Plate Up. Christmas Jar Recipe Hamper

I’ve been a busy little Christmas elf these past few weeks, browsing the stores, buying goodies online and even making some presents myself. If you’re short of gift ideas for your nearest and dearest then might I suggest this little hamper of jar recipes. Jar recipes you ask? Yes, the ingredients for something delicious are all in jars and then you simply attach little instructions for your gift-receiver to make themselves. Great for those who love to cook; it’s thoughtful, shows effort, and most importantly, is utterly delicious. For my little hamper I’ve opted for mulled wine, gingerbread, hot chocolate and fried chicken, but the possibilities are endless – have a Google and you’ll see what I mean!

What you’ll need
Craft:
4 assorted screw-top jars (I like these ones)
A box
Some filler
Paper tags
Ribbon

Mulled wine:
4-6 cinnamon sticks
6 star anise
2 tablespoons cloves
1 tablespoon cardamom pods
2 tablespoons all spice
A crack of pepper

Gingerbread:
100g soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon all spice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
225g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarb soda

Hot chocolate:
2 tablespoons malt powder
2 tablespoons corn flour
3 tablespoons icing sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
100g dark chocolate, grated
A pinch of cinnamon
A pinch of sea salt

Fried chicken:
3 cups plain flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
A pinch of salt and pepper

What to do

First things first, make sure you’ve washed out your jars and thoroughly dried them.

Then start with the mulled wine. In a small bag give your cinnamon sticks and star anise a bash with a rolling pin to crush them. Add these into a small jar along with the rest of the ingredients.

Seal it, give it a shake and set aside. One done.

Next the gingerbread (my fave!), take a medium-sized jar and add the sugar, ginger, all spice and cinnamon.

Give it a mix around, then pack it down tightly with a spoon. Combine your flour, baking powder and bi-carb, then pour this on top.

Seal it up and no shaking this time. Two down.

Third, hot chocolate. This one’s really easy. Take a small jar and add all your ingredients.

Try not to make a total mess with the cocoa like I did!

 Seal it, give it a shake and set aside. That’s three.

Finally, the coating for finger lickin’ly good fried chicken. Take a large jar and add in your flour, then carefully add all the other ingredients on top so you end up with a nice colourful layer.

Seal it up and don’t shake this one either.

So that’s it, jars done, now it’s just a matter of making your little labelling instructions (I’ve included mine below for you, you can be a little creative) and tying them on with some ribbon.

Pop the filler in your box then layer in your jars. I went for red and green for Christmas but if it’s for a birthday present then all you need to do is change up your ribbon colours. Voila!

Instructions:

Mulled wine:
In a large saucepan add a bottle of red wine, 2 tbsp of honey/sugar, the zest & juice of 1 orange & 1 tablespoon of this mix (use a muslin cloth or tea strainer). Heat until steaming but do not boil.

Gingerbread:
Mix 150g melted butter, 1 tbsp golden syrup & 1 egg yolk. Add to these dry ingredients, mix well then knead into dough. Chill for 15mins then roll out & cut into biscuits. Bake at 180C for 8-10mins.

Hot chocolate:
Simply add to warm milk then cosy up with a blanket…

Fried chicken:
Spread this dry mixture onto a plate & crack an egg into a separate bowl. Dip your chicken in the dry coating, then dip it in the egg, then dip it in the coating again before frying.

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Photos by Krissie.