PERSONALIZED GIFT IDEAS

→ By Dilan Chock-Makiya (‘23) FEATURE

Decorated Cookies

If you’re a baker, cookies baked and decorated with personalized designs are always a hit. Senior Caylie Takahashi loves to bake a variety of cookies for her friends and teachers. She adds a personal note on a card and wraps it all up in a cute little package.

Butter Mochi

It’s the first dessert to run out at every potluck so you can’t go wrong giving away freshly-baked butter mochi. Here’s a recipe from BiggerBolderBaking.com:

INGREDIENTS

1 box (16oz/450g) Mochiko flour

2 cups (16oz/454g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 large eggs (room temperature)

2 cups (16floz/450ml) whole milk

1 can (13floz/400ml) coconut milk

¾ cup (6oz/170g) butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add eggs, followed by the milks, butter and vanilla.

Using an electric mixer or by hand whisk together to form a smooth batter. Pour mix into prepared pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden on top.

Set aside to cool down completely before cutting into squares.

Buying gifts for friends and family can be pricey so here are some holiday ideas that won’t break the bank. Plus these ideas allow you to personalize your presents, making your gift more meaningful.

Get Crafting

Senior Cameron Pien loves to give personalized presents to friends and family. Pien has sewn a stuffed animal for her brother and painted a movie poster for her sister. If you’re not one to create something from scratch, the Clay Cafe has everything you need to create a custom pottery gift. From plates, mugs, animal figurines to Christmas ornaments, there are many options on which to paint your personalized designs. The cafe will fire and glaze your pottery, but that means you’ll have to wait at least a day before getting your finished piece. The cafe is located at McCully and Kapiolani.

CUSTOM T-SHIRTS

Create a keepsake for a friend or friend group by designing a custom t-shirt with a witty or catchy phrase. If you’re trying to keep your costs down, iron-on transfer paper will do the job. Print your design onto the paper and iron it onto a shirt. If you want a longer-lasting print job, look up some local t-shirt printers. They usually have plain t-shirts for sale too.