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Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen

© Dar Cheek

Some of my favorite memories of growing up were being in the kitchen with family and friends preparing for the holidays. My mother made goodies for everyone she knew, but it was a chore to keep us from eating them before they were delivered to the intended person! Maybe that's why it took days and days of cooking to get everything done?

Even today, all those cookies and candies are a part of my holiday activities. It's a tradition that I hope to pass down to my nieces and nephews to enjoy with their own families.

My mother would also never give us money to buy Christmas presents with, but she'd let me use whatever she had in the kitchen, so even at a young age, folks I knew would receive edible gifts or something I made by hand. In this article, I am going to share my mom's recipes and offer a few suggestions for packaging them as Christmas gifts. Trust me, everyone will love you for it!

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Caramels

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup butter

In a heavy pot, mix all ingredients except butter and 1/2 pint of cream. Bring to 220 degrees F (test with candy thermometer), then add remaining cream. Remove from heat and add butter. Then return to heat and bring back up to a temperature of 254 degrees F, stirring constantly. Pour into buttered 8 1/2 x 11 pan and cool until lukewarm but not sticky. Cut into squares and wrap in waxed paper. This will make about 75 pieces of caramel.

Divinity

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 egg white, stiffly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
pecan halves (about 30 pieces)

In a heavy pot, mix sugar, corn syrup, water, and vinegar and cover. Heat to boiling over medium heat, removing cover after five minutes. Bring to a hard boil (260 degrees F), and remove from heat. Cool slightly, then mix gradually into egg whites (which you've already stiffly beaten). Continue beating constantly until very stiff. Allow to cool, stirring occasionally, then stir in vanilla. Drop onto buttered cookie sheet or by teaspoonfuls, and press a pecan half into the center of each drop. This recipe will make about 30 pieces of divinity.

Oven Caramel Corn

8-9 quarts of popped popcorn
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine

The copyright of the article Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen in Southern Cooking is owned by Dar Cheek. Permission to republish Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.