Flavored Sugar, Cappuccino Mix or Coffee Liqueur: Last-Minute Christmas Gifts

As the holidays draw near, you can still have time to make a few quick gifts. Flavored sugar is one of those. Flavored sugars can be spread on buttered toast, as you would cinnamon sugar (another additional flavored sugar), sprinkled on hot cereal, or even used in baking. Once the sugar is made, you can gift several in glass shaker jars with labels (I have used glass spice shakers that I saved when the spice was gone.), or give a small apocathary jar of one flavor.

REALLY Simple Vanilla Flavored Sugar

This one will amaze you how simple it is. Finding the right jar and buying the sugar and vanilla bean are the most difficult part of the entire process.

Use one whole vanilla beam and 3 to 5 pounds of granulated sugar. Get a bean that is as fresh as possible. It should be somewhat soft and pliable. Pour the sugar in the container and stick the bean into the sugar. Close the lid and you are done. You can get creative by making smaller containers and putting half the bean in, or decorating the container. The sugar can be replaced as it is used and the bean will last quite a while. Make a note on the gift letting the recipient know they can do this.

Orange or Lemon Flavored Sugar

Use the orange or lemon zest from about 7 of the fruits. You need 2/3 of a cup for the recipe. If you don't know how to make the zest the directions are in the lemon pepper recipe on this page.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/435229/homemade_seasonings_and_butters_as.html

Mix 4 cups of granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and the 2/3-cup of zest. Put in a container that has an airtight lid (A mason jar with a screw top or even the inexpensive plastic storage containers will do.) and store it in the refrigerator.

Give Instant Cappuccino Mix

Another interesting container gift is cappuccino mix, a tablespoon, and a mug. I just saw a bunch of mugs today that said, "You're the greatest teacher!" on sale for 10 cents. That's right, one thin dime. I almost bought one but I wouldn't have a recipient. This brings me to my philosophy on shopping for Christmas. Find things on sale and then decide how you will use them in your project and who gets it later. The following project won't cost an arm and a leg and is very quick.

Mix one cup of powdered chocolate milk mix with 3/4 cup of non-dairy creamer. Add 1/2 cup of instant coffee and a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. Shake it in a plastic zip lock bag until well blended and store. You can put this in a jar when you are ready to give it, or simply wrap the bag. The directions for making a drawstring bag can be found in this article if you choose.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/431546/goldwrapped_homemade_christmas_gifts.html

Attach a note that says: "Use a heaping tablespoon of mix per cup of boiling water. Stir well."

Give Coffee Liqueur

This one needs at least two weeks to cure. Put a note on the bottle not to use before a specific date, if you are really running out of time.

Mix 6 cups of granulated sugar with 1/2 cup of instant coffee. Pour in 2 1/2 quarts of boiling water. I have tried to make this with regular coffee, but you need to have it strong enough to make your hair stand on end (a little more than 2 times stronger than regular coffee.) and it has come out inconsistent. Add a quart of grain alcohol and 1/4 cup of vanilla extract. Mix well and bottle in a decorative bottle with a good tight lid. Store this in a dark place even after it is cured.