Gift Basket for the Chocolate Lover

Need a quick, last minute but frugal gift idea?

How about a themed basket of chocolate?

For under $10.

Here's what you'll need:

1 basket~look around your house for any extras, or pick one up at a thrift store for less than a $1.

2 cute coffee mugs~thrift stores have oodles of them, usually for 50 cents a piece, or less. Or look in your own cupboard, we usually have more coffee mugs than my entire family lineage could use!

1 pint jar with lid and ring

1 kitchen towel~I bought a new one for $2.

Cute cellophane bag, or Saran Wrap

scrapbooking paper

packing material

curling ribbon

Homemade fudge sauce, see below

Almond Joy Granola

mini candy canes and assorted chocolates

A home-made label with hot chocolate directions.

Fill the mugs with packing material and mini candy canes.

Almond Joy Granola

Cover the basket with the towel and tie with a large ribbon.

The packing material was shredded computer paper that my daughter curled for me (with a pencil). (Never say to a momma that "I'm boooooorrrrrred!")  Make sure to tuck it between the mugs and jar of fudge sauce so they won't break during the drive to Grandma's house.

To make the fancy lid for the fudge sauce, place a canning lid over the back of a piece of scrapbooking paper. Trace with a pencil, cut, and use a glue stick to attach to lid. If you have a label-maker, now's a good time to pull out the instructions and try to figure out how to use it!☺ And if you can't or don't, a black felt pen works too.

Use curling ribbon or other holiday decorations to gussy up the basket. At Christmas, you can never have too much gussy-ing.

And if you take a chocolate themed gift basket to a gift exchange, and if there are men at this same exchange, never, ever, ever underestimate the power that chocolate has on members of the opposite sex. (The recipient of the gift basket had to be escorted out by unarmed security guards who may or may not have wrestled said basket from winner's hands...at least, I think they were security guards...)

And if you do, underestimate I mean, make sure you have another jar of fudge sauce secretly stashed in your refrigerator at home...and only enjoy it in the the privacy of your own locked bathroom.

Just sayin'.☺

~Hot Fudge Sauce~

*use organic ingredients if possible*

1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium saucepan, stir together the cream, sugar, cocoa, and butter. Cook on medium heat until butter is melted and ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture into mixing bowl and beat for 1 minute. Pour into pint jar.

Makes 2 cups of fudge sauce.

To make hot cocoa:

Heat 1 cup milk to hot, but not boiling. Add 3-4 tablespoons of fudge sauce and whisk well. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

I'll be using this same Hot Fudge Sauce to make an ice-cream themed gift basket too!

This post is linked to The Great Holiday Barn Hop.