Heartfelt Gifts - Your Homemade Chocolate Covered Coffee Spoons
by Nicole Dean

Whether you're trying to find your babysitter a Christmas gift, or your sister a little Valentine's Day gift, or your child's teacher a Thank You gift, there are times when you have to come up with an idea that won't break your budget.  If your family is like most, your finances are bleak and gift giving is one luxury you can't afford anymore.

We've discovered in our goal to reduce spending, that when money is tight, the first thing that we start to question is our gift giving.  We all want to lavish people we love with beautiful, expensive gifts.  But, that won't be the case any longer in our family, so what do we do?  I believe a gift given from the heart is appreciated just as much, if not more, than a gift of monetary value.

Making chocolate treats is one of my favorite gift ideas.  It's pretty simple to impress someone with a beautiful box of chocolate covered pecans or chocolate dipped pretzels.  Chocolates always seem festive, and homemade chocolates say you appreciate someone very, very, much indeed.

Most chocolate treats are relatively easy to make once you get the hang of it.  You'll find out which pans work best, which spoons you like, and how long to melt the chocolate on the first or second try.  I especially like this chocolate treat because it's something that most people would never dream of making for themselves. 

Chocolate Dipped Coffee Spoons

If your gift recipient likes a nice, hot cup of coffee, then they'll like it even better with a little spoon of chocolate.  This is a gift that both men and women love.

Start with this list of items:

You'll need to buy heavy duty plastic spoon, I like the clear ones. If you've got a great thrift store or antique store in your community, you might be able to find some unique silver spoons that would definitely add a special touch.  Be sure they're in good condition, then wash and dry them well.

In the baking aisle of your grocery store, you will find milk chocolate coating.  This is the chocolate you'll want to use.  Don't use the Real Chocolate as it is way too fussy and you don't want to worry about it not turning out right.

If you'd like to add some crushed peppermint candy or other candy sprinkles to your spoons, that's really pretty, too.  You may also look for flavoring oils, like peppermint or amaretto, to really make these spoons fancy.

Purchase some parchment paper, NOT wax paper, to cool the spoons on.  This will keep them from sticking to your cookie sheets as well as keep your pans clean and ready if you are into mass production. 

Each spoon will be wrapped in a clear cellophane candy bag.  You'll find these in a craft store with all the candy making supplies.  Also, at the craft store, be sure to pick up some decorative items to tie the bags shut, like ribbon, gift wrap ribbon, raffia, or jute rope.

Follow these simple steps:

Put a big pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.  Carefully chop up your big chunk of chocolate into little chunks and put in a small pot that will fit in the big pot.  When the water in the big pot comes to a boil, shut it off, and very carefully place the small pot in the hot water.  Don't let your water run over into the small pot with the chocolate.  After the small pot sits for a few minutes and you see the chocolate start to melt on the edges, take the pot out of the water and begin stirring the chocolate with a big rubber spatula until it's all melted.

When you are done stirring the chocolate, dip one spoon at a time in the melted chocolate and lay each one on the parchment paper you have on your cookie sheets.  If you plan to decorate the spoons with other candy, do it while the spoon is still wet. Otherwise the candy won't stick. Then move on to the next spoon, dip, decorate, and so on.  Once all of your spoons are done, take your cookie sheet to a cold, preferably dry place.  A refrigerator or freezer is okay to just get them set up a little, but don't leave them in that moist environment for more than a few minutes.

Now your chocolate is set and you are ready to wrap your spoons up.  Begin by placing each spoon in a candy bag that you purchased.  Tie a piece of raffia, or gift wrap ribbon, or other pretty material on each bag around the handle so that the bag is closed securely.  You may wish to tie more ribbon or some decorations on the bag, even a peppermint candy cane, or anything that makes your spoon gift more festive.

That's all there is!  You have just created a one-of-a-kind gift for someone special in your life.  Doesn't that feel great?  Your gift didn't cost a lot of your hard earned money... you gave a creative gift that will be greatly appreciated... a gift from your heart.

Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane mom and owner of <a href="http://showmomthemoney.com">ShowMomtheMoney.com</a> - a fun and informative website to help moms achieve success working from home. She welcomes you to learn more ways to save money in her <a href="http://showmomthemoney.com/frugal-moms/frugal-meals/">Frugal Meals</a> section. Be sure to sign up for her free tutorial for work at home moms. This and other <a href='http://www.uberarticles.com/?id=159039'>unique content 'chocolate' articles</a> are available with free reprint rights.