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.
We've discovered in our goal to reduce spending, that when money is tight, the first thing that we start to question is our gift giving. We all want to lavish people we love with beautiful, expensive gifts. But, that won't be the case any longer in our family, so what do we do? I believe a gift given from the heart is appreciated just as much, if not more, than a gift of monetary value.
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.
Most chocolate treats are relatively easy to make once you get the hang of it. You'll find out which pans work best, which spoons you like, and how long to melt the chocolate on the first or second try. I especially like this chocolate treat because it's something that most people would never dream of making for themselves.
Chocolate Dipped 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.
Start with this list of items:
You can either purchase some nice silver spoons from your friendly local thrift shop, or just buy some heavy plastic spoons. I like the silver ones because you can find fancy spoons and sometimes some pretty unusual ones, too. Just wash and dry them before using.
Purchase milk chocolate coating, not Real Chocolate. You'll find blocks of the coating in the baking aisle at the grocery store. The reason you don't want to use Real Chocolate is because it tends to be a little more difficult to get just right. You don't want to bother with it, and the chocolate coating is delicious.
If you'd like to add some crushed peppermint candy or other candy sprinkles to your spoons, that's really pretty, too. You may also look for flavoring oils, like peppermint or amaretto, to really make these spoons fancy.
Purchase some parchment paper, NOT wax paper, to cool the spoons on. This will keep them from sticking to your cookie sheets as well as keep your pans clean and ready if you are into mass production.
I recommend that since you're giving a gift of food, buy the proper wrapping. Look in your candy making section of any craft store for clear cellophane candy bags in a size to fit the spoon, leaving some of the handle sticking out. You'll also want to find some ribbon and raffia to tie the package closed and to decorate the gift.
This is how you proceed:
Put a big pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Carefully chop up your big chunk of chocolate into little chunks and put in a small pot that will fit in the big pot. When the water in the big pot comes to a boil, shut it off, and very carefully place the small pot in the hot water. Don't let your water run over into the small pot with the chocolate. After the small pot sits for a few minutes and you see the chocolate start to melt on the edges, take the pot out of the water and begin stirring the chocolate with a big rubber spatula until it's all melted.
When you are done stirring the chocolate, dip one spoon at a time in the melted chocolate and lay each one on the parchment paper you have on your cookie sheets. If you plan to decorate the spoons with other candy, do it while the spoon is still wet. Otherwise the candy won't stick. Then move on to the next spoon, dip, decorate, and so on. Once all of your spoons are done, take your cookie sheet to a cold, preferably dry place. A refrigerator or freezer is okay to just get them set up a little, but don't leave them in that moist environment for more than a few minutes.
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. - 16732
We've discovered in our goal to reduce spending, that when money is tight, the first thing that we start to question is our gift giving. We all want to lavish people we love with beautiful, expensive gifts. But, that won't be the case any longer in our family, so what do we do? I believe a gift given from the heart is appreciated just as much, if not more, than a gift of monetary value.
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.
Most chocolate treats are relatively easy to make once you get the hang of it. You'll find out which pans work best, which spoons you like, and how long to melt the chocolate on the first or second try. I especially like this chocolate treat because it's something that most people would never dream of making for themselves.
Chocolate Dipped 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.
Start with this list of items:
You can either purchase some nice silver spoons from your friendly local thrift shop, or just buy some heavy plastic spoons. I like the silver ones because you can find fancy spoons and sometimes some pretty unusual ones, too. Just wash and dry them before using.
Purchase milk chocolate coating, not Real Chocolate. You'll find blocks of the coating in the baking aisle at the grocery store. The reason you don't want to use Real Chocolate is because it tends to be a little more difficult to get just right. You don't want to bother with it, and the chocolate coating is delicious.
If you'd like to add some crushed peppermint candy or other candy sprinkles to your spoons, that's really pretty, too. You may also look for flavoring oils, like peppermint or amaretto, to really make these spoons fancy.
Purchase some parchment paper, NOT wax paper, to cool the spoons on. This will keep them from sticking to your cookie sheets as well as keep your pans clean and ready if you are into mass production.
I recommend that since you're giving a gift of food, buy the proper wrapping. Look in your candy making section of any craft store for clear cellophane candy bags in a size to fit the spoon, leaving some of the handle sticking out. You'll also want to find some ribbon and raffia to tie the package closed and to decorate the gift.
This is how you proceed:
Put a big pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Carefully chop up your big chunk of chocolate into little chunks and put in a small pot that will fit in the big pot. When the water in the big pot comes to a boil, shut it off, and very carefully place the small pot in the hot water. Don't let your water run over into the small pot with the chocolate. After the small pot sits for a few minutes and you see the chocolate start to melt on the edges, take the pot out of the water and begin stirring the chocolate with a big rubber spatula until it's all melted.
When you are done stirring the chocolate, dip one spoon at a time in the melted chocolate and lay each one on the parchment paper you have on your cookie sheets. If you plan to decorate the spoons with other candy, do it while the spoon is still wet. Otherwise the candy won't stick. Then move on to the next spoon, dip, decorate, and so on. Once all of your spoons are done, take your cookie sheet to a cold, preferably dry place. A refrigerator or freezer is okay to just get them set up a little, but don't leave them in that moist environment for more than a few minutes.
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. - 16732
About the Author:
Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane mom and owner of 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 Meals section. Be sure to sign up for her free lessons for work at home moms.
