subject: Husband Wins Mvp: Romantic Homemade Gift Ideas For Her [print this page] Scoring points shouldn't just be left for basketball. We all need to score points with our ladies, right? A happy wife or girlfriend means a happy life. Surprise gifts earn points. It tells them we are thinking of them all the time not just for the holidays and obvious special occasions. Homemade candy "gifts for her" tell them we are willing to turn off Sportscenter or put off any other hobby to invest in our love for them. Touchdown! Goal! And whether you are a chef or an amateur in the kitchen there are easy gourmet candy gifts anyone can make. Don't worry about perfection, truly in this case, it's the thought that counts.
Chocolate covered treats do not require fancy equipment, just a microwave. You could use a double boiler, a double pot with a smaller pot fit atop a bigger pot, if you have one, but the microwave works just fine. But hey! What are we going to dip in chocolate? There are the usual gourmet fruits, strawberries or cherries, but you could also cover all kinds of cookies, dried fruits, rice krispies treats and more! Why not make an assortment and place them in simple but attractive packaging. Women love cute gift packaging so they will find this adorable that you went the extra step. Now you could stick with just one thing, but why not create a mix of chocolate covered strawberries, cookies and rice krispies treats? Follow the next steps either the same day or night before delivering the gift.
First, start with the set up, pull out all the equipment and ingredients you need. You obviously need chocolate so my recommendation would be dark chocolate for the strawberries to combine the tartness of the fruit and milk chocolate for the rest. Have all the strawberries, cookies and prepackaged rice kripies treats bars in their own bowls. Line separate cookie sheets or baking sheets with wax paper. Place any toppings like chopped nuts, toffee bits, mini chocolate chips or other candies on plates or big wide bowls, you need enough space in which to lower the items to coat them with the toppings. Have a rubber spatula on hand in case you need to scrape off excess chocolate or fix a blemish.
To melt the chocolate use a wide, clean and dry coffee mug. It will be easier to dip the items than in a bowl. Warm up the chocolate on 50% power. First melt it for 1 minute, it will NOT be liquid yet. Stir it next, it still won't be completely melted, then warm it up in the microwave again for 15 seconds. Stir it once again. If still not completely melted repeat steps for 15-second intervals and stir until it is ready. WARNING: do not rush. If you overheat the chocolate then you will ruin it. It is better to melt it slowly. If it thickens too much add a TINY bit of vegetable oil. Too much oil and the chocolate will never completely set (harden).
Work with one treat at a time, strawberries, then the cookies and so on until you finish them all before moving to the next item. Dip one item at a time in the mug and lightly shake it in an up and down motion to remove the excess chocolate. Smooth off tips and ends with the rubber spatula. Place the item on the wax paper then repeat the same steps with the next item. You must work fairly fast because the chocolate with harden. Let the chocolate set at room temperature for at least 25 minutes to cool. Do not package treats until the chocolate is completely hardened.
Now time to decide on gift packaging. Your gifts will look better if you package them as opposed to simply placing them in plastic containers. Any good local baking supply or craft store should have boxes and plastic trays for chocolate covered strawberries, and either cookie tins or decorative paper gift bags for the rest. Attach a romantic gift message and perhaps even an interesting candy fun fact. These extra details make a difference. They're like extra points or two-point conversions after a touchdown.
Valentine's Day may be far off, but lots of smiles and kisses from your wife or girlfriend are coming soon with these surprise homemade gifts.
