Holiday Baking : Just Like Store-Bought

Looking for ideas for gifts to mail to your friends? The catalogues are a good place to begin. Times may be tough, but the mail-order house catalogues just get bigger every year.

Don Marrs, the marketing consultant at Miss Grace Lemon Cake Co. says that the catalogue has grown from a one-page mailer to a 20-page catalogue. The number one seller remains Miss Grace’s lemon cake, which we reproduced last year. This year we’ve produced an easy and inexpensive facsimile of Miss Grace’s chocolate fudge and walnut cake.

Harry and David have been selling mail-order foods since 1934. Its biggest seller is Royal Riviera Pears, but it also offers a fruitcake confection, Hawaiian macadamia loaf cake, and lots of other cakes. We haven’t reproduced any of those, but you might copy the packaging idea of the catalogue’s “collected cookie,” and wrap up cookies, candies, sweet breads and even fruit in one basket. If you do, you’d do well to include the home-made turtles below.

Gelson’s, the gourmet grocery store, has just added 10 new baskets to its repertoire, including a gourmet basket filled with wine and cheese, chocolates and fruit. One idea worth copying is its basket filled with unusual vegetables.

If you mail your gifts in the United States, check with the post office for proper packing of perishable items. It’s best to use one-day mail. Check with the post office for mailing schedules overseas.

Candied Apples make wonderful gifts for children, but they must be sent very soon after they are made.

CANDIED APPLES

6 medium Delicious or Jonathan apples

6 wooden skewers

2 cups sugar

2 cups light corn syrup

1 cup water

2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup red cinnamon candies

Dash red food coloring, optional

Toppings: shredded coconut, chocolate or colored sprinkles or crushed hard candy

Rinse and thoroughly dry apples. Insert skewers in stem end of apples. Set aside.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and candies in saucepan. Bring to simmer, reduce heat and cook over medium heat until sugar and candies dissolve, stirring constantly, without boiling. Stir in food coloring. Bring to boil and cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer inserted in liquid reaches 300 degrees, or when drop of syrup turns brittle when added to cold water. Remove from heat.

Dip apples, 1 at time, in syrup to coat thoroughly, twirling apple to drain off excess. Dip top of apple in desired toppings. Cool on wax paper. Makes 6 apples.

CARAMEL APPLES

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 cup half and half

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

6 to 8 tart apples

6 to 8 wooden skewers

Melt butter, and add sugar, syrup and half and half. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture boils. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees or firm ball stage. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Skewer apples through stem ends. Dip in syrup quickly and swirl to coat thoroughly. Place, skewers up, on greased baking sheet or wax paper to harden.

This cake makes a perfectly delicious last-minute gift.

NO-BAKE FRUITCAKE

4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup mixed candied fruit

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Combine graham cracker crumbs, candied fruit, raisins, dates, nuts, marshmallows and milk in large bowl, first with spoon, then with hands, until crumbs are thoroughly moistened.

Pack into wax paper-lined 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover tightly and chill at least 48 hours before slicing. Makes 1 (2 1/2 pound) cake.

FLOUR-LESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 pounds bittersweet chocolate

1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature

8 eggs, separated

Dash salt

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Powdered sugar

Melt chocolate and whisk in butter until blended. Beat egg yolks until pale yellow in color, about 5 minutes. Beat egg whites with salt until frothy. Add granulated sugar and beat 5 seconds. Fold chocolate mixture into yolks. Then fold in egg whites, blending lightly but well.

Pour into well-buttered, paper-lined 10-inch round cake pan. Bake at 425 degrees 15 minutes. Cake will be soft. Cool completely before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar. Makes 1 (10-inch) cake.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE, WALNUT AND CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

1 (18 1/4-ounce) package devil’s food cake mix

1 (4 1/2-ounce) package chocolate fudge instant pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup warm water

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Chocolate Glaze

In large mixer bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, water and eggs. Beat on low speed, scraping bowl constantly, until mixture is moistened. Beat on medium speed scraping bowl frequently 2 minutes. Fold in chocolate pieces and walnuts.

Pour batter into well-greased 9-inch Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees 40 to 45 minutes or until cake springs back lightly when touched in center. Cool 10 minutes, invert on rack. Cool slightly before adding Chocolate Glaze. Makes 1 (9-inch) Bundt cake.

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1/3 cup whipping cream

Combine chocolate, butter and cream in saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Why spend a lot of money sending popcorn to your friends. This is inexpensive, and can be easily whipped up for last-minute gift giving.

CHEDDAR CHEESE POPCORN

2 quarts popped corn

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon salt

Combine popcorn, butter (cut in pieces), cheese and salt in deep baking dish. Bake at 300 degrees 12 to 15 minutes. Toss well and serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED PRETZELS

Pretzels

1 1/4 pounds semisweet or milk chocolate, melted

Use only unbroken pretzels. Dip pretzels, 1 at time, into chocolate. (Reheat chocolate if it hardens). Allow excess chocolate to drip back into pan.

Place dipped pretzels on wire racks over wax paper and allow to cool and harden. Yield will vary with size of snack and area covered.

CANDY TURTLES

2 dozen soft caramels

2 tablespoons half and half or whipping cream

1 1/2 cups pecan halves or walnuts

4 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces

Melt caramels with cream in double boiler over hot water. Cool thoroughly. For each candy, arrange 3 pecan halves on lightly greased wax paper. Carefully spoon melted caramels over nuts, showing only tips of nuts. Let stand to harden, about 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate over hot water or in microwave oven. Stir then cool. Spread or drizzle over caramels, without covering nuts. Makes 24 turtles.