‘Tis the season for that dreaded and sometimes painful ritual of exchanging gifts, faking surprised joy at unfortunate choices such as underwear and socks, and later making covert exchanges for things slightly less loathsome. As much as I try to appreciate how “it’s the thought that counts,” I can’t help but think of each Hannukah party with vague trepidation, even going so far as to practice my “happily surprised” face in the mirror before leaving. Though things have certainly improved since previous years, thanks to the advent of this little thing called the internet, where I have a handy little wish list all set up to direct those well-meaning but misguided gift givers. I, however, have found that the tables have now turned, and I’m on the other side of the equation, awkwardly handing out presents that may or may not hit their mark, sometimes to comical degrees of failure.

So here I sit, right on the precipice of holiday baking, utterly unsure about where to begin. There are the relatives, friends, and coworkers, all so completely different that they each may as well have a magnetic force that repels them apart, so impossible would it be to ever see everyone in one place together. No matter, there is one thing that unites them; a love, or at least appreciation, of good food. Figuring that just about anything homemade, sweet, and delicious couldn’t go too far wrong it’s just a matter of narrowing down the options…

Caramels are always a nice choice- Easy to make scads at a time, and very adaptable in terms of adding flavors for your own unique spin, too. This recipe has served me well before, with the simple substitution of soy or coconut creamer for the cream, and margarine for the butter. Already fantastic as is, I can’t help but toy with the idea of using molasses instead of corn syrup, with the addition of a hefty dose of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Gingerbread caramels, anyone?

Of course, there’s always the classic brittle, simple enough to whip up in about 5 minutes and always well received (baring nut-allergies, naturally.) The original peanut is definitely tasty, but my Pistachio Chai version (recipe in Nov/Dec VegNews) was such a hit around the house, and the warm spices are perfectly appropriate for winter, this might be the perfect thing to make in mass quantities.

Having recently received the above peanut butter cups myself from the ever-thoughtful and talented Mimi Clark, I remembered how absolutely wonderful such a simple treat can be. Hers were near flawless, perfectly tempered and with just enough salt in the filling to really bring out the fresh peanut flavor- It’s the little touches that really count. These would be fantastic to make and give as well.

Two years ago, I made my family members their own full pans of cinnamon rolls, nestled into cute little brown and gold paper rounds and topped with sticky maple glaze. Though they wouldn’t travel or ship as well as many other options, they were met with such rave reviews, I feel practically obligated to mention them once more.

Oh, and how could I chat so long about homemade gifts without mentioning the chocoholic’s holiday staple, fudge! Also infinitely adaptable, easy to store, send share, and makes about a million servings per pan because just a little square should do you. This one is simple enough to whip together at the last minute, even for someone a bit more challenged in the kitchen.

Speaking of all this candy, don’t forget that any Halloween candies can easily be converted into a more seasonally appropriate treat, too. Imagine how wonderful it would be to discover a Cashew Joy in your stocking on Christmas morning! Just pick out festive wrappers and bags to present your goodies in, and no one will be the wiser.

It seems silly to suggest cookies, since they’re probably the first thing that anyone considers, but it’s worth poking through the archives to unearth a few gems. Turns out, I have two types of peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies with a malty twist, spicy animal crackers, ultra-chocolatey little numbers, rocky road bars, and even some biscuits for the four-legged friends among us. And that’s just on this little old blog! For more options, my favorite online recipe resources is VegWeb, and they have cookies galore to choose from.

Now, I know that some people on your gift list can be tricky, and claim to not have a sweet tooth. Craziness, I know! Anyway, you can still humor them and make them something they’ll enjoy, too. A homemade blend of dukkah would be just lovely, and especially well-suited to someone who likes to cook and may come up with creative uses for it. Along those same lines, homemade spice mixtures are great for the “cook with everything,” because while they may not buy such things for themselves, they really are fun and convenient to have around. Plus, you may even be able to introduce them to new flavors altogether! Don’t forget to toast your spices and grind them yourself to make the mix extra special and flavorful.

Well, those are the first things I can think of off the top of my head… but I’m still not sure what I’m what to make!  What are you cooking, baking, and giving this year?

Baking and cooking away with the oven cranked to the upper 300’s and stainless steel pots and pans occupying more than half of the burners on the stove, there were a lot of projects to juggle at once.  Slowly turning a deeper shade of golden amber, the caramel bubbling in a high-sided pan needs near constant attention, demanding to be swirled and coddled while threatening to burn, requiring more love than a 5-year old on the edge of a temper tantrum.  Then there was the saucepan of margarine, still in the early stages of melting, destined to be cooked down to a nutty hazelnut hue for browned butter, which could be ignored for the most part right now.  Directly behind that sat sugar syrup, having already rocketed up to the soft ball stage, and now cooling its heels until it levels out around 130, ready to be beaten into a luscious chocolate fudge.  But what was I forgetting?  Things were pretty well under control, all things considered, and I was wrapping up that caramel with a finishing pinch of salt when it hit me: The oven.

I forgot all about the contents of the oven.

Dropping my utensils with a clatter on the granite counter, I heaved open the door with a great energetic flourish, relieved that at least nothing had burnt, per say, and the smoke detectors weren’t wailing with displeasure.  Although I can’t say as much for myself.

Augh, the coookies are ruined, they’re way too dark! Examining each dark brown puck with a critical eye, there was no way I could pass these overcooked biscuits off as light and lovely sugar cookies.  Now, it would be hours of mixing, chilling dough, rolling, cutting, and baking again to make up for my mistake, and there simply weren’t enough hours in the day left.

What’s to be done?  Toss out the offending cookies and start again, forgoing sleep for yet another night?  Just say “screw it all” and show up to the holiday party empty-handed?  Weighing the pros and cons, possibilities and improbabilities after getting over my initial hissy fit, it hit me that there was a way around both undesirable scenarios.  Acting quickly while the offending cookies were still warm, I plucked each and every one off of their cozy silpats and chucked them straight into the food processor.  Blitzed to a fine powder, the dry and overdone wafers were already looking better.  On top of that dry mess, a serious scoop of cocoa powder obscured the fact that these should have been a much more elegant shade of light tan, and an additional glug or two of oil brought new moisture back into those previously desert-dry disks.  Finally, drizzling in just enough soymilk to bring the whole thing together, like magic, I had a brand new cookie dough, ready to hit the oven [again.]

It may sound crazy, but it ultimately saved my butt, and got me into bed at a semi-reasonable hour.  Though not the prettiest cookies to be plattered, sandwiched together with a generous dollop of ganache at the center, they weren’t left wanting in the flavor department.

So impressed at the results of this hair-brained scheme, I just had to share it near and far. Should you find you’re in need of a similar quick fix when it comes time to churn out the holiday baked goods, or any time for that matter, just suspend disbelief, don’t chuck your overdone treats into the trash, and give this trick a try. It might save you a lot of stress, and a sleepless night, too!

Not to sound cocky, but there’s little that can intimidate me these days when it comes to elaborate recipes and complicated baking procedures. In fact, I get a certain thrill from the more difficult preparations- The more involved, the better! That’s why I signed up to be a Daring Baker, after all, and have continued to meet the challenge every month for exactly two years now. It boggles the mind how time flies… And yet, there is still one fear that I haven’t fully conquered: Frying. How perfect that it should be the chosen method for creating my second anniversary challenge.

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Sure, I’ve fried a good number of times, and am certainly no stranger to a vat of hot oil bubbling away on the stove, but it takes a bit of doing to work up my courage to approach it. Forever scarred by safety videos warning of the dangers of hot oil spills and the resulting 3rd degree burns, it’s the mental image of melting flesh that tempts me into putting away the jug of oil and flipping on the oven instead. No matter, there was no way baking would result in nearly as crispy or delicious cannoli shells, and so this was on fear that needed to be faced.

I’d love to say that my worry was all for naught, but alas, this was perhaps one of the most painful Daring Baker challenges I’ve ever endured. Though I did indeed feel the burn of a few errant splatters, dropping in the heavy homemade cannoli forms with too much enthusiasm, and scorched the tips of my fingers clear off while wrestling them onto waiting paper towels, it was the damn lemon that did me in.

You see, my shells were flavored with a gingerbread-inspired melange of spices and a touch of molasses, and the filling was a light and creamy lemon custard. It was while zesting a lemon that my hand slipped… And I very forcibly zested all the way down my left thumb. There was a brief and frightening threat of getting stitches, at which point I decided that it wasn’t so bad, really, and finished filling and photographing the cannoli. They were beautiful, and got rave reviews, but I must admit I had no appetite for them by the time all was said and done.

The good news is, I did not end up needing stitches, and now two weeks later, I can finally bend my thumb without it splitting open again. Ah, the little victories in life… I just don’t think that cannolis will become a regular staple in my repertoire, and perhaps, I should find a safer lemon zester!