Text by: Pavlína Filipcová | Pavla Dámková
We will show you that you don’t need complicated materials or special skills to be creative. All you need is a few simple steps, a little patience, and creativity.
The result will be an original decoration that you can use to decorate your table, window, or Christmas tree.
What we will need:
- 12 paper bags (brown or white ideally)
- glue stick or glue gun
- scissors
- fishing line or string for hanging the star
Procedure:
1. Prepare 12 paper bags.
2. Take the first bag and place it in front of you with the opening facing up. Spread glue over the entire surface of the bag and place the second bag on top of it. Repeat until all the bags are used up. When gluing, make sure that the bags are glued straight and that none of them are upside down.
3. Once all the bags are glued together, take a scissors and cut the top of the bags into a point. You can then cut out smaller shapes (e.g., semicircles, triangles) on the sides, which will create beautiful patterns when the star is unfolded.
4. Finally, rub one side of the bag and open the entire star by inserting your hands, where you glue the first and last sides of the star together.
5. If you want to place the star somewhere in the room, hang it on a fishing line.
Layer the following ingredients into a glass from the bottom up:
- 115 g all-purpose flour with pinch of salt
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 150 g brown sugar
- 1 vanilla sugar
- 50 g favourite nuts (pecan, hazelnuts, cashew)
- 100 g white chocolate
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 40 g grated coconut
You can vary the ingredients according to the recipient’s preferences. Various types of dried fruit, lentils, or chopped caramels are suitable.
Once you have filled the jar with the cookie mixture, you can decorate it with a ribbon and attach a tag with the recipe. If you also add a baking sheet or whisks, you will be giving a wonderful and practical gift.
Instructions on the tag:
“Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Beat 1 egg into 125 g of butter and add the contents of the jar. Place spoonfuls of the mixture, about the size of a tablespoon, onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper, leaving enough space between them. Bake for about 12 minutes.”
All baked sweets that are prepared by simply mixing all the ingredients in a bowl are suitable for the jar – gingerbread, cookies, dried-fruit bread, muffins, and similar simple cakes. It looks best when the layers contrast with each other. Most recipes can be easily modified and adapted, so don’t be afraid to experiment and layer for beauty.
You can add a cookbook or various baking accessories to the jar, such as muffin tins, wooden spoons, whisks, a cooking apron, or even a container for finished cookies.
