WRAPPING EDIBLE GIFTS
Whether you’re making cookies, salted caramels, candied citrus, infused salts or sugars, homemade grenadine, marmalade, spiced nuts, rum balls, or truffles this holiday season, putting thought into packaging can make the gift that much more meaningful. He
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Getting creative with your vessels adds to the gift itself — long after the shortbread is gone, the container keeps on giving. You can find mini two-tier tiffin carriers (a.k.a. dabbas) for about $10, and three- or four-tier versions are also widely available. You can offer a different treat in each tier.
In her book, Butter Celebrates (Appetite by Random House, 2015), Rosie Daykin recommends using a bamboo steamer, which you can buy by the layer at dollar stores or kitchen supply shops.
“They make the best vessels. They’re wonderful and so fun to unwrap because it’s almost like a box of chocolates — you keep going down layer by layer. You can keep it to two baked goods or you can spend a week and make seven different kinds of baked goods, and everyone gets two of each. It’s just that variety when you see it. It’s exciting, it’s fun,” Daykin says.
Mason jars are everywhere with good reason: they’re inexpensive and have a certain utilitarian charm. Find a wide variety at dollar or bulk stores, fill them with drop cookies and a Mason jar becomes a cookie jar. As an alternative to ribbon, use yarn to make pompoms, or tassels to adorn it.
PLAY WITH PAPER
“It’s really easy to get into origami; it’s just so much fun,” Flora Shum says. Fold origami boxes and decorations to give edible gifts some whimsy. Kids can get involved, too, by decorating or marbling the paper before making boxes or uncomplicated forms such as stars, leaves, and flowers. To attach origami to smooth surfaces that aren’t receptive to regular glue, such as glass, Shum uses glue dots — adhesive circles that are available by the roll at craft stores (e.g. Michaels).
Shum recommends the website origamiinstructions.com as a resource. The site has guides for dozens of boxes and much more. Line your origami boxes with parchment or wax paper, fill with truffles, cookies or candies and tie with ribbon. With your decorative paper scraps, make hang tags; Shum uses a punch she got at a craft store.
Embellish jars of preserves, or bottles of infused liqueurs and oils with easy origami pieces that can also be used as holiday ornaments, Shum suggests. The “fox box” is one of her favourites: you’ll need three square pieces of paper (Shum prefers 75 mm x 75 mm), and some pretty ribbon or elastic ribbon. (See paperkawaii.com for a origami “fox box” video tutorial.)
“Less is more, especially with origami. Everyone is just impressed that you folded something,” Shum says with a laugh. “I use a lot of marbled (paper) because it’s just so beautiful and everybody really likes it. I also like to use metallic origami paper because, especially for the holidays, it has a nice, festive touch to it.”
Fold origami boxes and decorations to give edible gifts some whimsy. Kids can get involved too, by decorating or marbling the paper.