Gifts From The Heart - Inexpensive Homemade Chocolate Treats

Main Menu

Community Login

Mini Series

Coffee

Kitchen Remodeling

Wines

Resources

Your Ad Here

Home

Simply Cooking

Chocolates & Sweets

Gifts From The Heart - Inexpensive Homemade Chocolate Treats

Simply Cooking - Chocolate

Written by Nicole Dean

Sunday, 21 December 2008 10:47

Whether you're trying to find your babysitter a Christmas gift, or your sister a little Valentine's Day gift, or your child's teacher a Thank You gift, there are times when you have to come up with an idea that won't break your budget. If your family is like most, your finances are bleak and gift giving is one luxury you can't afford anymore.

by NicoleDean

Whether you're trying to find your babysitter a Christmas gift, or your sister a little Valentine's Day gift, or your child's teacher a Thank You gift, there are times when you have to come up with an idea that won't break your budget. If your family is like most, your finances are bleak and gift giving is one luxury you can't afford anymore.

Normally when people are struggling with a tight budget, things that are considered unnecessary are the first things to go. Gifts are often the first things to be cut out of our budget, but we never feel good about that. We want to show our love for the people we care about, and who care about us, by giving gifts. How do we accomplish that with limited funds? By using our creativity and giving gifts that we put our heart into.

Making chocolate treats is one of my favorite gift ideas. It's pretty simple to impress someone with a beautiful box of chocolate covered pecans or chocolate dipped pretzels. Chocolates always seem festive, and homemade chocolates say you appreciate someone very, very, much indeed.

Chocolate gifts aren't as hard to make as you might think. With a little practice, you can create marvelous confectionery delights that will thrill your friends and family and make you the talk of the town! This is a fancy chocolate treat that no one makes for themselves, so it is the perfect gift.

Gourmet Chocolate Coffee Spoons

If your gift recipient likes a nice, hot cup of coffee, then they'll like it even better with a little spoon of chocolate. This is a gift that both men and women love.

Get ready with these items:

You'll need to buy heavy duty plastic spoon, I like the clear ones. If you've got a great thrift store or antique store in your community, you might be able to find some unique silver spoons that would definitely add a special touch. Be sure they're in good condition, then wash and dry them well.

In the grocery store's baking aisle, you'll find blocks of milk chocolate coating. That's what you'll need for your spoons, not the Real Chocolate. Real Chocolate tends to be harder to control, and will not stay shiny if it's not handled exactly right. The chocolate coating is much better, and actually tastier, than the Real stuff.

Candy sprinkles or crushed peppermint candies may be a nice addition if you want to make your spoons even fancier. You may consider flavor additives like peppermint oil if you think your gift recipient would like the flavored chocolate.

Parchment paper is a must for covering the cookie sheets. Do not use waxed paper. Warm chocolate has a tendency to stick to waxed paper. The parchment paper will make your finished product a lot easier to handle, and your clean-up a bit nicer, too.

You'll need some clear candy bags to wrap your spoons. You can find these in the craft store with the candy making things. While you are there, look for some ribbon, raffia, and anything else you may want to dress up the packaging.

Follow these simple steps:

Fill a large pan with water and bring it to a boil. While you're waiting, carefully chop your chocolate into little pieces. Place your chocolate pieces in a smaller heavy pan that will fit into the large pan. When water boils, remove large pan from heat, and carefully lower the smaller pan into the water, being sure you don't overflow the water. Let chocolate sit and start to melt, then remove from pan with water and begin stirring with a big spoon or spatula until chocolate is all melted.

When the chocolate is melted down, take a spoon and carefully dip it into the chocolate, hanging on to the handle, and place it on parchment paper on your tray or cookie sheet. Now is the time to add any decorations like sprinkles or crushed peppermints. Then continue dipping each spoon and decorating. When you are done, take your cookie sheet full of spoons and place it in a cold area. You can put them in a freezer or refrigerator but don't let them stay in there because they will get moist. If you do use the freezer or refrigerator, take them out in just a few minutes and let them totally set up somewhere dry.

When your spoons are all set, place one in your cellophane candy bag and tie shut with some of your ribbon or raffia. You can embellish your ribbon with a little candy cane or anything else that would make your gift package special. You can also package more than one spoon in a candy box for someone who is lucky enough to receive more than one chocolate coated spoon.

You have now completed a gift that anyone would be thrilled to receive. Don't you feel good knowing that you used your creativity and time to make a personal gift for someone you care about? This is not just any gift... it's a gift you gave from your heart.

About the Author:

Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane mom behind ShowMomtheMoney.com - a fun and informative website to help moms achieve success working from home. She welcomes you to learn more ways to save money in her Frugal Meal Ideas section. Be sure to sign up for her free tutorial for work at home moms.