Showing posts with label Gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gifts. Show all posts
Looking for a quick and easy treat or last-minute gift that tastes like pure comfort? These Hot Buttered Cinnamon Sugar Cheerios are the perfect answer. Golden cereal tossed together with melted butter and vanilla before skillet toasting.
Once done they are sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and left to cool. You can enjoy them warm and fragrant, or let them cool completely before snacking on them. This is a simple recipe that transforms everyday Cheerios into an irresistible snack.
I first ran across this recipe on the Betty Crocker site and immediately bookmarked it. I knew that it would be the perfect snack for sharing or gifting during the Holidays. They showed three tasty ways of doing these, each one sounding absolutely delicious.
Since it is Christmas, and we are all looking for quick and easy ideas for gifting to neighbors and friends, I thought this Cinnamon Sugar version would be perfect. Crunchy, buttery, little donut-flavored bits of sweetness.
What I hadn't reckoned on was how delicious they were going to be. I now need to make more. Be warned, aside from being really quick and easy to make these are incredibly moreish and addictive!!
In all fairness, I did use multi-grain cheerios to make them a bit healthier. SHHH!!! 😉
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE
HOT BUTTERED CINNAMON SUGAR CHEERIOS
Five simple ingredients and about ten minutes of your time. That's all you need.
- 4 cups (102g) cheerios cereal (I used multi-grain)
- 1/4 cup (60g) salted butter
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
HOW TO MAKE HOT BUTERED CINNAMON SUGAR CHEERIOS
Nothing could be easier.
- Whisk the sugar and ground cinnamon together evenly in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Whisk in the vanilla until evenly amalgamated. Add the cheerios.
- Cook and stir, coating the cereal evenly with the butter. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes until the cereal is lightly toasted. Remove from the heat.
- Add the cinnamon sugar and toss everything together to coat the cheerios with the sugar mixture.
- Leave to cook for a few minutes, then enjoy.
- If not eating right away, store in an airtight jar or zip lock baggie.
SIMPLE IDEAS FOR GIFTING
- Pop into a pretty jar, add a square of festive fabric, or a paper napkin to make a holiday topper, and tie it on with a pretty colored ribbon along with a tag telling the recipient what it is and what is in it.
- Put a jar of these into a gift basket along with some other festive goodies and snacks along with a DVD of a favorite Christmas film.
- Pop into a decent Kilner jar and tie some jingle bells around the jar using some kitchen twine. I found these really cute acorn jingle bells which are really cute.
VARIATIONS
- Leave out the vanilla and cinnamon sugar and just toss together with your favorite herbs and seasonings. You can add herbs to the butter rather than vanilla and a bit of seasoning salt. Thyme or chopped rosemary are nice, as is Italian Seasoning. If using Italian seasoning, you can also add a bit of finely grated Parmesan cheese when you go to serve them.
- If making the sweet version you can add chocolate chips when they have cooled to room temperature. Butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips. All work well.
- You can add toasted nuts or pretzels to the mix if you want along with some sweet raisins o dried cranberries.
- Add colored candy-coated chocolate bits for color and variety.
You can also make these in the microwave if you wish. Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave. (30 to 45 seconds on high. Whisk the vanilla in well. Stir in the cereal to coat. Return to the microwave and cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to stir them at one-minute intervals. Remove from the microwave and toss together with the cinnamon sugar to coat.
HINTS & TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- Read through the recipe thoroughly before beginning to help familiarize yourself with anything you need to know.
- Gather together all of your ingredients before you start. This will help to prevent you from leaving anything out.
- Make sure you use only the freshest of ingredients. This is not the time to get rid of your stale cereal.
- Keep your skillet at a medium temperature and keep stirring so that neither the butter nor the creal burn. It doesn't take long to toast them to perfection.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CAN I USE ANY OTHER KIND OF CEREAL?
I suppose any kind of shaped cereal that isn't already sweetened would work in this recipe. You don't want to be using cereal that is already sugar coated however.
CAN I MAKE THIS WITHOUT SUGAR?
You can certainly make a savory version of this by just using butter and your favorite savory seasonings.
CAN I ADD ANYTHING TO THIS TO VARY IT?
You could add some dry roasted peanuts, pretzel nuggets, white or milk chocolate chips, or candy-coated chocolate bits if you wanted to. See above for more ideas.
HOW LONG WILL THIS KEEP?
It will keep for several weeks in an airtight container. You can also freeze it and it will keep for much longer. Just pop into a zip lock baggie and freeze. If frozen, bring to room temperature to snack on.
A FEW MORE HOLIDAY SNACK & GIFT IDEAS
If you are like me, you can always use a few snack and gift recipe ideas to tuck up your sleeve for the holidays. Here are a few more favorites!
TOFFEE POPCORN BARK - Three simple ingredients, one incredibly moreish snack. This goes together in a flash and looks really pretty tucked into cellophane bags, tied up with colored ribbons.
HOMEMADE BITS AND BITES - The Canadian version of Chex Mix. Quick and easy to make with Shreddies, cheerios, pretzel sticks, cheese crackers, corn Chex, and optional peanuts. All tossed together in a spicy buttery mixture and toasted to crisp and golden perfection in the oven. So, so, so delicious!
Pin this recipe to your Holiday Snacks or Easy Gifting boards and remember to FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram!
That way you can be assured that you are always up to date with fresh content as soon as I post it. You can also sign up to receive a weekly newsletter from Grow. Thank you!
Yield: 8 servings
Hot Buttered Cinnamon Sugar Cheerios
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 5 MinTotal time: 10 Min
An incredibly moreish snack that is quick and easy to make, perfect for the holidays and for a last-minute gift.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (102g) cheerios cereal (I used multi-grain)
- 1/4 cup (60g) salted butter
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Whisk the sugar and ground cinnamon together evenly in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Whisk in the vanilla until evenly amalgamated. Add the cheerios.
- Cook and stir, coating the cereal evenly with the butter. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes until the cereal is lightly toasted. Remove from the heat.
- Add the cinnamon sugar and toss everything together to coat the cheerios with the sugar mixture.
- Leave to cook for a few minutes, then enjoy.
- If not eating right away, store in an airtight jar or zip lock baggie.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Thanks for visiting! Do come again!!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right-hand side of the screen.
Our blackberries are coming fast and furious on our canes at the moment. They seem to be a bit earlier this year than before, but I say that every year. Blackberry Liqueur is something I have always wanted to try making and so this year I thought I would actually do it.
It was actually relatively easy to make. You simply mash a quantity of clean berries and then leave them to macerate for a couple of days with a bottle of wine.
It says to use a medium bodied wine. I looked that up and a medium bodied wine would be a Merlot, Shiraz, Tempranillo or Nebbiolo. I wouldn't really know one wine from another as we are not wine drinkers really, but I used a Shiraz.
I do know that in cooking they say you shouldn't use any wine that you would not drink, and so I used a moderately priced one. Not the most expensive, but not the cheapest either!
You clean your berries really well, removing and discarding any leaves or stems, etc. and then you mash them in a large non-reactive container. I used a large glass bowl. That's when you add the wine.
Give it all a good stir and then leave it to macerate for 48 hours. Cover it of course so nothing falls into it. I used a clean tea towel.
At the end of that time you strain the juice twice. Once through a fine mesh sieve to remove all the seeds, etc. and then again through a bit of cheesecloth to make sure absolutely no debris remains and you have a nice clear liquid. Any solids left behind might go mouldy, so you really need to be careful there are none left.
After that you heat it gently with a quantity of sugar, until the sugar melts . . . and then you add some alchohol. Vodka or gin. I used vodka.
At that point it is ready to decant into clean and sterile bottles, ready to seal and store in a dark place, ready for gifting, or keeping depending on your religious affinity.
As with most of these things, the longer they sit the better they get, or so I am told. I did share a bottle with my next door neighbor and she thought it was quite nice!
I call that a win!
I used Kilner clip top square bottles, and filled five of them.
Very pretty and jewel-like. Very festive. I suspect it will be really nice by the time Christmas rolls around.
Homemade Blackberry Liqueur
Yield: 1 scant litre (35 oz)
prep time: 48 hourcook time: 8 Mtotal time: 48 H & 8 M
This sweet and fruity liqueur is amazingly easy to make. It is also known as Creme d Mure. It would make the perfect gift for all your friends who drink alcohol this Christmas and is the perfect thing to make from some of that Blackberry Glut.
Ingredients:
- 5 cups blackberries, picked through, de-stemmed and washed (700g)
- 26 1/2 ounces of a medium bodied red wine (750cl bottle, I used Shiraz)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1/2 cup of vodka or gin (120ml)
Instructions:
- Measure your berries into a large glass or other non-reactive bowl. Mash them with a potato masher and then pour the bottle of wine over top. Cover with a clean towel and leave to macerate for 48 hours in a cool dark place. Give them a bit of a mash every now and then.
- When 48 hours is finished, strain everything through a mesh sieve to remove all of the berries and debris. Strain again through some cheese cloth to make sure you have a clean juice without anything extra in it.
- Pour the juice into a large saucepan. Add the sugar. Heat gently to a simmer and leave to warm over low heat for about 8 minutes, until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the alcohol.
- Leave to cool completely and then decant into clean sterile bottles. Store in a cool dark place. If your bottles are sterile it should keep for a very long time, if not then keep an eye on it and use it within a year.
I labeled my jars with the Innoveem Labels for Jars.
They worked really well. These are a nice size and perfect for this purpose. I have used these before and I can attest that you really can remove them without any sticky residue being left behind and they are very easy to write on. I think all of the shapes are quite attractive!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
Most of the year I am not much of a hot drink lover. I know lots of people can't live without their tea or coffee, or hot chocolate, but its just not something I crave every day. I used to own my own coffee shop when my kids were small, and I confess . . . . I did drink a lot of coffee back then.
But vanity caused me to stop drinking it about 30 years or so ago. I didn't like the way it stained the teeth, tea as well, and I couldn't afford to go to the Dentist very often, and so I just stopped drinking it. Then of course I joined the Church of Jesus Christ in the year 1999, and we have a health law called the Word of Wisdom and we don't drink tea or coffee as a part of that anyways.
Latter Day Saints do love their hot chocolate however, but as a person who has never liked chocolate milk or hot chocolate, that doesn't do it for me either! I have the occasional one, but its not something I go out of my way for.
Long about this time of year however, I start craving this Strawberry Hot Cocoa. It is a homemade mix . I got the recipe from a Gooseberry Patch book quite a number of years ago now called Autumn in the Country and is attributed to Tammy Moody from Thomasville, GA.
I just love the Gooseberry Patch Recipe books. Each one is like sitting down with an old friend. All the recipes in them are pretty good. I've never tried one I didn't fall in love with and this is one of those!
Its very easy to make and so delicious, using only 4 basic ingredients. Non-dairy coffee creamer, strawberry drink mix, powdered milk and sugar. It does make quite a bit, but that's no problem as we gobble it up during these colder months.
I like it so much more than not cocoa, firstly because its not chocolate, and secondly because it melts instantly into the boiling water in your mug. It doesn't clump or leave any powdery residue. In short its perfection!
Of course sometimes as an additional treat, and when I need an extra pick me up, I will top each serving with a small handful of pink and white mini marshmallows.
So lovely and indulgent . . . so simple . . . perfect for biscuit dunking!
I really do love it. It has a nice mild strawberry flavour and beautiful consistency.
It is also perfect for this time of year to make as gifts for friends and family. You can mix it up pronto and divide it into clean jars for giving.
Always adding of course a tag which give instructions on how to use it. You can make it a gift on it's own or you can pop it into a basket with a few other goodies for giving.
Perhaps a really festive Christmas mug, filled with a bag of marsh mallows, a cute tin of shortbread biscuits, a nice plaque that they can hang on the wall, etc. Anything festive goes. You can let your gift-giving imagination go wild here!
Strawberry Hot Cocoa Mix
Yield: About 6 cups of milk
This is my absolute favourite hot drink in the winter. I keep it in a tightly covered jar near my kettle so that it is ready to hand when I am craving something creamy and hot. It also makes a nice gift for the holidays, neighbours, hostess gift, etc.
ingredients:
- 725g powdered milk (25.6 oz pkg.)
- 455g powdered strawberry drink mix (16 oz pkg.)
- 170g powdered non-dairy coffee creamer (6 oz jar)
- 195g caster sugar (1 cup)
- mini marshmallows to serve (optional)
instructions:
How to cook Strawberry Hot Cocoa Mix
- Whisk all of the ingredients together until well combined. Store in a covered airtight container. To use place 240ml/1 cup of boiling water in a mug and stir in 3 to 4 heaped TBS of the mix. Delicious! Marshmallows on top are optional but very nice!
Oh I do so love this time of year when I can begin digging out all of my festive dishes and decorations!! Don't you? I confess to being especially fond of festive salt and pepper shakers! I have about 4 different sets!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons