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3 Homemade Christmas Gift Recipes with Under 5 Ingredients by Thea Kinsella

Christmas can be a difficult time, with finding ideas for presents and finding the money to buy them! I love to give my family homemade edible gifts that cost little to make and it adds a personal touch!

My favourite DIY gifts include rich chocolate truffles 3 ways, sweet and sticky Turkish Delight and crunchy homemade honeycomb. There’s still plenty of time to whip up some of these treats and give delicious homemade Christmas gifts to your loved ones.

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

– 300ml double cream
– 50g unsalted butter
– 300g dark chocolate

Method:

1. Heat milk in a saucepan and when it comes to a simmer add the butter. When the butter is melted, pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth and glossy.
2. Place in the fridge to set for 2 hours.
3. When the chocolate mix has set, take around a table spoon at a time and roll into small balls.
4. To finish your chocolate truffles, roll in either cocoa powder, toasted desiccated coconut or toasted flaked almonds!
5. Pop 4 or 5 truffles in a cellophane bag or a teacup and tie with a ribbon for a tasty gift.

Turkish Delight

Ingredients:

– 8 leaves gelatin
– 500g caster sugar
– Rose water
– Pink food colourimg
– Icing sugar

Method:

1. Place 300ml water in a pan with the gelatin. Leave aside for 5 minutes for the gelatin to soften
2. After 5 minutes, place on a low heat and stir gently until the gelatin dissolves.
3. Next, add the sugar and stir until dissolved then bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and add in rose water and pink food colouring.
5. Place into a square silicone tin and leave to set overnight.
6. When you’re ready to remove from the tin, dust a plate with icing sugar and tip out the Turkish delight.
7. Cut into squares and cover each square in icing sugar.
8. Place in a decorative box lined with parchment paper for a loved one with a sweet tooth!

Homemade Honeycomb

Ingredients:

– 100g caster sugar
– 4 tbsp golden syrup
– 1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Mix sugar and syrup in a saucepan off the heat. Plate on the heat until it is bubbling and it is a dark golden colour.
2. Off the heat, whisk in the bicarbonate of soda and turn out immediately onto greased foil.
3. Once the honeycomb has hardened, smash into shards and wrap in cellophane or place in a box as a crunchy Christmas treat!

RECIPES FROM CAKESBYTHEA BY THEA KINSELLA

CakesbyThea With a dream to open her own baking business, Thea is currently doing Culinary Arts at Dublin Institute of Technology, while also working full-time as the pastry chef for The Fat Fox, Camden Row. Thea has been baking for as long as she can remember and at the age of sixteen she began decorating and selling her cakes to order. On her Instagram page you can find her creations from both The Fat Fox and her private clients.

@CakesByThea
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