“They need boxes.”
I thought to myself last night every time I looked at the slabs of Chocolate Almond Buttercrunch Toffee in the kitchen. I made two batches of my favourite candies as a small thank you gift to friends who supported me relentlessly through my numerous athletic setbacks last year. I took a tally and the list is mind boggling. Just last year, I experienced: concussion, food poisoning, (yet unresolved) bursitis, cellulitis knee infection, a bad case of 24 hour fever, and countless minor scrapes and bruises. Training is constantly interrupted by forced rest due to health issues (sorry coach). I showed up to more races as spectator than racer because I paid for my travels when I thought I could race. There was no short supply of lows. My friends make sure I get back on my feet, figuratively and literally. I am a lucky girl.
I made this David Lebovitz toffee recipe countless times before. It is easy, quick, and always impressive. Gluten-free too for my growing number of gluten-conscious tasters. My only complaint is that I always end up with a pile of tiny toffee pieces after I package the big shards for gifts. The edge pieces never get evenly covered with toffee and chocolate. I did it slightly differently this time. I lined a 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper to create a perfectly square slab of even thickness. Once I cut the slab in half it was a good portion for one gift. The right size and maximum yield. Score!
But they really beg for some boxes.
Potentially, I can put the toffee in a plastic bag, pad it with colourful tissue paper, and stuff the whole lot into a pretty gift bag. That would take about five minutes in a rush or ten minutes if I fuss with crumpling the tissue paper just so.
Alternatively, I can shop for an appropriately sized gift box at the store and fill out any gaps with tissue paper. Add a jaunty bow and it would take up an hour of my time at maximum.
But nooooo, I want custom fit. Yes, just like how my speed skating boots are custom made from plaster mould of my feet. So I picked up two large sheets of cardstock and got to work with my toolbox of X-Acto knife, ruler, glue stick, paper punches, and scissors. I worked without any pattern since a flat rectangular slab is easy stuff. But first, I slipped the toffee into a food grade plastic bag with help from parchment paper sling and wooden tongs. The paper sling made it easy to ease the toffee pieces into the bag without leaving grease marks. The tongs allowed me to push and shove without leaving fingerprints on the candy. I then pulled the parchment paper away and taped the bag shut.
The box was made rather intuitively. I had a piece of cardstock large enough to cover the toffee slab. I scored the paper to create neat folds until I had a rectangular sleeve. The excess fold was trimmed and a contrasting colour cardstock was cut to size to fit just under the fold. I cut both ends to create side flaps and a width flap. Then I took the paper punch to the fold and the contrast cardstock to create a decorative edge. I glued the contrast cardstock to the box, put the candy inside, assembled the box, and sealed the whole thing. Repeated that three more times for four boxes in total. I weighed all the boxes under a chopping board overnight to ensure the glue seals tight.
The next morning, I attached a small glassine sticker to both ends of the box for added assurance. I tied a fat grosgrain ribbon around the width of the box and my gifts were done. It only took about, oh, four hours? May be five? But hey, aren’t they pretty?
With this latest item from Candy By Candy, I proudly hold the title of Official Gift Wrapper in my family. It’s been my thing since 1986.
More gift wrap ideas:
- Candied Orange Peel in a tin
- Chocolate Hearts in a plastic sleeve
- Cookies and Candies Assortment 2012
- Candies Assortment 2011
- Flower Pot Jam Jar
- Cookie Ration Emergency Kit
- Best Shock Absorber Ever
- Buckeyes In Wooden Box
- Holiday Picnic Hamper
- Bar Cookies Assortment for mailing
- Elegant Holiday Fudge Assortment
- Cookies Assortment 2006 in Japanese lacquer boxes
- Panforte in a round box
