Tunnock's Teacake Christmas Tree Baubles

Every time I post something about Tunnock's Teacakes there is an outpouring of love for them. When I made a huge batch of Christmas Puddings with them for the School Fair I carefully removed their foil wrappers as I had plans for them. I've got a wee bit of a collection of foodie themed Christmas tree ornaments and I'd tweeted about looking for some new additions and was told of Tunock's Teacakes Baubles being sold at craft fairs by Bumble Buttonz. I got in touch with them but unfortunately they are based in Glasgow and don't do mail order. Only one thing for it. Make some myself!

Tunnock's Teacake Christmas Puddings Recipe

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Tunnock's Teacake Christmas Tree Baubles

Cheap Plastic Baubles (mine were 10 for £1)

Tunnock's Teacake Wrappers - 2 for each bauble you want to make

PVA Glue

Red & White String

Carefully remove the foil wrappers from your Teacakes and flatten them out.

For each bauble you will need one whole wrapper and the circular section cut out from a second wrapper.

Brush PVA glue over the front half of the bauble and the hanging cap. 

Stick on the whole wrapper and ease it over the bauble and the cap.
Brush glue onto the back of the bauble and continue to flatten down the foil. 

Trim off any excess.

Brush glue on the back of the second circular section of foil and stick it down. 

Smooth down any lumps and bumps. 

Use a skewer to poke a hole through the foil in the hanging loop and tie on a loop of red and white string.

My Tunnock's baubles have now joined all my other foodie decorations on my Kitchen Christmas tree. Do let me know if you have a go at making them and how they turn out. I was pretty ham-fisted with the first one I made but it gets easier! Don't worry about getting them all smoothed out and no lumps and bumps. If you look at the foil on an actual teacake you'll see plenty of creases and that's exactly the look you are aiming for! If Pinterest is your thing the photo to pin and share the Teacake love is the one below. Happy Crafting! 

Chocolate (and optional booze) Bouquet Tutorial

The perfect handmade gift to create for a Chocoholic - perfect for Birthdays, Christmas, Valentines, Anniversary, Mother's Day etc. Basically any occasion where you would usually say it with either chocolate or flowers.

I must admit that I had pretty much finished making this Chocolate Bouquet before it even occurred to me that others might be interested in how I did it and that I should do a tutorial for the blog. As such it doesn't have quite as many photos of of the steps as it would have had if I'd thought about it from the start, but hopefully my explanations will suffice. I made it for one of my lovely Chocoholic friends *special big birthday* and it went down a treat. It would work equally well for any special occasion such as Valentine's Day, Anniversary or Christmas. Pretty much any time where you might usually give flowers or a gift.

INGREDIENTS

Wooden Skewers with flat ends (I got them in Sainsbury's)

Hot Glue Gun

Fun Size Chocolate Bars 

Jam Jar

Polystyrene (I used a bit of my Coast & Glen Fishbox!)

Coloured Tissue Paper
Cellophane

Rubber Bands

Ribbon

METHOD

I used almost two bags of assorted fun sized chocolate bars, I also included a couple of full sized Star Bars as they are a particular favourite of the recipient! 

First you need to glue the skewers onto the back of the chocolates. A hot glue gun really is best for this but it could possibly work with superglue or double sided tape. Position the skewers at different points on the back of the bars so you get an assortment of finished heights.

For the base I used a jam jar with a couple of blocks of polystyrene wedged firmly into it. A taller one at the back and a smaller one at the front. You need some of the fairly dense polystyrene rather than the more open stuff (I'm sure there must be a technical term for it!) Start arranging your "chocolate flowers" with taller ones at the back and shorter at the front. The packets of Maltesers, M&M's and Milky Way Stars were great for filling in any gaps. Push the skewers in well and watch out that it doesn't get too top heavy.

Once I was happy with my arrangement I laid out four squares of alternating colours of tissue paper on top of each other at adjacent angles. Then I sat the jam jar on top and pulled up the tissue around the neck and secured it with a rubber band. To finish it off I did the same with a square of Cellophane before covering up the rubber bands with a ribbon tied in a bow.

Lots of love for it when I posted on my Foodie Quine Facebook Page. The verdict from my chum? "What could be nicer than opening the door to the best "bouquet" ever? Thank you so much to my lovely friend Claire (aka The Foodie Quine). This is amazing and so me! xx". My daughter has now requested one for her birthday and my sister wants a crisp version!

18th Birthday update!
I've got a new variation on the chocolate bouquet theme that I made as an 18th Birthday gift.
This one included eight miniature 20ml vodka shots.

♥ Pin me for later...

Foodie Quine Advent Calendar Days 13-24

There's been a lot of love for the first 12 Days of my Advent Calendar which you can find on this blog post. Clearly we haven't got to all of the second dozen yet so keep checking back and I'll add them as the doors are opened. Like my Facebook Page to see a new idea unveiled each night up until 24th December.

DAY 13

Christmas Pudding Vodka

I made this on BBC Radio Scotland Kitchen Cafe for a segment on Home Made Edible Christmas Gifts. Did you hear me on the wireless? 

Recipe here http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland/events/WK50_Xmas_Pud_Vodka.pdf It's so simple and so good. 

DAY 14

Snowman Pizza

We had great fun making this guy and he was rather tasty even although his cheesy nose got somewhat destroyed in the oven. Make up a pack of pizza dough mix and use 2/3 for the body and 1/3 for the head. Topped with pasata and grated mozzarella. Olive eyes, mouth and buttons, cheesy nose and bacon scarf.

DAY 15

Reindeer Pancakes

Large Pancake, Small Pancake (shop bought or homemade) Bacon Antlers. We used decorated marshmallows for eyes and nose but you could use currants and a strawberry or sweets. 

DAY 16

Sausage & Croissant Christmas Wreath with Ketchup Berries

Cook 24 Chipolata Sausages with a drizzle of maple syrup and let them cool slightly. Open 2 tins of croissant dough and cut into 24 triangles. Wrap each sausage in dough and lay in a circle. Brush with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds, black onion seeds, paprika and grated cheese. Bake for 12 minutes at 200c

DAY 17

Sledging Gingerbread Men

Milky Way's cut in half, Mini Gingerbread Men and Mini Candy Canes. All stuck together with melted chocolate.

DAY 18

Terry's Chocolate Orange and Malteser Christmas Pudding

Dip Maltesers in melted chocolate and stick to a chocolate orange, you will need slightly more than one boxfull to cover it. Refrigerate to set then top with cooled melted white chocolate. 
Refrigerate again before using red and green writing icing to create holly.

DAY 19
Candy Cane Marshmallow Pops

Mini Candy Canes from the pound shop. Pop some in a bag and smash with a rolling pin. Stick the others into the top of marshmallows. Dip the marshmallows into melted chocolate, then crushed candy canes. Leave to set. Perfect for swirling in Hot Chocolate.

DAY 20

Candy Cane Bark

My final make from the three homemade edible gifts I did for BBC Radio Scotland Kitchen Cafe. Get the recipe here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland/events/WK51_CJ_Candy_Cane_Bark.pdf

DAY 21

Cinnamon Snowflakes

Fold up flour tortillas and cut them exactly as you would make paper snowflakes. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cook under the grill until the tortilla starts to turn golden brown. Cool slightly to allow them to crisp up.

DAY 22

Camembert & Cranberry Croissant Bake

Spit Camembert in half horizontally, spread with cranberry sauce and sandwich back together. Lay the six triangles from a tin of croissant dough in a star shape and place the cheese in the middle. Spread cranberry sauce on the points of the star and fold them in. Bake at 200c for 25 minutes covering half way through with tinfoil.

DAY 23
Cheesy Santa Pops

Remove half the wax covering from a Babybel and insert a lolly stick. Cut out a nose from the spare wax and use black peppercorns for eyes. Pipe on a Cream Cheese beard, hat trim and bobble.

DAY 24
Brussels Sprout Christmas Tree

At last a good use for this festive veg!

Thanks to all who have joined in with my Advent Calendar along the way. Hope you have found some inspiration to make your own festive foodie goodies. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Festive Food Blog Challenges
I'm linking up to a few with this post. Do check them out for further Christmas inspiration.

 

Foodie Quine 2013 Advent Calendar - Days 1 to 12

I've been reading through my previous Christmas blog posts to get food planning inspiration for this year and decided to post a daily Advent Calendar featuring one of my festive foodie makes behind each door. Every night at 8pm I've posted an idea on my Foodie Quine Facebook Page. If you've not been following on Facebook or missed some along the way here's a round up of the first 12 days. I'd love to hear about any successes (of failures!) if you give any of them a try.

DAY ONE

Tunnocks Teacake Christmas Puddings

So simple but very effective. Decorate Tunnocks Teacakes with melted white chocolate (make sure its not too hot or it will melt the milk chocolate). Finish with holly and berries from red & green writing icing.

DAY TWO 

Cheesy Christmas Tree

For this one I used olives, cubes of cheese, cherry tomatoes, grapes and herbs. You could also incorporate pickles and charcuterie.

DAY THREE 

Rein-Beer

Beer, Googly Eyes, Red Pom Poms, Brown Pipe Cleaners and Glue. Great fun to take along to a party or for the kids to make as a gift for Dads/Uncles/Grandads etc

DAY FOUR 

Grinch Kebabs

This is how the Grinch stole Christmas. Grape, Banana, Strawberry and Mini Marshmallow on a a cocktail stick. A healthy festive snack that the kids can make and eat. Dip the banana slice in lemon juice to stop it turning brown.

DAY FIVE 

Mincemeat Pie Pops

Is it possible to improve upon a mince pie? I reckon so. Shortcrust Pastry (shop bought is fine - that's what I used!) Cut into circles and place a small spoonful of mincemeat in the middle of half of them. Brush round the edges with eggwash, insert a lolly stick, seal with another circle of pastry. Crimp the edges with a fork. Make two small slits and eggwash the top. Bake for 20 minutes at 180c

DAY SIX 

Gingerbread Biscotti

I made these on BBC Radio Scotland Kitchen Cafe for a segment on Home Made Edible Christmas Gifts. Did you hear me on the wireless? 

Find the recipe here. 

DAY SEVEN 

Wine Cork Christmas Tree

The perfect excuse to crack open a bottle or three, A selection of corks and a Hot Glue Gun or Superglue is all that's needed. Bottoms Up!

DAY EIGHT 

Puff Pastry Party Nibbles

Very, very simple. Shop bought ready rolled puff pastry cut into festive shapes. Brushed with eggwash and sprinkled with a variety of toppings. Grated parmesan cheese, black onion seeds, cumin seeds, paprika, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and Maldon salt. 10 mins in a hot oven and you're done.

DAY NINE 

Olive Santa Penguins

How cute are these? Even olive haters love them.

Carrot, Black Olives, Cream Cheese and Tomberries assembled on a cocktail stick. Use the wedge cut out from the feet to make the beak. Split open the tummy with a knife and fill with cream cheese. Use a small nozzle to pipe the white fur and bobble on the tomberry Santa hat. 

DAY TEN 

Christmas Cheese Cake

Huge choice of circular Cheeses available in the supermarket at this time of year. Stack them up as high as you like and top off with a Babybel adorned with a cardboard Santa belt. The addition of Sprouts, Cranberries, Holly and Woodland Playmobil animals is entirely at your discretion!

DAY ELEVEN 

Hot Chocolate and Marshmallow Rudolph 

Disposable Piping Bag (pack of 20 from Poundland) filled with Hot Chocolate and Mini Marshmallows, decorated with Brown Pipe Cleaners, Googly Eyes and a Red Pom Pom Nose.

DAY TWELVE 

Gingerbread Men Reindeer

Look at these guys closely and you'll see that they are shaped from an upside down gingerbread man cutter. You may need to give him a knife in the crotch and pull his legs apart to form the perfect antlers... Decorate with writing icing and red skittle noses.

So that's the first 12 doors of the Advent Calendar open. Hopefully you will have liked what you've seen so far. The Christmas Pudding Tunnocks Teacakes were by far the favourite on Facebook, followed by the Puff Pastry Party Nibbles in second place and the Olive Penguins and Hot Chocolate Rudolph's jostling for third.

Lots more to come over the next 12 days so head on over to Facebook and LIKE my Foodie Quine Page to see what's behind each door at 8pm daily.

Sweet Retro for 8 by 8 project

Its not often that you get to eat sweets and help Charity at the same time but I managed it. For the past few months I've been helping out with some PR on a voluntary basis for the fantastic eightbyeight Project in support of Camille's Appeal. Its a cause close to my heart supporting the recovery of Children with Brain Tumours. I'm an online friend of Camille's mum Hayley after whom www.camillesappeal.co.uk is named and I have followed their journey through heartbreak and joy.

eightbyeight is an actual and virtual art exhibition on the theme of "Childhood Explored" taking place online and at Eden Court, Inverness in April 2013. All works measure 8" by 8" and have been donated from around the UK and beyond. Professional, semi-professional, student and hobbyist artists, photographers and craftspeople have come together to celebrate what childhood means to them. In the process awareness will be raised of Camille's Appeal’s vital work and all profits from the sale of work go directly to the charity.

Work in progress...

In addition to providing my skills and time on a voluntary basis I also wanted to donate a piece for the exhibition. I'm a reasonably arty crafty type but was unsure if I could actually produce anything worthy of exhibiting. However in the ethos of the inclusivity of the project and the notion that by coming together as individuals we can achieve great things I thought I'd give it a shot. I wanted to do something foodie related and nostalgic memories of childhood sweets were the obvious choice. Sadly it was more difficult to track down wrappers than I envisaged as many of my childhood and teenage favourites have moved on from paper to plastic, which I was unable to decoupage.

Sweet Retro by Foodie Quine

I'm really not expecting my own "artwork" to sell but I'm very proud to be one small square of the exhibition and I hope my contribution makes someone smile. There are over 200 artworks live and for sale on the eightbyeight website with more being added on a daily basis. Please do go and have a look. There may well be something which takes your fancy with all items available on an affordable "pay what you can" system.

I've already purchased my own personal favourite piece and even it has a tenuous foodie connection. "Daisy Patch" is a mosaic made from broken cups and dishes and came all the way from Nikki Murray-Mason of Nikki Inc Mosaics in Bermuda. I loved it from the moment I saw it as a work in progress and am so chuffed that its going to be mine in due course.

Daisy Patch

I am delighted to be a small part of this amazing project and would encourage you to browse the beautiful artworks, perhaps dig into your pocket to make a purchase, or simply to pass the word on to others.

www.eightbyeight.org
www.facebook.com/EightbyEightProject
www.Twitter.com/8by8project
www.flickr.com/groups/2111789@N21