Homemade Gifts – Ice Cream Toppings

Christmas shopping can be a real pain in the rear, especially when you ask people for ideas on what to get them as gifts and all they can say is “Oh, don’t worry about it. Don’t get me anything”.  Their wonderful gift of humility leaves you wondering around the mall for hours trying to figure out if they would ever use those moisturizing slippers or if they really can live without a Barack Obama Chia Head.   Add 8 months of pregnant, swollen feet, and the urge to wee wee every two minutes and you are in for a hell of shopping experience.


For that reason, I decided that I was going to give my friends homemade gifts this year.  But what to make?  I don't knit, I cant sew, and one can only do so many cookies.  Then an old friend I recently reconnected with on Facebook suggested I look into canning.  Later that evening, as my husband and I enjoyed some ice cream bars for dessert, it hit me that nobody ever thinks of gifting ice cream toppings/sauces.   Adam suggested we do a blueberry sauce, a traditional Butterscotch, and a chocolate sauce. SOLD! 


So in case you want to do these for some of your ice cream loving friends, below are a few recipes and suggestions on where to buy the materials.  I have included the total number of servings for each recipe.  Depending on what size of jar and how many jars you want to gift, you will have to modify the amount of ingredients in your recipes. If you need help doing this, shoot me a note and I would be happy to help you figure it out.  This conversion site also helps

Old Fashioned Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

Yields 2 cups (16 oz) of sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
  
• 1/4 cup butter
  
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
  
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, syrup, and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until sugar has dissolved and mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Allow to boil, without stirring, for exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. In another bowl or large measuring cup, combine evaporated milk, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir into the slightly cooled sauce. Pour into jars, cover, and refrigerate. Place jar in a pan of warm water to reheat.
* You can add a teaspoon of bourbon for a little adult kick!

Spiced Hot Fudge Sauce

Yields 3 cups (24 oz) of sauce 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder – you can also use Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa. 
2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of coconut extract
1/2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper

Preparation:

Combine sugar, corn syrup, cocoa powders and evaporated milk in a large stockpot. Cook over medium high heat until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Turn heat to medium low and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes, whisking frequently to release steam and help thicken sauce.
Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla and salt until butter is completely melted. Let cool to warm. Add coconut extract and cayenne pepper. Serve immediately, or store in your fridge for up to 4 weeks, reheating in microwave before serving.

Blueberry Ice Cream Topping

Yields 1 1/4 cup (10 ounces) of sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
  
• 1 tablespoon water
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• Pinch salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  
• 1 teaspoon cold water
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

In a saucepan, combine the blueberries, water, sugar and salt; cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the berries burst.
Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into hot blueberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in the lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon. Serve over ice cream. Yield: 1-1/4 cups.

Materials

• Glass Jars – Purchased at Freund Container. 
• Blank Labels – Purchased at Amazon.  
• Baskets, Cinnamon Sticks, baskets,  ribbons, and holiday picks – Purchased on sale at Michaels.

Pictures