Origami Boutique Boxes for Holiday Gifts & Baked Goods

I haven't quite gotten past that toddler trait of being more excited about the box and wrapping paper than what's inside. I would have little interest in cooking or baking if it wasn't a visual experience. Since I bake for gifts and now occasionally upon request for events, I can't just hand the goods over in something semi-disposable and plastic (Gasp—The BPAs!).

While looking for materials that would keep my hard work in tact and visually appealing I found that 1) Bakery boxes and related accoutrement were expensive and 2) generally would have to be mail-ordered for a carless urbanite. To avoid the expense and inconvenience of getting packages (urbanites know they won't be left on the steps of your rowhome, and with good reason!), I googled around to create boxes with materials I had on hand.

Card stock or old file folders cut into squares work well. For a softer box you can use paper, but you will want to reinforce the bottom. I found these instructions particularly clear, detailed and simple:

Do It Yourself Origami Gift Boxes

And then, I of course, had to find a way to make these boxes my own:

REINFORCING THE BOTTOM OR TOP OF BOX:

1. Trace the bottom of your origami box on a piece of cardboard (pictured below is my roommate's cake mix box saved from the recycling bin— the gluten-filled cake mix had been sealed in plastic inside the cardboard).

2. Cut inside the traced lines and place cardboard square in bottom of box, trimming as necessary.

3. Cut a piece of decorative paper, a picture or simply a piece of paper with a font or graphic to the same size as the cardboard reinforcement and cover or tape in place (You want to be careful using glue, not only could it be generally toxic, many glues have gluten in them and you don't want to contaminate yourself or a friend).

Trace.

Fit reinforcing cardboard.

(Boxes to left made from legal sized folders cut to squares)

Decorate inside and outside.

(Box above made from linen paper— I probably won't use paper again for a box this size-- as you can see it bends and is flimsy)

TO DECORATE:

1. Trace decorative paper to fit the top of box.

2. Print out fonts or graphics and tape or paste to top of box.

3. Your imagination is the limit— Funny pictures, inside jokes, sarcastic/ironic quotes of 2009 or any time, literary favorites or anything else that you can dream up will make the box almost as much fun as what's inside.

While the box can be a gift and it's own miniature work of art, don't forget to fill it!

Pictured are Truffles, Date Sweetened fudge and Monogrammed Apricots

Up Next: A gluten-free, grain-free Yule Log hopefully with my new camera (all previous pictures have been with my iPhone camera while I have spent over a year researching the perfect DSLR . . . )

Chocolate-Dipped Monogrammed Apricots

Many symbols and practices associated with Christmas are of Pagan origin: holly, ivy, mistletoe, the giving of gifts, decorated evergreen tree, magical reindeer

~religioustolerance.org

I hate to deflate those who get their energy in the darkest days of the year from rage about "the war against Christmas," but how mainstream culture celebrates the "holiday season" in America and Europe is largely based upon Pagan traditions.

And the Pagans had the right idea— what better way to deal with the darkest day of the year and dipping Serotonin levels than presents, bright colors, feasting and magical reindeer! I like to observe the Solstice season with natural brightness— candles, oranges, cranberries and chocolate covered apricots. These are super easy and easy to make in bulk and in advance for gifts and parties. For a brief discussion of gluten-free chocolate see my truffle post. For the white chocolate I like the Whole Foods brand white chocolate chunks which have a 24% Cacao content and are gluten-free, but they are not vegan.

Pastry bags can be purchased from craft stores and many grocery stores for around $6-7. I use my trusty mechanical pastry bag from William Sonoma. If you don't want to bother monogramming them, dipped chocolate apricots are also a great gift. But, don't underestimate the fun of initialing and drawing snowflakes and other fun winter designs on bright orange!

Chocolate-Dipped Monogrammed Apricots

1 lb. dried apricots

1.25 C. gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips

.5 C. gluten-free white chocolate chips

Pastry bag or press with writing tip.

1. Lay out wax paper on counter.

2. Melt chocolate in saucepan over low heat stir constantly and do not leave unattended.

3. When Chocolate becomes a creamy consistency pour carefully into a bowl next to wax paper.

4. Lightly dip half the apricot into chocolate and place on wax paper until hardened.

5. Once all apricots are dipped, repeat steps 2 with white chocolate.

6. Once white chocolate is melted, allow it to sit for a minute.

7. Carefully spoon the chocolate into the pastry bag or press and write initials or designs on apricots.

Elegant Truffle Wrappers

Requires no decoration—I find tinsel distracting!

~Frank Costanza, The Festivus Episode

We all judge books by their covers. And is there a problem with wanting your life to be beautiful? I think not. Part of the experience of food is visual.

While these truffles may be simple, there's no reason that they don't deserve to be dressed up for the holidays. Wrapping these truffles individually not only keeps them in tact for transporting and boxing for gifts, but makes each bite an experience. You are encouraging your recipients to spend some time on your elegant little work of art that you sculpted and decorated— not just mindlessly pop it into their mouths.

Match the ribbons and outside paper to your aesthetic preferences. Try aluminum foil for the modernist, interesting sections of the newspaper for your favorite news junkie or brown unbleached wax paper and twine for your favorite earthy friend. If you do use a decorative outer wrapping, line it with wax paper which is food safe and gluten-free. I recycle tissue paper from gifts and boutiques for the outer-wrapping of the truffle.

Truffle Wrappers

Wax Paper

Tissue Paper (optional)

Ribbon

Scissors

1. Cut wax paper into squares.

2. Lay truffle in the middle of wax paper squares.

3. Bring the opposite corners of the wax paper to meet.

4. Repeat process over wax paper covered truffle with other decorative paper if desired.

5. Tie ribbon around into bow or knot to keep paper in place.

Coming up Next:

Monogrammed Apricots and Origami boutique candy gift boxes with recycled materials.

Deliciously Simple Truffles, 3 Ways

Simple. Elegant. Godiva will have nothing on you.

Shockingly easy yet delicious, these make great gifts or a great addition to a holiday dessert tray. The taste and quality of the truffles will be determined by the quality of the chocolate you use.

I like to use the Whole Foods Brand vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips which are gluten-free. Bakers, Hershey and Nestles semi-sweet chocolate chips are all gluten-free according to this Celiac's Guide—if you want to use a chocolate readily available at most grocery stores.

Truffles

3/4 C. water

3/4 C. cashews

1 pound gluten-free vegan semi-sweet or dark chocolate (chocolate chips work well)

1. Combine cashews and water in a vita-mix (or blender).

2. Blend until smooth and creamy.

3. In sauce pan melt chocolate over low heat.

4. Stir chocolate constantly until thoroughly melted.

5. In a separate bowl combine melted chocolate and cashew mixture stirring thoroughly.

6. Put bowl in refrigerator until chocolate mixture hardens (about 1-2 hours).

7. Scoop out with mellon baller or small spoon and roll into round balls.

8. Roll in cocoa powder, shredded coconut or toasted coconut (recipe below).

Toasted Coconut

2 Cups shredded coconut (Sweetened or unsweetened according to your preference)

1. Preheat oven to 375.º

2. Spread coconut thinly over cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 6-7 minutes toss coconut with spatula.

4. Bake for another 6-7 minutes until browned.

Coming up Next:

Easy, elegant truffle wrappers

Date Sweetened Fudge

Desirous of everything at the same time . . .

Sweet, rich, chocolaty. Can healthy possibly be added to this list of fudge adjectives— can you have it all at once? I think so. With the healthy fat of coconut oil, anti-oxidant rich cocoa powder and light fruit sweeteners it can be healthy in moderation (this means a small piece). Perfect for holiday dessert trays and gifts.

And everybody goes "Awww!"

Date Sweetened Fudge

5 Tbs. coconut oil, liquified

5 Medjool dates, pitted, soaked & drained (or 15 Deglet Noor Dates aka California dates)

3 Tbs. apple sauce

1/2 C. cocoa powder

dash of sea salt

3 droppers liquid vanilla stevia or 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Combine coconut oil, dates apple sauce, salt and vanilla/stevia in blender.

2. Blend until smooth.

3. Add cocoa powder and blend until smooth.

4. Line a bread pan with wax paper.

5. Smooth batter into a square on wax paper.

6. Fold the excess wax paper over and smooth the top until even.

7. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until hard.

8. Slice.

You will only use about a quarter of a typical bread pan's real estate.

But, the batter is thick enough that you can easily form it into a nice neat square, like in the case at an old-fashioned fudge shop.

A few notes . . .

1. If you opt not to use Stevia, you may want to use an extra date or two depending upon how sweet you want the fudge to be.

2. Yes, coconut oil is difficult to work with because it is solid and almost rock-hard at room temperature. But, this is precisely why it works so well to harden the fudge. I turn the oven to warm then chip out the coconut oil that I need for a recipe and put it in a small oven safe bowl. When the oven has reached warm (around 200ºF), turn the oven off and put the coconut oil in to liquify it.

I hope that you are mad for it.

Gluten-Free Holiday Gifts

Every child ought to have the opportunity to travel thousands of miles alone . . . for the sake of her self-esteem and independence of mind, with clothes and toiletries of her own choosing.

~White Noise (Don DeLillo)

I love giving toiletries as presents because everyone needs them and they are always the right size—getting through airport security aside. As a product junkie, I have spent over 8 years to finally transition to all natural products, after much trial and error (the useless natural deodorants, the odd-smelling soaps and greasy hand creams). I finally have an arsenal of effective and adored natural products. I am proud to say that the most unlikely candidates have loved and even used up and replaced the natural products that I have bought for them as gifts. Here is my list of my all-time favorite natural and affordable gifts.

Paraben-Free, Natural Toiletries of my own careful choosing:

1) LaVanilla, The Healthy Deodorant ($18.50): The only natural deodorant to convert me. Deodorant was previously the achilles heel of my natural products collection. Even as someone who doesn't sweat a lot, I felt like a dirty hippie wearing all of the other dozen or so natural deodorants I bought. While pricey for a deodorant, this lasts forever and smells so amazing you will give up your perfume and/or scented body lotion.

2) Dr. Bronner's Pure Castille Soap ($3-$4): A great stocking stuffer or small gift. It smells and feels as clean and pure as its natural, organic ingredients. Wrapped only in a bit of paper that is easily recycled, after using this you won't ever want to buy a bath gel—and its BPA containing plastic container—ever again.

3) The Art of Shaving Facial Scrub ($22.50): I searched Sephora, Kiehls and a number of other stores for a paraben-free mens' face wash to no avail. I finally stumbled on an Art of Shaving store and was pleasantly surprised to read the ingredients in their products. Their facial scrub is not only paraben-free, made from natural ingredients and smells great, but according to the skin care apathetic recipient, was great for ingrown hairs and other shaving related conditions. And yes, when he ran out of this face wash and sheepishly walked out of The Art of Shaving with a replacement in their small, striped boutique bag, he finally acknowledged that he was too old for Clearasil.

4) Clarisonic Skin Brush ($140-$200): A friend bought this under the strong recommendation of her skin care guru (a former skin care expert to the stars who now works out of a small San Francisco apartment). Her skin and enthusiasm for this brush converted me and even her only slightly metrosexual boyfriend. Months and a $170 later, I still think it was a great investment. It cleans your skin better than any other device can and allows your skin to better absorb and reap the benefits of your other skin care products. It makes a great holiday present to yourself or anyone else that warrants a gift in this price range.

5) Burt's Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair (around $10): This is the only hand creme—natural or full of chemicals—that can cure the worst of chapped winter hands. It absorbs quickly and the scent is neutral and subtle enough for all genders. Like other Burt's products, you can recognize and probably even eat most of the ingredients.

6) Ojon Rub Out Dry Cleanser ($10-$24): This is a way to give the gift of time and beautiful hair. Even as a runner, I now only have to wash my hair twice a week. Not only do Ojon ingredients nourish your hair, they save days worth of straightening and styling damage. A one hour shampoo, condition, blow dry and straighten session suddenly takes 20 seconds. The scent is clean, spa-like and subtle.