Housewife Chic

Celebrate Your Mother...

I did, and my grandmother too (because she has looked after me for so many years, and now treats D like her son too).

I made a promise this year to be more creative. I started with the handmade Xmas, and every birthday this year will be celebrated with some homebaked loveliness. Of course, being skint and the daffodils not flowering due to the late Spring has nothing to do with my handmade Mothers Day gifts...

Inside those tea-bag boxes are hand-rolled chocolate truffles. And yes, I wrapped them in newspaper - because being mid-move I de-cluttered my paper stash and had nothing nice to wrap them in. In future I would dismantle the boxes, re-assemble them inside out (so the writing is on the inside) and wrap them in delicate tissue paper - you wouldn't see the writing inside because I lined them with greaseproof paper.

In comparison to my shoddy wrapping and lame attempt to beautify them by decorating them with flowers I nicked from the neighbours front garden, the chocolates were really easy and satisfying (lets face it, the end result of any handmade gift is satisfying).

Homemade chocolate coffee truffles:

Melt 200g dark chocolate in a bowl placed in a pan of simmering water

Gently pour in your content (6 tbsp espresso, 6 tbsp champagne, Baileys - room temperature) and stir slowly with a spatula - the chocolate will get hard and thick straight away

EITHER: stir in 180ml single cream OR for a low fat version add up to 2 tbsp clear honey slowly until chocolate is glossy again

Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours until the mixture has returned to nearly solid form

Spoon out a tsp of mixture at al time - roll with the palms of your hands and then roll through cocoa powder - be quick as it gets messy

Tip - Wash your hands in very cold water before rolling to delay melty fingers

Pop them into the fridge to store and wrap and gift at the last minute

Tip - instead of coffee or champagne you could use rosemary, chilli, vanilla, saffron or even basil - bruise the herb first, then add to 150ml boiling water

Let the herbs infuse for 15 minutes or so and add to the mixture instead of coffee

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