How to Make a Coffee Lover's Basket

Almost everyone has one person on their Christmas list that they don't know what the perfect gift is for them. You might even have more than one. If you have a coffee lover on your hands this year, a great gift idea is to make them a Coffee Lover's Gift Basket. This is really easy and pretty inexpensive. The idea of this gift is to give the person something that they really love and will actually use. Just take for example this situation. You give a family member a bread maker and they already have one. What do they do? They either return it or exchange it for something else, or they give it away by re-gifting it. It is much better to get them or create them something that they need, want, or will use. This is where this gift basket comes in. This basket is for that somebody on your list that just can't get around in the morning without their morning cup of Joe or for someone who get a pleasure out of sitting down and savoring a nice hot cup of coffee. Either way this basket will fit them.

First off, you will need a decent sized basket. It can be any size, but obviously if, it's too small, you won't be able to fit much into it, and if it's too big, it will cost more to fill it. After you have your basket, you can fill the bottom with tissue paper, shredded paper, or some other kind of basket filler. This will not only make the basket look fuller, but it will also help some items stand up. Next, you need to decide what you will put in the basket. I suggest getting five or more little sample-sized bags of different coffees from your local store. These are fairly inexpensive, but will give the gift receiver a lot of variety. These can be different flavors, different roasts, and even different origins. I also suggest either buying, or making flavored creamers or coffee stir ins. These are not hard to make at all and once again are fairly inexpensive. I will put a few recipes at the end of my suggestions. I would also like to suggest covered spoons, a pretty mug, and either cookies or biscotti. A few more suggestions are chocolate covered espresso beans, cappuccino mix, and anything else coffee related you can think of. You might even want to add a movie or book to the basket.

If you would like to add some homemade mixes, here are several to start with.

Christmas Biscotti Mix

Layer each of the following in a quart jar.

¾ cup of dried cranberries

¾ cup of shelled green pistachios

2 cups of all-purpose flour

½ tsp of ground cardamom

2 tsp of baking powder

2/3 cup of vanilla sugar (see Recipe Below).

Add more nuts or fruit to fill gaps.

Make a gift tag that reads: Beat 1/3 cup of butter in a large mixing bowl with a mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in 2 eggs and then stir in the contents of the jar just until they are combined. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Cover the halves and let them chill until they are easier to handle. Shape each portion of the dough into a 9 inch loaf. Place the two loaves at least 4 inches apart on a sprayed cooking sheet and flatten them until they are about 2 inches wide. Bake the loaves at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes. Make sure they are done by inserting a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's done. Cool the loaves on the cookie sheet for 1 hour and then cut each of the loaves diagonally into ½ inch thick slices. Place the slices, cut side down on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake again at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake another 8 to10 minutes. This makes them more dry and crisp. Cool them on a wire rack.

Vanilla Sugar

Fill a quart jar with 4 cups of sugar and cut a vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Insert both halves into the sugar and screw the lid on tightly. Store in a cool dry place for 4 weeks or more and then use.

Viennese Coffee Balls

Layer the following in a quart jar.

2 cups of chocolate chip cookies, crushed

1 ¼ cups of powdered sugar

1 cup of chopped toasted almonds

2 Tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp of instant espresso powder

¾ tsp of cinnamon

Add more nuts to fill gaps.

Make a gift tag that reads: empty the jar into a bowl. Add 4-5 Tbsp of water, just enough to moisten the mixture. Form into little balls and roll them in powdered sugar. Place on a baking pan and let them dry. Roll again with the powdered sugar and then serve.

Cinnamon Nut Coffee Cake Mix

You will need to mix the following ingredients in a bowl.

2 cups of self-rising flour

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1/3 cup of uncooked oats

3 Tbsp of buttermilk powder

1 tsp of cinnamon

¼ tsp of nutmeg

After mixing them together you will need to cut in ½ cup of butter-flavored shortening until the mixture is crumbly. Put this mixture into a Ziploc bag that is labeled "Cake Mix".

Next you will need to combine the following ingredients in a different Ziploc bag labeled "Topping Mix".

¼ cup of graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp of brown sugar

¼ tsp of cinnamon

¼ cup of chopped pecans.

Make sure to shake the bag to mix them together.

Make a gift tag that reads: Combine the cake mix, 2 large eggs, and 1 cup of water in a bowl. Stir this mixture just until moistened. Pour the mixture into a sprayed 9 inch square pan and sprinkle with the topping. Bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Make sure it is done using the toothpick test.

Irish Cream Coffee Creamer Mix

Combine the following ingredients in a blender on high speed blending them well.

1 package of butter mints, crushed

2 cups of chocolate malt powder

½ cup of Nestlé's chocolate drink mix powder

2 cups of non-dairy powdered coffee creamer

Toffee Coffee Mix

Combine the following ingredients in a bowl and then store in a jar.

2/3 cup of instant coffee

1 cup of non-dairy powdered creamer

1 cup of brown sugar

Make a gift card that says: Place 2 to 3 tsp of this mix in a mug and add boiling water. Enjoy!

These are just a few ideas and recipes that you can make for the coffee lover in your family. Make there holiday just as bright as yours. You will enjoy seeing their face light up when they receive this gift.