East Bay Times

Give gifts made in the kitchen

My hankering for homemade holiday treats started with my Aunt Lillian's peanut brittle. Every year her nut-laden gift of candy arrived a few days before Christmas. Those jagged brittle bits fueled my appreciati­on for delicious gifts from the home kitchen.

Here are some gift ideas designed to be both easy to prepare and tasty:

• A dry concoction for making hot chocolate goes together quickly. The recipient combines a portion of the mix with milk in a saucepan then simmered to perfection. Marshmallo­ws or whipped cream are optional. (Oh, who are we kidding? They're a must!)

• There's so much to love about Bourbon Balls. Yes, they are easy to prepare, and they can be made a week in advance and stored airtight in the fridge. The adult appeal of their unmistakab­le bourbon flavor doesn't hurt either.

• Chef-restaurate­ur Zov Karamardia­n — and author of “Simply Zov” — has a signature jumble cookie that I have made my own, adding a little wheat germ to the mix and subbing dried cranberrie­s and golden raisins for the raisins. The cookies are rich in toasted nuts and dried fruit, as well as chocolate chips. The dough freezes well unbaked and once the cookies are baked, they keep well for several days in an airtight container.

Zov's Jumble Cookies Makes 25to 30 INGREDIENT­S

1¾ cups whole skin-on almonds

1½ cups pecan halves

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1tablespoo­n wheat germ, optional

1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperatur­e

1cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperatur­e 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 (12-ounce) package dark or semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup dried cranberrie­s Parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts on rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10minutes, stirring halfway through baking. On a cutting board, chop nuts and set aside. Maintain oven temperatur­e. In medium bowl, stir to blend the flour, baking soda, salt and, if using, wheat germ. Set the flour mixture aside.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until well blended, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. With the machine on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporat­ed (do not over mix the dough or the cookies will be tough). Mix in the chocolate chips, raisins and dried cranberrie­s. Lastly, mix in the chopped nuts.

Line 4heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray the baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. (It is easier to scoop dough with an ice cream scoop.) If you don't have a scoop, mound the dough in 1/2 cup measuremen­ts onto prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly and forming 8 to 6 mounds on each baking sheet. With the palm of your hand, lightly press down on cookie dough to slightly flatten. Working

Acclaimed restaurate­ur and chef Zov Karamardia­n included a recipe for Jumble Cookies in her cookbook, “Simply Zov.” in batches, bake the cookies until they are golden brown all over and the very center is still pale golden, about 15minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack and cool completely.