Well, we had a GREAT Christmas today (since we celebrated early due to hubby’s work schedule)!
The kiddos each got Nintendo DS lites,……but not games (that’s what we told grandparents they wanted :)
and a few other toys.
Hubby and I The girls had a great time playing with their toys after they opened them and are already asking about our next Christmases (we will be having 2 more!).
SO,……
I just can’t help myself when it comes to hot cocoa flavored with candy cane!
So, when I was making up some cute gifts for friends and neighbors I HAD to find a way to combine the two :)
So, I covered the tops of some “freecycled” jars and filled them mostly with hot cocoa mix.
Then, I made up a batch of candy cane mini marshmallows and topped off the jar with those!
To cover the lid of the jar, I started by painting the tops white since most of them were dark colors.
Then, I cut some cute tissue paper a little bigger than the lid and mod podged it on. I topped that off with 2 more coats of MP.
For the marshmallows, I followed this recipe from Our Best Bites (did you see they gave away a Blendtec blender?!?!?!?! How did I miss that one!), but used 1/2 tsp each of vanilla and peppermint extract.
Then, since I liked the look of Martha’s so much (but not so much the recipe), I swirled red into mine.
Wait till the very last……right after it finishes on the mixer, fold in around 1/2~1 tsp of red food coloring. You need to do this quickly and then pour it into your prepared pan.
I also used a cookie sheet since I wanted them to be on the thinner side. It makes it easier to cut into mini pieces or for cutting into shapes.Then, you just use your handy~dandy pizza cutter to cut the sheet up.
I really liked the cute little candy cane shapes, and let the kiddos help cut some of those.
Make sure you roll your pizza cutter or cookie cutter in the cornstarch/powdered sugar mix after each cut.
AND toss the finished ones in the mix too.
Those marshmallows are STICKY!!
This batch made 2 big bowls full of minis!
Now toss them into the jar filled with cocoa…..
AND
Finish the jars with some cute ribbon and a tag….
AND
voila!!
You have some cute and yummy to hand out to all your friends.
Have fun!
About Emily Mcdonald
What a cute idea and a cuter gift ;)
Those marshmallows are so cool. And the gifts are adorable. Merry Christmas!
I am a sucker for homemade marshmellows… love them!
this is toooooo cute. i love this idea. thanks for sharing!