. Add the flour cup-by-cup to the bowl until the dough begins to stick together.

Flour your surface and roll out the dough until it’s about a quarter of an inch thick. Cut out the treats and bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn off the oven but leave the treats inside to cool for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and serve once fully cool.

Cheesy biscuits

Another doggy favourite is cheese — we’ve all seen those begging eyes as we tuck into a pizza! Keep their cravings at bay and make them their very own cheesy biscuits. They only take about 20 minutes to make, so are great if you’re looking for something quick and easy that’s still really tasty!

You’ll need 125g multipurpose flour, 25g of grated parmesan cheese and 25g of grated cheddar cheese, 1 egg and 350ml of evaporated milk.

Preheat your oven to 175°C. Mix all of the ingredients together and ensure they’re well blended. Grease a baking tray and place teaspoon-size balls on the tray, making sure to space them out. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

 

There you have it – three easy yet super tasty recipes for your pooch. I hope you will give them a try over the Christmas season or anytime really as we all deserve a treat from time to time, don’t we? And if you aren’t the cooking type you can always treat your pooch with shop bought treats, but please remember what’s good for you isn’t necessary good for your dog, so please buy treats designed for dogs and don’t feed them humans leftovers, especially no cooked bones as they can be truly dangerous.

Till next time.

* This is a collaborative post.