The Edible Gift List

Plus! Highly Giftable Cacao Buckwheat Granola

For those of you looking for gifts to make by hand, I am coming through with a list of bright ideas, and, a recipe for my highly giftable Cacao Buckwheat Granola. It’s GF and vegan, low in sugar but ten times more satisfying than store bought ‘nola. (I once tried to start a homemade granola mail chain with a group of friends, and failed. Maybe I just hadn’t found the right crew? If you are reading this and want to revive the idea, hit me up in the comments).

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1. Macrobiotic Rice Krispies. No-bake with brown rice, quinoa krispies, whole hemp seed, candied ginger, cacao nibs, coconut oil, Sun Butter and brown rice syrup, these take 10 minutes to throw together and give your loved one license to have more than one dessert.

2. Dukkah. A take on the Egyptian herb/nut/spice blend (recipe from my book, Arty Parties!), dukkah is flavor and texture in one sprinkle, a godsend for cooks who otherwise keep it simple.

3. Confit Garlic. Slowly simmer garlic whole garlic cloves in a ton of good olive oil until silky-soft. Gift it submerged in its oil in a small jar, with instructions to smear on toast and add to sauces.

4. Dehydrated Citrus. I slice them 1/4" thick and sprinkle with sumac or tajín. Gorgeous for cocktail garnish, crushed up in granola (add it to the one below after baking), or as a snack. My kids prefer when remove the peel before baking; it’s more work, but the result is all sweet, no bitter.

5. Cacao Buckwheat Granola. So much better and so much cheaper to make than to buy.

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Cacao Buckwheat Granola

The holy grail for granola-makers is “clumpage.” Where I once lamented the excessive sweetener and oil required to achieve a signature shard, I know sing the praise of hydrated flax and chia seeds as“glue.”

Unlike store-bought granola, this recipe calls for a modest amount of sweetener, making it respectable for midday snacking (add more if you know you like things on the sweeter side).

Note: Always buy “hulled” buckwheat for this recipe. The unhulled has a bitter outer shell that will be tough to the bite, and slightly bitter.