Handmade Gifts are the Best, Particularly When They're Edible! Find an Indulgent Treat for Your Loved One from Our 10 Thoughtful, Delicious and Easy to Make Recipes (2019)

What You Need

• Dark chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon peppermint extract
• Cocoa, crushed candy canes, cocoa nibs and sprinkles

How to Make It

• Take heavy cream and butter in a container and heat it until it comes to boil.
• Now take chopped dark chocolate in a heat proof bowl and let it sit for a while before you start mixing them completely.
• Add peppermint extract into it and refrigerate it for 2 hours.
• Take out the ganache and let it cool down 10 minutes in normal temperature.
• Now start scooping out the chocolate ganache and roll balls out of them. Use sprinkles and other decorative items and you are done.

What You Need

• A wide mouth mason jar
• Cheddar cheese powder
• Parchment paper
• Medium pasta shells
• Recipe card

How to Make It

• Cook the pasta shells until they become soft.
• Now take 1 cup milk and pour some cheese powder in it along with Kosher salt and whisk them.
• Heat the shells with 1 stick of unsalted butter until all the shells are coated.
• Add milk and cheese mixture into the shells and stir until the sauce thickens.
• Write this recipe on a card and stick it to the mason jar and you are done.

What You Need

• Cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoon of unsalted butter and ¼ cup of corn syrup
• 1/4 cup of water and some vanilla essence

How to Make It

• Take an 8X8 inch of baking dish and cover it with parchment paper. Now use cooking spray all over it.
• Take butter, salt and heavy cream in a saucepan and heat on medium flame until the butter melts.
• Take a large saucepan and mix sugar, water and corn syrup in it. Start stirring this mixture until it forms a thick paste. Now, stop stirring the sugar when a clipped candy thermometer heat sensor gets immersed in sugar.
• Now, put this sugar syrup on medium flame and bring it to a boil without stirring. Keep on heating it until it become slightly dark and smells like caramel.
• Now, turn off the heat and start mixing the cream and butter mixture. Sugar syrup will turn triple of its amount so make sure to take a large container for it.
• Again heat the mixture without stirring until it becomes reddish-brown and buttery in texture.
• Mix vanilla essence and now pour the mix into the mold. Let it set overnight and cut candies the next day.

What You Need

• Large fillets of Basa fish portioned well.
• Juice of 4 lemons and 100ml olive oil
• 4 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds and 2 tablespoon of roasted coriander seeds
• Chopped garlic and some chili flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It

• Take a large bowl and put the fillets in it. Marinate them with all the ingredients and let it set in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Grill it from both sides until it becomes golden and get grill marks on both sides.
• Serve it fresh to your loved ones or pack along with some lemon wedges.

What You Need

• 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour and 1 ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt
• 2 ¼ tsp cocoa powder, 1 ½ cup canola oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp red food coloring, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tsp white distilled vinegar
• For frosting – 1 pound cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, vanilla extract and 4 cups sifted powdered sugar

How to Make It

• Take a large bowl and mix all the dry ingredients in it properly.
• Now, add buttermilk, oil and eggs and whisk the mixture completely. Finally add red food coloring and stir it.
• Pour the batter into cooking sprayed cupcake mold and bake them for about 15 minutes.
• Once they are cool down completely, stack them in two.
• Now prepare frosting by mixing softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beating them with electric mixer.
• Once completely softened, mix vanilla extract and powdered sugar and the frosting is ready.
• Now, take a Mason jar and put half of the cupcake in it. Put a layer of frosting then repeat the steps until the jar is full. Your food gift is ready to give now.

What You Need

• 1 cup raw almonds - whole
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

How to Make It

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Now take a bowl and mix almonds, paprika, olive oil and salt.
• Spread them on the baking pan with parchment paper on it and roast them for 15 minutes.
• Make sure to stir them after every 5 minutes. Also, do not burn them even a bit.
• After completely cooling them down, toss with orange zest and you are done.

What You Need

• 20 pecan halves and 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter - softened
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and ¼ cup maple syrup
• 6 tbsp molasses and 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla, 1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt

How to Make It

• Preheat the oven on 375°F and prepare a baking sheet too.
• Take a large bowl and mix butter, syrup, molasses and brown sugar in it. Whisk them until the mixture becomes creamy then add egg yolks, vanilla, oats and pumpkin puree in it and leave it aside for 10 minutes.
• Take another bowl and sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice in it. Mix it with the oat mix properly.
• Scoop out 2 tbsp of the dough and flatten it into thick circles on the baking sheet. Decorate it with pecan half into the cookie. Brush these cookies with additional maple syrup.
• Bake them for 7 minutes and allow them to rest for 10 minutes for carry over cook.
• These cookies can be consumed within 3 days to pack them beautifully for your friends as a gift.

What You Need

• 125 g almonds, 3 medium eggs
• 250 g icing sugar and pink food coloring
• 85 g castor sugar
• 40 g butter
• 3 tbsp strawberry jam

How to Make It

• Preheat the oven at 300°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix almonds and icing sugar in a food processor and mix until fine.
• Whisk the egg whites through electric hand mixer until very soft peaks. Gradually add sugar and keep whisking till the meringue starts to stiffen. Add your food colour at this point and continue whisking till you get stiff peaks - when the whisk is turned upside down, the meringue should hold it's shape. Do not over beat or the meringue will break. A good meringue has a soft, silky sheen and behaves like whipped cream.
• Carefully fold in the almond flour and sugar mix using a spatula. Do not stir or try to whisk it in even if at first it appears the two will not combine. Stop when the flour is evenly distributed and has the consistency of thick pancake batter.
• Fill the batter into a piping bag. Make 2.5 cm rounds on the baking sheets, spacing them at about an inch apart. The batter will spread a little so give them some room. After you're done, give the baking sheet a sharp rap on the counter, turn it once and give it another rap. This will release air bubbles.
• Leave them to rest on the counter for 15 minutes to an hour. On humid days they will take longer to dry than on dry days. The glossy surface of the cookies will acquire a soft, matte skin which is when you know they're ready for baking. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool on the sheet.
• Now, whisk the butter and remaining icing sugar. Mix strawberry jam through fine sieve and whisk again. Transfer to a piping bag.
• When you're ready to assemble your macarons, line up the shells upside down in pairs. Pipe the filling onto one side in the center, enough so it fills the cookie when two are sandwiched together, not so much it overflows. Sandwich using the other half.


• Macarons taste best when the filling has softened the interior a little, turning it into that signature delicate chewiness. To achieve that, transfer your cookies into an airtight box and rest in the fridge overnight. Before you eat, allow them to come back to room temperature while in the box else the surface will lose it's crispness.

What You Need

• Salts – Kosher salt, fleur de sel, maldon salt
• Flavors – herbs, spices, citrus peel, tea leaves or any other of your choice.

How to Make It

• All the ingredients should be dry and small and it applies to both flavors as well as salts.
• Use the ratio of 1 tsp flavor + ¼ cup salt. Combine them using your fingers and create as many combinations as you want.
• Use small airtight container to store them.

What You Need

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 packet of small pretzel twists
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

How to Make It

• Take a large roasting pan and mix oil, sugar and cinnamon in it.
• Now add pretzel twists and combine them well.
• Bake them for 30 minutes in oven on 300°F.
• After cooling down, store them in airtight container for gifting.