Gifts From the Kitchen

I love looking for easy recipe ideas that make great gifts, and Christmas is the one time of year I want to impress people with my kitchen prowess. Having four children leaves me with little time, so I have to be very picky about choosing recipes that give the appearance I slaved away for hours while actually being quick and easy. My standard gifts from the kitchen are cinnamon butter and mini butter tarts.

Cinnamon Butter

Cinnamon butter is decadent and a super easy, three ingredient recipe. It is absolutely divine on toast, french toast, or any other baked good for that matter. Here’s how to spread the cinnamon love:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups room temperature salted butter
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar lightly packed
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. With a handheld or stand mixer beat all ingredients until well combined.

This recipe makes enough to fill seven 125 ml mason jars. That ’s four gifts for friends or family and three for your own stash. Shh, don’t tell.

Tie a pretty bow on these little jars of goodness, add a gift tag, and enjoy the season of giving.

Mini Butter Tarts

These butter tarts are all business. No nuts, raisins, or jam; just sweet, buttery heaven. This recipe is a family favourite and comes from my own mother’s kitchen. She’s not overly fond of cooking, but these tarts are so good that they make up for the canned green bean terror she rained down on our family while we were young, so that’s saying something. Any holiday treat with this much power for good deserves to be shared!

Preheat oven to 450

Ingredients:

• 1 egg beaten
• 1/3 cup butter melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 24 mini tart shells

Directions:

1. Whisk the first five ingredients together until well combined.
2. Arrange the tart shells on a cookie sheet and fill each shell.
3. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 325 and continue baking for 10 more minutes.

You should be able to get four gifts of a half dozen tarts out of this recipe. If I can stash away twelve tarts for two gifts before my family descends on them I’m happy. Let your tarts cool completely before you wrap them up.

There you go! Two easy and delicious gifts from the kitchen. If a culinary lightweight like myself can do it, you can too.

May your holidays be merry and bright!