Three easy Dollar Store hacks to make fast, giftable treats!
Food items are a practical gift that almost everyone will enjoy, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Here I give you three recipes for simple treats that work well as gifts – and everything can be sourced at the Dollar Tree.
#1 Caramel Nut Biscotti
This is a super easy trick to dress up a store bought bag of plain biscotti. I used a bag of mixed nuts and a bar of caramel filled chocolate to make this quick gift for my favorite coffee drinker.
In a double boiler, melt the caramel filled chocolate bar over simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should NOT touch the water as the heat may scorch the chocolate. Heat gently to melt. Add some warmed milk, cream or butter (just a little) to thin the chocolate enough for it to be pourable. Adding too much liquid will prevent the chocolate from hardening.
While the chocolate is melting, pulse the nuts in a food processor until they are coarsely chopped. I used a bag of mixed nuts (which was mostly peanuts), but the Dollar Tree also has bags of almonds, pistachios and walnuts, too. For tips and tricks to tempering chocolate, click here.
Set up a work area with wax paper, or other surface, to cool the biscotti.
Dip the biscotti on one side into the chocolate, then press into the chopped nuts. Allow the biscotti to dry before packaging. Makes an entire bag of biscotti.
I suggest gifting this with coffee, hot chocolate, or a gift certificate to a local coffee shop (NOT Starbucks). You could try making a reusable gift box with a children’s book and some glue. Find the instructions here.
#2 Ho-Ho-Co-Co-Nut Truffles
This is a treat that can best be described as the love child of a Ho-Ho and an Almond Joy. The cream in the Swiss Rolls serves as the moisture in this truffle size cake pop.
Coarsely chop the nuts in a food processor and set aside. Chop the coconut candies into tiny pieces and set aside. Melt a bar of dark chocolate in a double boiler over simmer water. Do not melt chocolate over boiling water, it will scorch. Click here for tips on melting chocolate.
Smoosh 6 cake rolls in a bowl, adding the nuts and the coconut candy as you squish. With your hands, roll the mixture into balls out of one teaspoon of the mixture. There should be about 24 balls.
Dip each of he cake balls into the melted chocolate and transfer to wax paper using a fork. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Makes about 2 dozen.
#3 Chocolate Peppermint Truffles
Swiss cake rolls squished up with mints and covered in melted chocolate make a “minter” bite that evokes feelings of the holidays.
Swiss cake rolls make the perfect cake pop because they have just the right amount of cream to bring everything together. All one needs to do is add the candy or nuts. For this truffle, I added pulverized starlight mints.
Smoosh four cake rolls with 6 pulverized starlight mints and form into balls of 1 tsp. cake mixture.
Melt a dark chocolate bar in a double boiler and dip the cake balls into it. Use a fork to lift them from the chocolate and let cool on wax paper. Makes about one dozen.
Pulverize 6 starlight mints and sprinkle over the hot, melted chocolate.
Take a visit to your local Dollar Tree and find the ingredients for these semi-homemade holiday treats. They can be packaged in a number of different ways, but I would encourage gifting them in reusable packaging. Happy Eating!
