Homemade Gifts – FoodWatcher

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Homemade Sour Strawberry Gummies

These homemade sour gummies are bursting with strawberry flavor from real fruit, coated with citric acid and sugar for a spectacularly sour finish. Making your own gummy candies is not for the feint of heart, but the results are well worth the effort. These pectin-based gummies are sweet and sour with a delightful jelly-like texture […]

The post Homemade Sour Strawberry Gummies first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

These homemade sour gummies are bursting with strawberry flavor from real fruit, coated with citric acid and sugar for a spectacularly sour finish.

Making your own gummy candies is not for the feint of heart, but the results are well worth the effort. These pectin-based gummies are sweet and sour with a delightful jelly-like texture that you’ll adore.

Stack of Homemade Strawberry Gummies coated in sour sugar, one candy with a bite out of it; fresh strawberries scattered around.

Before we start, let me just say: these aren’t those kinds of gummies. Don’t get me wrong, they are plenty fun, but just not that kind of fun, if you know what I mean. I have no experience with such confections (we live in the wrong state for that), and thus I cannot advise as to how you might convert this recipe into that kind of recipe, so please don’t ask. Sorry!

Now that that is cleared up, let me tell you a bit about these delightful (and family friendly!) sour strawberry gummy candies.

There is a lot of info in this post, including plenty of sugar science, that I encourage you to read through before attempting this recipe.

Backlit stack of Homemade Sour Strawberry Gummies with a single stemmed strawberry balanced on top.

Made using real fruit (versus fruit extract or flavoring concentrates like many gummy recipe), these homemade gummies taste like a perfectly ripe spring strawberry, only more intense. Both the sugar and the citric acid serve to amp up the strawberry flavor even more.

The gummy itself is not overly sour; rather, the tart kick comes from a coating of sugar mixed with citric acid. You can certainly opt to use just sugar if you wanted a sweeter gummy (though don’t leave out the citric acid in the candy base itself as that is necessary for a proper set). You can also increase the citric acid in the coating for a truly mouth-puckering result.

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Seeds & Cheese Crackers

These seeds & cheese crackers are made from two kinds of cheese and five different kinds of seeds, baked to light and crispy perfection. They’d make a unique and delicious addition to any cheese board! If you love the lacy bits of crispy cheese that form on the edges of a grilled cheese sandwich, these […]

The post Seeds & Cheese Crackers first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

If you love the lacy bits of crispy cheese that form on the edges of a grilled cheese sandwich, these (naturally gluten free) crackers are for you! The addition of five different kinds of seeds makes for a unique textural experience that is deeply satisfying.

Stack of Seeds and Cheese Cracker pieces on a speckled ceramic plate

I was finally able to get out to California to visit my family last month, which was a lovely treat after so many months (er, years?) of not being able to travel.

Granted, I spent most of my time there loafing on my sister’s extremely comfy couch binge watching all the trashy TV that Taylor doesn’t like, which is pretty close to what I’d be doing at home. But being able to do so with my sister? Priceless.

One day we had a lovely lunch with my aunt and uncle who I hadn’t seen since… well it’s been so long I can’t even remember now.

Along with a lovely assortment of prepared salads, she set out a spectacular snack plate with a few different kinds of crackers and cheeses. One of those crackers happened to be a cracker made out of cheese, and after one bite I was hooked. I literally could not stop eating them.

After politely inquiring as to the origins of said crackers (my brain already running through recreation possibilities), my aunt revealed they were called Seeds & Cheese Crackle from Market Hall in downtown Oakland (if you’ve never been, it’s magical; like Disneyland for food lovers).

The ingredients list was short and simple, just seeds and (you guessed it) cheese, and I was certain I’d be able to recreate them at home.

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Matcha White Chocolate Crunch Bark

With mesmerizing swirls of matcha and creamy white chocolate on a base of dark chocolate and crispy puffed quinoa, this truly unique chocolate bark is a masterpiece of texture and flavor. Whether made as a homemade holiday gift or an indulgent treat for yourself, this matcha white chocolate crunch bark is both beautiful and delicious… […]

The post Matcha White Chocolate Crunch Bark first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

With mesmerizing swirls of matcha and creamy white chocolate on a base of dark chocolate and crispy puffed quinoa, this truly unique chocolate bark is a masterpiece of texture and flavor.

Whether made as a homemade holiday gift or an indulgent treat for yourself, this matcha white chocolate crunch bark is both beautiful and delicious… and sure to be a new holiday staple!

Stack of cut pieces of Matcha White Chocolate Crunch Bark showing the layers, cup with matcha latte and bowl of matcha powder in the background

Chocolate bark is one of my favorite last-minute holiday recipes. I’ll often use up all the random bits of chocolate I have left from my holiday baking, swirling them into pretty (and pretty delicious) slabs of chocolatey delight.

Not to mention the endless possibilities of flavors and toppings… from peanut butter to creme de menthe, freeze-dried fruit to crunchy cookie bits. And now this one, featuring grassy matcha swirled with sultry white chocolate and a base of dark chocolate to offset the sweetness.

I actually first started testing this recipe last year, but I wasn’t completely happy with the appearance of it (turns out rainbow sprinkles aren’t always the best choice), and seeing as it was practically Christmas already, I ended up tabling the idea for this year instead.

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Dehydrated Citrus Wheels

DEHYDRATED CITRUS WHEELSSo I’m really excited about our post today because it’s dehydrated citrus wheels! I love when winter rolls around and we’re able to enjoy all the fun seasonal citrus. I specifically get really excited for tange…

DEHYDRATED CITRUS WHEELS

So I’m really excited about our post today because it’s dehydrated citrus wheels! I love when winter rolls around and we’re able to enjoy all the fun seasonal citrus. I specifically get really excited for tangerines, blood oranges and Meyer lemons. Although the process can be a…

MOST RECENT

Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Rich and creamy, sweet and boozy – this whiskey-infused caramel sauce makes a perfect homemade holiday gift! The boozy secret ingredient in this luscious homemade caramel sauce will garner praise and awe from all those who taste it. My mom regularly makes double batches of my whiskey caramel sauce to accompany my chocolate whiskey bundt […]

Rich and creamy, sweet and boozy – this whiskey-infused caramel sauce makes a perfect homemade holiday gift!

The boozy secret ingredient in this luscious homemade caramel sauce will garner praise and awe from all those who taste it.

Three jars of homemade whiskey caramel sauce, one jar mostly empty with a few drips, and printed black and white labels.

My mom regularly makes double batches of my whiskey caramel sauce to accompany my chocolate whiskey bundt cake recipe, claiming that the sauce itself (not the cake, mind you) always gets tons of raves and compliments whenever she makes it and she likes to have extra on hand to send home with her dinner guests.

Which got me thinking that maybe this recipe, simple as it may be, deserved its own post.

A spoon drizzling homemade whiskey caramel sauce into a jar full of caramel

Whether you drizzle it on a moist chocolate bundt cake or over homemade vanilla bean ice cream, slather it on yeasted Belgian waffles or boozy French toast, swirl it into fudgy pecan brownies or spoon it on top of a slice of New York-style cheesecake… this spiked caramel sauce is not only incredibly versatile, it’s a revelation.

Bonus that it makes a great homemade holiday gift too (and be sure to scroll to the bottom to download my free printable gift labels!)

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