Once, years ago, I decided to make cookies and fudge for all my coworkers and friends at Christmas. I thought people would appreciate a homemade gift, plus, I admit, I thought it would be cheaper (I was broke then) and easier than buying individual gifts for everyone.
I learned several important things during this experience: First, it turns out that buying all the butter, spices, sprinkles, etc. for many multiples of dozen of different types of cookies is expensive. It also took many more hours slaving away in the kitchen than I thought it would (and the clean up! Oy!). And perhaps most significantly, I found out I do not have a knack for baking, let alone fudge-making (after a failed attempt at making fudge on my own, I made and emergency appeal to my sister, who kindly helped me make another batch in her kitchen). After plating the cookies and fudge on festive holiday-themed paper plates, I wrapped them in plastic and finished it with ribbon, which I carefully curled. Transporting the cookies to work and friends proved to be a challenge, and indeed many of the cookies broke or were smooshed in the process. All in all, not what I would call a heartwarmingly successful attempt at spreading baked holiday cheer.
Never again have I even briefly considered distributing homemade confections at holiday time. Until now. Well, just maybe.
The inspiration for this rash reconsideration of oven-made gifting came from these paper loaf pans, which I think are pretty great for several reasons. First of all, you can bake right in them, which makes for much easier after-baking production line. I also love the fact that these aren’t slavishly Christmasy—they are not festooned with bright red and green Santas and reindeer, but instead a simple brown background is printed with a classy pattern in gold (a bonus–this design is also appropriate for non-gentiles). Instead of the raffia pictured here, I might use gold ribbon to make the presentation a bit merrier-looking. I will probably never mass-produce Christmas cookies again, but I can imagine myself stirring together a ginger-y, fruity, nutty, and/or pumpkin-y quick bread to give to friends or to present as a hostess gift.
A simple sweet quick bread certainly isn’t as time consuming to make as glittery snowman- and wreath-shaped cookies, but presented in this elegant packaging, it would be just as much a delight to behold, and just as appreciated by its recipient. Hark! Do I hear angels singing?
[$0.50 each at Sur La Table]
Entries (RSS)