How To Make Pastries That Are Great Edible Gifts

Pastries, those heavenly flaky delights that have graced our tables and delighted our taste buds for centuries are more than just treats. They are treasures with a history that stretches back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks who first experimented with dough and fats. However, it was the French who truly transformed pastries into an art form by infusing them with elegance and a wide range of flavors.

Now imagine the joy of creating these wonders as gifts right in your own kitchen. Here you will find various pastry recipes that're perfect for gifting – each one is a masterpiece on its own – accompanied by suggested side dishes to enhance their flavors.

1.Classic Croissants

Ingredients:

• Flour
• butter
• milk
• sugar
• yeast
• salt

Instructions:

• Combine the ingredients and knead the dough.
• Let it rise, fold in butter layers, then shape the croissants and bake until golden.

Best paired with:

• A fruit salad.

2.Apple Turnovers

Ingredients:

• Puff pastry dough
• apples
• cinnamon
• sugar

Instructions:

• Wrap spiced apple slices in the puff pastry dough and bake until golden.

Best paired with:

• Creamy vanilla ice cream.

3.Chocolate Eclairs

Ingredients:

• Choux pastry dough shells filled with cream 
• topped with chocolate glaze

Instructions:

• Start by baking light and airy choux pastries.
• Once they are ready fill them with a creamy filling.
• Finish off with a chocolate glaze.

Best paired with:

• These go well with a cup of coffee.

4.Raspberry Tartlets

Ingredients:

• Pastry shells
• raspberries
• custard

Instructions:

• Prepare pastry shells then fill them with custard and top them off with raspberries.

Pair with:

• These delectable tartlets pair wonderfully with sparkling wine.

5.Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients:

• Pie crust
• lemon curd
• egg whites
• sugar

Instructions:

• Create a pie crust.
• Fill it with tangy lemon curd.
• Then cover it generously with fluffy meringue topping.
• Bake it to perfection.
• This zesty pie pairs beautifully with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

6.Danish Pastries

Ingredients:

• Danish pastry dough
• fruit fillings

Instructions:

• Use dough as the base for these pastries and add your choice of fruit fillings before baking them until golden brown.

Pair with:

• Enjoy these treats accompanied by a mug of hot chocolate.

7.Palmiers

Ingredients:

• Puff pastry
• sugar.

Instructions:

• Take puff pastry sheets.
• Roll them in sugar before slicing them into shapes.
• Bake the slices until they caramelize to create these crispy palmiers.

Pair with:

• These palmiers go well with a cup of tea.

8.Almond Croissants

Ingredients:

• Croissant dough
• almond paste

Instructions:

• Fill croissants with almond paste, bake them until golden and dust them lightly with sugar for added sweetness.

Pair with:

• Enjoy these treats alongside a cappuccino.

9.Fruit Galettes

Ingredients:

• Pie dough
• mixed fruits
• sugar

Instructions:

• Prepare pie dough, use it as the base, for an assortment of mixed fruits sprinkled generously with sugar before baking to create mouth-watering galettes.

Pair with:

• These galettes go well with whipped cream.

10.Cannoli

Ingredients:

• cannoli shells
• a sweetened ricotta filling.

Instructions:

• Fill the cannoli shells with the sweetened ricotta mixture.

Pair with:

• Enjoy them alongside a cup of espresso.

11.Baklava

Ingredients:

• Gather dough
• nuts
• honey syrup

Instructions:

• Layer the dough with a generous amount of nuts then bake it to perfection before pouring over the honey syrup.

Pair with:

• Savor it with a cup of refreshing mint tea.

12.Portuguese Custard Tarts

Ingredients:

• Prepare puff pastry
• a creamy custard filling.

Instructions:

• Fill the pastry with the custard mixture and bake until it turns brown.

Pair with:

• Pair it with a glass of port wine.

13.Scones with Clotted Cream and Jam

Ingredients:

• Flour
• butter
• cream
• jam

Instructions:

• Combine flour, butter, cream and jam to make scones.
• Bake them until they're golden brown and serve them warm with clotted cream and your favorite jam.

Pair with:

• Enjoy these treats alongside a pot of tea.

14.Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

• Make your pie crust.
• pecans,
• syrup
• eggs

Instructions:

• Pour the pecan mixture into the crust and bake it until its beautifully browned.

Pair with:

• It pairs well with a glass of bourbon.

15.French Macarons

Ingredients:

• Gather almond flour
• egg whites
• sugar for making macaron shells along with your choice of filling (like ganache or buttercream)

Instructions:

• Start by mixing the ingredients before piping out delicate macaron shells onto baking sheets to bake it to perfection.
• Baking meringue cookies and filling them to make sandwiches is a wonderful treat.

Pair with:

• It goes well with a glass of Champagne.

To sum it up

The world of pastries brings joy and transforming them into gifts is an expression of love and creativity. Each pastry tells a story, carries tradition and brings a touch of magic. Whether it is the layers of a croissant or the delightful crunch of a palmier, these pastries are more than just food; they are an ode to culture, history and the simple pleasures in life. So, let’s roll up our sleeves, pre heat the oven and embark on this pastry making adventure that will surely impress our loved ones with our skills.