Craft-day10

12 Days of Christmas Crafting Revisited

Day 10: Yummy Holiday Treats with Essential Oils

By Christi R. Pugh

For Nature’s Gift, Inc.

The holidays are as much about food and comfort as anything else, and we all have favorites.  Mine is my grandmother’s fudge recipe, which I make every year for friends and family. Interestingly, with the rise of culinary/food shows on television, cooking has become more creative and accessible, not to mention more adventuresome!

There are several essential oils which can be used sparingly in the holiday kitchen:  Lavender, Peppermint, Orange, Lemon Rind, pure Rose Otto, Clove, Cinnamon Leaf, Ginger, & Coffee essential oils to start.  Extracts and essential oils are not the same!  You will use only a tiny amount of essential oil for flavoring. 

Also, hydrosols may also be added to various types of beverages: a bit of Rose Hydrosol to jazz up a glass of white wine, or added to milk and sugar for Rose Milk; Nutmeg or Tulsi (Holy Basil) Hydrosol to a hot cup of coffee; Elderberry Hydrosol in sparkling water or tea…the possible combinations are numerous.

Let’s look at recipes for holiday gatherings, utilizing essential oils, many of which we’ve gathered from friends and clients over the years:

Easy Lavender Pound Cake

1 box of pound cake mix 2 or 3 drops of Lavender Essential Oil 1 tablespoon dried Lavender blossoms, rinsed in cold water and patted dry. Follow directions on the box, adding the oil and the blossoms to the batter before baking.  Marge mentioned she’s always wanted to try this but substituting Rose Otto and rose petals for the Lavender, turning it into an “easy Rose pound cake.”  Sounds delightful! (I suppose everyone knows that you can not-quite-as-easily use your grandmother's treasured pound cake recipe, add the Lavender Essential Oil to the butter as you cream it, and fold the dried blossoms in with the last batch of dry ingredients.) Orange Melt-a-ways (orange balls) 1 Cup soft Butter or Margarine (I use butter!) 2 Cups sifted Confectioners Sugar (divided!) 1 1/4 Cup UNSIFTED flour 3/4 Cup Corn Starch 3 Tablespoons Orange Juice 3 drops Sweet Orange or Blood Orange Essential Oil. Cream butter with Essential Oil.  Add 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in Flour and Corn Starch until smooth.  Cover and chill for at least two hours. (Overnight is better!) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll the chilled dough into 1 inch balls, and place on an UNGREASED cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes until firm and barely golden.  Cool slightly (they will be very fragile) and remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Mix remaining 1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar with the 3 Tablespoons Orange Juice. Put wax paper under the cookies on the rack, and spoon the orange glaze over them. Let dry. Makes approximately 3 1/2 dozen cookies that freeze well, so you can make them now to serve in two weeks. Many more yummy recipes are available online at:http://www.naturesgift.com/christmas-recipes.htm.    Earlier blog recipes for holiday goodies include easy Peppermint Bark or Fast and Easy fruited Scones Save 20% now on essential oils for holiday baking/cooking: Cinnamon Leaf, Coffee, Clove Bud, Ginger Root, Lemon Rind, Orange (Sweet or Blood), Midwestern Peppermint,  and Peppermint, or Rose hydrosol for flavoring by entering craft10 and clicking apply at checkout in our online shopping cart. We would love to hear about your recipes, ideas, and culinary “experiments” with the oils on our Facebook or Pinterest pages. Tomorrow we craft products for the men in your life, with special savings available.