Resources for Leaders

Recipes for gifts or treats complied by Clair Scott

1. Apricot Balls

Ingredients
250g (1/2 lb) dried apricots, minced or cut finely
2 cups desiccated coconut
1 cup icing sugar
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
(almond essence to taste)
nuts or coconut or icing sugar to cover
Method
Mix all ingredients (except final nuts/coconut/icing sugar) and form into small balls. Toss in finely chopped minced nuts, desiccated coconut or icing sugar. Set in refrigerator. Should be stored in refrigerator especially in hot weather. Hint: if the mixture is very wet, add icing sugar and coconut until dry enough to handle and roll.

2. Bubble Bars

Ingredients
1&1/2 cups marshmallows
60g butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence or any flavour you like
2 &1/2 cups rice bubbles
1/2 cup hundreds & thousands (optional)
Method
1. Line an 18x28cm shallow tin with foil or baking paper and grease lightly. Place marshmallows and butter in a small pan. Stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in essence. Place rice bubbles and hundreds & thousands in a large bowl. Pour in marshmallow mixture and mix well.
3. Pour into prepared tin and spread out evenly with a wet spoon. Cool and cut into squares.
Sharon Walker, Corio Pink Ribbon Guides

3. Chocolate Fruities

Ingredients
1 can of condensed milk
1 tablespoon of cocoa
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of mixed dry fruits
1 cup of coconut
2 cups of crushed cornflakes
Method
Place dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add condensed milk and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Place in small balls on a tray and chill in the fridge until firm to touch.

4. Chocolate Spiders

Ingredients
1 packet of cooking chocolate
2 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter (optional)
2 packets of Chang’s egg noodles
Method
1. Melt the chocolate and peanut butter in a saucepan on the stove (or in a bowl in the microwave) until combined.
2. Stir the chocolate mixture into the noodles.
3. Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto greaseproof paper (on a tray), so they look like spiders!
4. Put the tray in the fridge to cool the spiders until they are set.
5. Eat them! Yum! (Be careful they don’t tickle your throat!)
Claire Scott (Tamba)
Beecroft Gumnut Guides, Sydney

5. Crunchy Bubble Slice

Ingredients
2 cups of rice bubbles
1 cup of mixed fruit
1 cup of desiccated coconut
100g packet of marshmallows
60g of butter
chocolate icing
Method
Place dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Combine marshmallows and butter in a saucepan, stir constantly over heat without boiling, until marshmallows and butter are melted. Stir this mixture into dry ingredients. Press mixture evenly into a prepared pan, spread with icing. Refrigerate until set before cutting.

6. Mini Gingerbread House

Materials Needed
7 graham crackers (lattice biscuits/ Malt biscuits, Morning Coffee biscuits, anything rectangular)
Frosting for glue (recipe below)
Assorted small candies for decorating
Ribbon
Frosting
1/2 pound confectioner's sugar
3 tbs. butter/margarine
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 - 2 tbs. Milk
Mix all the ingredients together until smooth and spreadable, not runny. Add more sugar if too runny.
Method
If you have a pastry bag, place frosting in bag and use a small tip. If not you can use a zip lock bag cutting a small whole in the corner.
Place one graham cracker flat on the table, squeeze a little frosting around all edges. Know you may need an extra pair of hands.
Place one cracker on each side standing up, now looks like a box with no top.
Carefully squeeze more frosting on all outside corner top to bottom and around the bottom of the box.
Let stand for a short while to let frosting harden a little. This will make working with the roof a little easier.
Now squeeze frosting on two of the top edges of the box and place the last two graham crackers in a V shape on as the roof. Looks like a triangle on a box now from the side. May overhang if you can get the frosting to hold for you.
Squeeze frosting along the top of the roof where crackers join. Let stand again until frosting hardens a little.
Now comes the fun part - with left over frosting cover the roof to look like snow. (two sides are left open) Then squeezing small amounts on candy place candy on the house to decorate. You can use the frosting to add things like doors and windows. Just use you imagination.
After project is totally dry string ribbon through to open side of the roof and hang on Christmas tree.
If you want to do this project with young children, you might want to make the base house ahead of time, gluing the corners from the inside - and let it harden. Then turn them loose with frosting and small candies to do the decorating.
Special Note: This craft is safe to eat, but if you would like to save your treasure for years to come you can use a spray varnish in a well ventilated area. (2 - 3 coats of varnish)
from http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/xmas/food/gbhouse.html, submitted by Cindy Caldwell (posted to ANZAGL by Sandy Kumskov)

7. Gingerbread Men

(from "Something New Every Day" by Sarah Reid [pre-school activity book] )
Ingredients
125g butter
1/2 cups sugar
1 egg (actually only yolk)
2 cups white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs ground ginger (not very gingery but good for kids)
2 1/2 Tbs warm golden syrup
Currants (optional)
Method
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk. Slowly add the flour, baking soda, ground ginger and warm golden syrup. Knead and roll out.
Cut into about 24 gingerbread men shapes and decorate with currants for eyes and buttons. Place on greased trays and cook at 180 C for 15 mins.
We sometimes use a stripe of icing sugar and m&m type sweets for buttons - makes for quick decorating after they are cold and look a bit fancier even if not as healthy.
Anne Elzenaar
Wellington, New Zealand

8. Guide Biscuit Fudge Slice

(From pp.17-18 "Begin with a Biscuit")
Ingredients
100g butter
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp golden syrup
1 x 250g pkt Girl Guide biscuits, crushed
50g sultanas (or other fruit and nuts)
90g chocolate
small quantity icing sugar
Method
Melt butter, add cocoa, syrup in small saucepan. Stir in crushed biscuits and sultanas. Press into greased cake tin and leave overnight.
Cut up chocolate, melt over hot water and spread over cake. When set, cut into slices and sprinkle icing sugar over half. Arrange alternately with plain slices.
Anne Elzenaar
Wellington, New Zealand

9. Herbed Salt (Dried)

You will need:
1 cup salt
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Method
Use only dried herbs. Mix together and pack into clean dry glass jars or into cellophane bags. Tie very tightly with thin gift wrap ribbon and add a sprig of dried thyme or even small dried gum leaves, eg, Eucalyptus Nicholii (Peppermint Scented Gum).

10. Herbed Salt (Fresh)

You will need:
1 cup salt
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 good sprig parsley
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs oregano
1 end celery leaf
1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped
Method
Use only fresh herbs. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until chopped. Spread on a baking tray and dry well in a warm oven (80–100C). Bottle in small clean glass jars.

11. Herbed Vinegar

Herbed vinegar adds a delicious ‘something extra’ to all salads and dressings where vinegar is used. This is a relatively cheap gift and needs two meetings to prepare.
You will need:
200-300ml soy sauce bottles (this size looks best for this product)
White vinegar
1/2 small piece garlic
Herbs (tarragon, thyme and oregano work best)
Method
Fill each bottle to about 30cm from the top with white vinegar. Add the garlic and a small sprig of any or all of the herbs. Seal the jars and leave for one week. Remove the garlic piece using a sharp skewer. Seal the bottle, label and decorate. Dip the bottles in warm red wax (a mixture of candle and red crayon melted together) to give an eye-pleasing old-fashioned look to the seal.

12. Mars Bar Slice

Ingredients
4 mars bars
1 tbls golden syrup
75gms real butter
4 cups rice bubbles
375gms nestle chocolate melts (for topping)
Method
Place the mars bars in a microwave safe plastic container and put in the microwave on medium for 2 minutes. Remove and mix.
Add butter and golden syrup to mixture and heat on medium for a further 2 minutes in the microwave stirring occasionally.
Once all combined add to rice bubbles and mix thoroughly. Place mixture into a slice tin and compress down so mixture is firm. Place in fridge while you prepare topping.
Place whole packet of nestle melts into a microwave safe plastic container and put in the microwave on medium for 2 minutes 30 seconds. Take out and stir.
Pour topping over base and spread out over entire surface.
Place in fridge for 30 minutes before slicing or freezer for 5 minutes for faster results.
Makes 48 bite size snacks.

13. Rocky Road

Ingredients:
2 x 350g pkts milk cooking chocolate
2 pkts marshmallows
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
optional: glace cherries (chopped), peanuts, glace ginger (chopped)
Method:
Chop marshmallows in half and place in a bowl with the coconut (and cherries, etc). Melt chocolate over the stove or in the microwave. Mix into the marshmallows and coconut until all ingredients covered with chocolate. Spread into a slice tin lined with greaseproof paper and sprinkle with coconut. Set in the refrigerator (about 1/2 an hour to set). Cut into pieces and enjoy!

14. White Christmas

Ingredients
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup full-cream powdered milk
1 cup icing sugar sifted
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup glace cherries chopped
1/4 cup chopped glace pineaple
1/4 cup mixed peel
2 cups rice bubbles
250g copha
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Method
Place all ingredients (except copha and vanilla essence) in a large mixing bowl.
Place copha and vanilla essence in a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently until copha melts. Stir into dry ingredients in bowl. Continue stiring until well combined.
Press mixture into a lightly greased 28x18cm lamington tin. Smooth top with a spatula. Chill until firm and cut into fingers. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Makes 20 fingers
Enjoy
Carol