I love making and getting creative edible gifts. I’m not talking just a plate of Christmas cookies here…I’m talking unique and different. Take Caramel Corn, for example. It is my grandmother’s favorite and I remember spending long evenings watching my parents try various caramel corn recipes in search of the perfect (yet not too messy!) one. There was the giant brown sack method (where you shake the caramel in) and the cookie sheet one where you pour the caramel on and try to mix it on the sheet (my dog liked that method– lots of popcorn on the floor!)
A few years ago a friend handed me an adorable little Christmas package with mysterious items inside (all tied up with a cute tag and bow) and when I opened it I found ingredients for caramel corn. All I needed was butter….. I promptly made it and YUM!!! Quick, easy, delicious and SUCH a creative gift. This post is dedicated to the recipes you can use this Christmas to make creative and memorable gifts for your friends and families.
CARAMEL CORN:
- Place 1/2c. packed brown sugar in a small bag and zip or tie it tightly.
- Place 8 large marshmallows in a small bag and zip or tie it tightly.
- Place both of the above ingredients in a larger bag or gift box with one packet of microwave popcorn.
Close the bag or box with the following directions:
- Pop corn in microwave according to package
- Place brown sugar, marshmallows and 1/2 stick (4T) butter into a 2 qt. bowl
- Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring well at 1 and 1/2 minutes. Syrup should be smooth and bubbly.
- Pour over popped corn and enjoy!
Click on the photo below to get free printable tags to use with this gift:
OREO POPS:
These fun chocolate-covered Oreos on a stick are great for any season. I made them for the 1st time last spring for a baby shower. Change up the sprinkles and tie some cute Christmas tags on and you have a great stocking stuffer- or even a holiday centerpiece bouquet! All the how-to tips, including pictures are available if you just click HERE. I also made up some free tags for you to tie on your pops~ Click on the picture below to get the free printable file:
HOT CHOCOLATE POPS:
I made these as gifts for SO many people last year. I made extra for myself. These are so easy and SO delicious~ everyone will LOVE them. What are they? Chocolate (in a variety of flavors and colors) hardened over a marshmallow on a stick. You stir them into hot milk and make the most creamy, delicious hot chocolate ever. The best part? You can make them WAY ahead. I made some in December and used them in March…still wonderful. The recipe and directions can be found by clicking HERE. If you want to print some free tags to tie on your pops click on the image below:
SPICED MOCHA MIX:
My cousin Eden made little jars of this wonderful mix for us several years ago at Christmas and I’ve used the recipe ever since. It’s just wonderful, easy to make, keeps for months in a sealed bag or jar and makes a great gift. Want the recipe and easy directions? Click HERE. Free printable tags? Click on the picture below to get them: (I actually printed these on full-sheet labels, cut them apart and made stickers for my jars…just another idea…)
I hope that these ideas have inspired you to create your own fun and unique Christmas gifts!!! Enjoy! ~r
Want to try some other fun Christmas recipes by Easybaked? Click on an image below to be taken to the recipe:
EASYBAKED 
I loved this post. The pictures make me want to drop everything & rush to the kitchen to try every single one of those goodies! Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you- Happy Thanksgiving to you too!!!!
What an impressive collection of gift ideas! I would be hard-pressed to choose just one to make. I’ve been mulling over whether to make a home-made gift this year.. these ideas make the decision easier! xx
Thanks Barbara~ Now that I’ve shared all of my ideas with everyone I would usually give gifts to, I might need some new ideas!!! Lol.
Oops.. I never thought of that, lol!
Wonderful ideas :)!
Thank you!!!!
love these ideas! 🙂 the chocolate covered oreos are adorable!
Thank you so much!!!!! I love the oreos too— mainly because I get to eat all the ones I break 😉
Ruthanne.. you are the queeen of fun and cute stuff! Have to try your sweet recipes one day!! 🙂
You have some fantastic ideas here, they look delish 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
ahhhhhh I will try everything hahaha! the pictures are wonderful!
Love the hot chocolate pops idea! Definitely going to make some of those!
Ruthanne, this is a great post!! I love every single idea!! And am going to try a couple of them.
I hope you don’t mind if I reblog your link on my reblog tastings page?
Thank you so much- and I’d be honored to have this post reblogged on your beautiful and creative site!! Thanks for asking!!!!
Okay I tried this… while the caramel tastes pretty authentic… and overall is really a neat idea… the caramel was ultimately way too stiff and got too hard to coat the popcorn. So what’s the trick? As I can’t give out a gift that sends my friends to the dentist.
Hi Jim! For me, it works best if I pour it hot and mix quick. You could try even putting the popcorn out on a cookie sheet and drizzling if you don’t want to mix it. Also, let the caramel cool and harden completely before you break the popcorn apart to eat it. Hope these ideas help! I usually just drizzle and mix in a large bowl and once cool I break it apart into bite-size chunks. Good luck!
Was the caramel corn super sticky? It looks like it might be.
It’s sticky at 1st, but after it hardens its a pretty typical caramel corn.
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