Wrapped with Love: Homemade Food Gifts to

Homemade food gifts to share for the holidays, birthdays, or just because

BY SARAH WALDMAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELIZABETH CECIL

Whether to thank a teacher, celebrate a friend, support a hostess, surprise a neighbor, or add spirit to a gettogether, a handmade (and in this case edible!) gift is the ultimate expression of joy, hope, and cheer. Many people are simplifying the holiday gift-giving process and trying to acquire and give less stuff and more experiences, charitable donations, time together, and consumable gifts that don’t clutter living rooms after the big day. All four of these recipes for simple and joyful edible gifts will work for almost anyone on your list. You can bulk up the gifts too by pairing a hot chocolate mix with the Pecan Crescent Cookies, a locally raised roasting chicken with the raspberry vinegar, a pound of Chilmark Coffee beans with the Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn, or a six pack from Cisco Brewers with the Sweet & Smoky Cocktail Nuts. I can guarantee that whoever receives your edible creation, they will thank you and feel the spirit of community with every bite.

Pecan Crescent Cookies

MAKES ABOUT 24 COOKIES

My grandmother, Polly, makes these simple, meltin-your-mouth Pecan Crescent Cookies every Christmas. With a short list of simple ingredients, and a dough made completely in the bowl of a food processor, these sugar-dusted cookies are an easy holiday bake and taste just as good in the morning with a cup of coffee as they do after dinner.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup pecans ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature ¼ cup granulated sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 2 In a food processor, pulse the pecans until the nuts become the texture of coarse sand. 3 Add in the butter, granulated sugar, flour, and vanilla. Pulse until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. 4 Remove the dough from the machine and place in a mixing bowl. 5 Grabbing about one tablespoon at a time, form the dough into small crescent shapes. The cookies should be about one inch long. Roll the crescents in powdered sugar and place on an ungreased baking sheet. 6 Bake the Pecan Crescents for 30 to 40 minutes. 7 Once the cookies are out of the oven and cooled, roll a second time in powdered sugar. 8 Pecan Crescent Cookies can be gifted in small tins, boxes, or filled inside of a mug.

Raspberry Vinegar

MAKES 1-2 GIFTS

The holiday season is certainly a time of indulgence which is why I love gifting a bright vinegar to balance out the sugar and butter. Raspberry Vinegar is delicious in salad dressings, BBQ sauces, and marinades. Plus, the deep pink hue is incredibly festive.

INGREDIENTS

1 pint raspberries 2 cups white wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1 Bring the vinegar to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. 2 Add in the berries and cook for 5 minutes. 3 Remove the pot from the heat and let cook slightly. 4 Pour the raspberry-vinegar mixture into a jar fitted with a lid and leave in the pantry for 3-4 days. 5 After a few days, strain the vinegar through a coffee filter to remove the fruit and seeds. Pour the raspberry vinegar into two tall jars for gifting.

Sweet & Smoky Cocktail Nuts

MAKES ABOUT 5 GIFTS

Small jars, tins, bags tied with ribbon, there are a million ways to gift these snackable Sweet & Smoky Cocktail Nuts. Want to really get in the spirit? Grab a friend’s favorite craft beer and drop off a six pack along with a jar of cocktail nuts— now that’s a nice gift!

INGREDIENTS

5 cups unsalted mixed nuts 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons maple syrup 3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary (about 4 stems) ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon smoky paprika 1 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2 In a small saucepan, melt the butter, maple syrup, rosemary, cayenne, smoky paprika, and salt together. 3 Put the mixed nuts in a mixing bowl. Pour the melted spiced butter over the nuts. Toss to combine. 4 Spread the flavored nuts onto a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. 5 Remove sheet from the oven and let the Sweet & Smoky Cocktail Nuts cool completely before packing into small jars, bags, bowls, or tins for sharing. The nuts will last for two weeks but taste best within the first five days.

Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn

MAKES 4-6 GIFTS

Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn has the perfect addictive balance of sweet and salty. If making your own caramel sauce at home intimidates you (it can be tricky!), try this simplified technique using brown rice syrup. It is straightforward and packed with winter spice.

INGREDIENTS 6 cups popcorn (you can pop your own, but I usually purchase plain salted popcorn to save time during the holiday season) 1/2 cup brown rice syrup 3 tablespoons peanut butter, smooth or chunky 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more to sprinkle

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 2 Set popcorn aside in a large mixing bowl. Add rice syrup to a small pot, place over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 3 Remove from heat, and add peanut butter, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon, and mix until smooth. 4 Pour mixture over popcorn and mix well with a rubber spatula to coat the popcorn. 5 Spread the sticky popcorn onto the lined baking sheet and bake for six minutes. 6 Remove the popcorn from the oven and sprinkle with a few more pinches of cinnamon. Allow to cool completely before packing into small bags, tins, or boxes. Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn is best within three days of making.