[Kelleybean]

Hello Everyone,

It’s never too early to start planning for the holidays. This year especially the money situation is a little tight. I don’t know about you but I happen to LOVE home made gifts. This year I plane to make some cookies as gifts and a variety of other things. One idea that I had was to make a cake mix and include a bottle of home made vanilla extract with it. 1. Does anyone have a recipe for a cake mix that is dry so I can put it in a decorative container 2. Do any of you have any other good ideas? Is this a bad idea that I have?

TIA,
Kelley

[DeeBaker]

I've made cookie mixes and cocoa with homemade marshamallows as gifts. I've found that people enjoy and tend to use those.

[siduri]

I think a cake mix is a bit difficult to make in such a way that the person can save time. In the end, most cakes require the butter and sugar to be creamed, then the eggs beaten in, etc. All you really save with a "mix" would be measuring salt, baking powder and flour. Big deal - anyone can do that.

I suggest a quickbread recipe - like muffins, where you mix all the dry ingredients together, including sugar. Then you can include a cheap measuring cup in the package and say "add one egg, half a cup of buttermilk and 5 tbsp of melted butter" or whatever (i'm inventing here). You could include dried fruits, like cranberries or blueberries with the dry ingredients. That would go over big, I think, because people don;t have them on hand generally, so they can make blueberry muffinswhenever they feel like.

Pancake recipes are also ok for this. most cookies require creaming and someone who uses a mix will not be wanting to cream.

Maybe also a nut bread recipe, walnut bread, (quick bread)

[Kelleybean]

Thanks so much for the advice. I found this web site with some recipes for various mixes that I can make. Make Your Own Mixes I guess I should do some more looking around. Thanks again.

Kelley

[nsmoritz]

I always make treats for gifts during the holidays too and I agree on the hot cocoa. You can add fressh chopped chocolate to the mix to splash it up and then have a bag of homemade peppermint marshmallows to go in the cocoa.

Another idea to incorporate your vanilla (which I think is great) is chocolate chip cookies in a jar. You can twist it up by making your own chocolate chunks by melting some semi-sweet chocolate and adding a touch of orange or mint extract and then spread it in a jelly roll pan until it cools. Then just chop up good size chunks to add to the mix. You have a mix with a special kick.

All the other ideas are great too. I try to come up with something new every year but the cocoa is expected now by friends and neighbors.

The site sounds great. I am going to check it out! Thanks

[Kelleybean]

Thanks nsmoritz,

Those marshmellos sound awesome. I've never made home made marshmellows before but I saw Martha Stewart years ago on Oprah make them and Oprah thought they were great. I'll have to look up the recipe. The idea for the chocolate chunks is great too. I'm glad you like the vanilla idea.

[phoenix 12]

I was thinking of a frozen cookie all portioned out, and all the recieptant would have to do was bake them off.

Mike