Hello everyone, it's that time again: The Christmas season is approaching which brings along the question of what to give to your loved ones. So today here is this blog post from me: Gifts from the kitchen – 3 easy recipes. It’s well known that the way to the heart is through the stomach and I have been giving away homemade things from the kitchen for years. So if you get something edible from me, then you can be sure, I like you :-). I also find it very practical to create gifts in the kitchen with children, because they can help a lot there and also for example decorate the glasses or labels. I have put together 3 easy recipes in cooperation with Migros Bio/Alnatura Switzerland*. With high-quality organic ingredients from Migros and the matching decorations you can find there.
Gifts from the kitchen
It's important and a special appreciation for us and the recipients to use high-quality, organic ingredients. What I also appreciate about edible gifts: they are sustainable. It’s not something that stands in the corner and collects dust, but it’s “used” and enjoyed. I usually use jars and vessels that I already have at home and only buy the labels and stars for decoration, nature supplies the rest. Gifts with high-quality ingredients taste even better - and that is ultimately the most important thing if you want to give someone a gift.
3 gift ideas
But now back to the 3 simple recipes, there is something for everyone: for coffee lovers, for chocolate fans and for everyone who prefer it savory. Of course, all three gifts are vegan and delicious! I used the fine Caruso organic coffee, the Alnatura fine dark chocolate, the organic basil tofu and the herbal olives from Alnatura. And these are the results:
- Coffee syrup
- Chocolate chips with peculoos biscuits
- Pickled basil tofu with olives
Recipes
This sounds all very yummy, doesn’t it? So here are the recipes for you:
Coffee syrup
Coffee syrup
Ingredients
- 500 ml (2 1/8 cup) strong coffee
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 pinch of cardamom
- 250 g (1 ¼ cup) raw cane sugar
Instructions
- Brew fresh coffee
- Put it in a pot along with sugar and the spices and boil up
- Let simmer at medium heat (approx. 20-30 minutes), stir occasionally
- When the desired thick consistency is reached, fill it into a bottle. The cinnamon sticks can be added to the bottle
I used the new Caruso Crema Bio for syrup and brewed a strong coffee. The syrup can of course be used for cappuccino, but also for desserts or pancakes, so actually for everything that uses syrup. This is definitely the ultimate gift for any coffee lover and because of the added sugar the shelf-life is several weeks.
The second recipe is for all chocolate lovers:
Chocolate chips with speculoos biscuits
Chocolate chips with speculoos biscuits
Ingredients
- 250 g(9 oz.) dark chocolate e.g. Alnatura "fine bitter"
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp cinnamon optional
- 100 g (3.5 oz.) unsweetend cornflakes
- 5-6 speculoos cookies vegan
- and/or 4-6 cracker
Instructions
- Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a water bath or the microwave, stir in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- Add the cornflakes to the mixture
- Crumble the speculoos and/or cracker into small pieces and add them as well. Stir until everything is covered in chocolate
- Place small heaps on a baking paper with a teaspon. You can sprinkle them with hemp seeds, crumbled biscuits or cacao nibs
- Let them dry and pack them into a box
The chocolate chips with speculoos biscuits are so easy to make, yet they are super tasty! Kids can easily support you. The Spekulatius and Blevita pieces make them extra crispy and there is a little surprise effect.
Packed in a pretty box, they are a great to take to an Advent coffee or as a gift for loved ones.
And “last but not least” here is a savory recipe, as not everyone likes it sweet:
Pickled basil tofu with olives
Pickled basil tofu with olives
Ingredients
- 230 g (8 oz.) basil tofu
- 180 g (6.3 oz.) mixed herbal olives
- 4-6 dried tomatoes
- 2 tsp salt
- Organic olive oil
- Fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme
Instructions
- Dice the tofu and cut the dried tomatoes
- Add them along with olives and herbs into clean jars
- Add herbs and salt and fill them up with olive oil (everything should be covered in oil)
- Lasts 1-2 weeks in the fridge
Inspired by pickled feta, this combination captures the aromas of summer and tastes wonderful with an aperitif, with fresh bread, but also with (vegan) fondue or raclette and of course with salad. Perfect for all lovers of savory dishes - they will surely be delighted with such a pretty jar!
So these were my Gifts from the kitchen – 3 easy recipes. I really hope I was able to inspire you and your loved ones can look forward to such a beautiful gift soon. Even if Christmas will be a little different this year, nobody can take away the love and joy of giving. And even in special times, such small gifts given with love and care are particularly important.
You can of course find more Christmas recipes here on the blog.
And you can find more delicious recipes with Migros Bio/Alnatura Switzerland* ingredients here.
Love, Verena
If you have Pinterest, you can find me here and you can pin this picture if you like:
*This blog post was created in collaboration with Migros, but reflects my own opinion.
This post is also available in: deutsch
