Christmas doesn’t need to be about hitting the malls and stressing out about what to buy people for gifts under the tree, especially when so many people have everything they need. How about instead pouring the love with some cute homemade cookies or bliss balls? After all, people love food so we reckon you’re onto a winner!
Or you could get SUPER creative and give them the mixture in a jar so they can easily create the recipe at home, like this…
It’s the perfect gift for people heading off to a bach for summer and who need some indoor activities for the kiddies, or for people who don’t want to take baking goodies with them on hols. It’s also easily the most desirable secret Santa present… and definitely won’t end up in landfill!
Or just whip up some of your favourites and pop them into a jar, tin or container, and get crafty with making a home card tag. It’s the perfect time to bust out your exemplar potato paint stamping skills from primary school using poster paint…
To get you inspired, here are four of our all time favourite Christmas recipes that make great gifts for your friends and fam!
1. Nice Candy Cane Christmas Cookies
If you’ve got a hankering for pancakes for weekend brunch, take it up a level with these divine Double Chocolate Hazelnut Pancake Stacks made with our heavenly chocolate almond milk. This delectable brunch starts with making your own version of Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. When you’ve whipped up your batch of chocolate pancakes, stack them on top of each other with lashings of choccie hazelnut goodness in between each one. Share with someone you love for a little bit naughty, whole lot nice start to a lazy Sunday!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 cups oat flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup candy cane pieces
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Breeze Almond Milk
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius and line a tray with baking paper
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Add in chocolate chips and mix
- Add wet ingredients to dry and combine until a sticky dough is formed
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of mixture out at a time and roll into small balls. Place on the baking tray and flatten slightly with a fork. Repeat until you have used all dough
- Bake batches for 7 minutes (they will look a little undercooked, but will harden up as they cool). While cooling, add candy cane pieces to the soft dough and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack
Grab the recipe here!
2. Nice Candy Cane Christmas Cookies
Ever wondered how to make the most of all those candy canes just begging to be taken home from the supermarket every year? Well stop wondering; here’s your answer! Bake them up into Christmas cookies that put a smile on the dial of everyone you give them to! They’re easy, tasty and look hella cute. What’s not to love?
INGREDIENTS
- 2 3/4 cups plain flour
- 1 3/4 cups caster sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 3 egg whites
- 115ml Original Almond Breeze Almond Milk
- 4 large candy canes, broken into pieces
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
- Additional broken candy canes to decorate
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a tray with baking paper
- Mix all ingredients (except chocolate and candy canes) until well combined
- Add in white chocolate chips and half of the candy cane pieces. Mix until just combined
- Take 2 tablespoons of dough and drop onto prepared tray. Repeat with remainder of mix
- Bake in preheated oven for 14 minutes
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes until transferring onto a cooling rack
- Once cool, mix icing sugar with water and use to ice cookies
- Decorate with remaining candy cane pieces
Grab the recipe here!
3. We Love Christmas Dough Much Cookies
These may the work of a more crafty cook but they are just too adorable! We may not celebrate Christmas in the snow but these cookies are cute either way… with Frozen 2 out this week, everyone will be all about this frosty treats even it it’s 25 degrees and sunny outside (all the more reason a snow man would melt!).
INGREDIENTS
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• ¾ cup Unsweetened Almond Breeze Almond Milk
• ¼ cup almond butter
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper
2. Whisk butter and sugar together until pale and creamy
3. Add Almond Breeze and vanilla extract to the mixture, then fold in flour until a dough forms
4. Press dough into a ball and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
5. Once set, divide the dough into two even portions and roll out each portion onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper
6. Using an 8cm cookie cutter, cut 20 cookies from the dough and place each one onto the baking tray
7. Bake cookies for 15 minutes, then set out to cool
8. Bring around a cup of water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Break chocolate and place into a heatproof bowl over the saucepan, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl
10. Spread melted chocolate onto each cookie and add a marshmallow on top
11. Refrigerate for 10 minutes until chocolate has set
12. Once set, use icing pens to decorate
13. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, until set and enjoy!
Grab the recipe here!
4. Honey Breezy Chocolate Bliss Balls
Not everyone has a hankering for a sugar hit at Christmas and for those hot beachy days, a few chilled bliss balls in the cooler might be all the energy someone needs to get them through an afternoon of boogie boarding. Whipping up these easy, breezy bliss balls couldn’t be simpler. Grab a couple of cute mason jars, create your own homemade label and you’re giving a gift that really says ‘I love you’ this Christmas!
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup of dried cranberries
- ½ cup of dried goji berries
- 1 cup of pitted dates
- ½ cup Unsweetened Almond Breeze
- 3tbsps of raw cacao powder
- 1 cup quinoa flakes
- 2tbsps of honey
- 1tbsp of Coconut oil
- ½ cup shredded coconut for rolling
METHOD
- Mix all of the ingredients (except the coconut) in a blender until combined
- Roll the mixture into balls with the shredded coconut
- Refrigerate for an hour or two and you’re good to go!
From our love of Almond Breeze almond milk to yours…
P.S….
Discover more almondlicious recipes by clicking here!