Gifts from the kitchen – 3 easy recipes

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:

1. **Coffee syrup **
2. Chocolate chips with peculoos biscuits
3. 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

A delicious syrup with coffee flavor, with your coffee or for any sweets

• 500 ml (2 1/8 cup) strong coffee
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 pinch of cardamom
• 250 g  (1 ¼ cup) raw cane sugar

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

Delicious chocolate chips with cornflakes and speculoos biscuits

• 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

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