Easiest Candy Ever

Okay.  I've not been very inspired to cook as of late.  I began a new job a few weeks ago and it is taking all the energy I can muster to take in all that I have to learn.  Because of that, my weekends have become a precious commodity, not to be spent cooking and then having to clean the kitchen (that's the part I am trying to avoid!)

Anyway, I felt I had to get into the spirit and make at least one holiday goodie and this is what I came up with; a tremendously easy white chocolate/peppermint bark.  Here's the recipe and the variations are what ever you feel like throwing on top of a sheet of melted chocolate.

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

1 lb. premium white chocolate
1 cup crushed peppermint candy

Slowly melt chocolate over a double boiler or even easier, put it in a microwave container and set the timer on 30 seconds.  Stir, put in for 30 seconds more, stir, etc. until it is almost entirely melted then just keep stirring until it is completely smooth.

Pour melted chocolate onto a sheet pan and spread evenly.  Sprinkle the peppermint chips on top and let cool completely.  Take sheet of chocolate out of pan and cut into bite size pieces.

Someone Had A Birthday

Isn't it nifty? The Husband turned fifty!  And to celebrate this monumental occasion, I made him some of his favorite candy - Peppermint patties.  This is a recipe I obtained from the now defunct (and sorely missed) Gourmet magazine a few years ago.  These are so simple to make and the results far surpass the silver foil covered patties in the store.   Happy Birthday dear!!
I made some revisions in this recipe when I made them and instead of rolling out the fondant and cutting with a cookie cutter, I just rolled it into a log, cut it into 1/4inch slices and then flattened those into rounds.  I also used coating chocolate instead of the tempering method as described below.  I just find that too tedious to deal with. I also need to work on my dipping techniques so I can perfect some fancy swirls or a signature mark of some sort.  Practice makes perfect.

Happy Birthday Husband!!

Peppermint Patties

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar (less than 1 pound), divided
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free)
10 ounces 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Beat 2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar with corn syrup, water, peppermint extract, shortening, and a pinch of salt using an electric mixer (with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) at medium speed until just combined. Knead on a work surface dusted with remaining 1/4 cup confectioners sugar until smooth. Roll out between sheets of parchment paper on a large baking sheet into a 7- to 8-inch round (less than 1/4 inch thick). Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove top sheet of paper and sprinkle round with confectioners sugar. Replace top sheet, then flip round over and repeat sprinkling on other side.

Cut out as many rounds as possible with cutter, transferring to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, gather scraps, reroll, and freeze, then cut out more rounds, freezing them.  (Or do as I did and just roll the kneaded fondant into a log about 7-8 inches long, freeze for 15 minutes or so, then cut into 1/4 inc slices and smash those down into a circle.

Melt three fourths of chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove bowl from pan and add remaining chocolate, stirring until smooth. Cool until thermometer inserted at least 1/2 inch into chocolate registers 80°F.

Return water in pan to a boil and remove from heat. Set bowl with cooled chocolate over pan and reheat, stirring, until thermometer registers 88 to 91°F. Remove bowl from pan.

Balance 1 peppermint round on a fork and submerge in melted chocolate, letting excess drip off and scraping back of fork against rim of bowl if necessary, then return patty to sheet (to make decorative ridges on patty, immediately set bottom of fork briefly on top of patty, then lift fork straight up). Coat remaining rounds, rewarming chocolate to 88 to 91°F as necessary. Let patties stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Have I ever mentioned that The Husband is a candy fiend.  He loves his candy and one of his favorites is chocolate covered cherries.  This is a treat that he usually only gets once a year at Christmas.  I noted after we got home from our holiday travels and all of the unpacking of Christmas presents had taken place that there were no cherries amongst his loot.

Now I could have run down to the nearest Walgreens (there's one on practically every block in my town) and picked up a box for him.  Instead, I decided to try my hand at making them.  It turned out to be a fun cooking experiment though I will admit that I cheated and used chocolate confectioners coating.  This can be found at any cooking/candy making store and it is so much easier to deal with than tempering real chocolate.  Of course, the taste is not a pure chocolate flavor, but it's not too bad. 

From start to finish this project took me about an hour and made two dozens cordials.  The trickiest part of this whole business was to find a good hiding place in a cool location where The Husband wouldn't find them as they have to sit for 1-2 weeks to cure.  This time is needed so the fondant breaks down and turns into that delicious liquid that bursts out all over your face when you bite into one.  What a gloriously fun candy!  (P.S. After trying them, The Husband stated they were "the best thing I ever ate!"  I'm tickled pink.)

Chocolate Covered Cherries

24 marachino cherries with stems
1 1/2 Tbsp softened butter
1 1/2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 to 3/4 lb. chocolate confectioners coating

Drain cherries and set on a paper towel to dry.

In a medium bowl, combine the butter, corn syrup and confectioners sugar and knead to form a dough.  Chill to stiffen if necessary.

Wrap each cherry in about 1 tsp. of dough.  Chill until firm.

In a deep medium size microwavable bowl, slowly melt the chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.  Dip each cherry in by its stem and place on waxed paper.  Chill until completely set. 

Store in airtight container for 1-2 weeks in a cool place.

Holiday Candy Making

No elaborate holiday candy making for me this year.  Here is a version of the no-fail chocolate fudge made with marshmallow creme and evaporated milk, also known as million dollar fudge. If memory serves me correctly, it was made famous by one of the first ladies but I'm too lazy right now to research the Internet to find out.

I added a couple more ingredients to make it a bit more faniciful and turned it into Rocky Road Fudge.  You know, if you have walnuts and mini-marshmallows in the cupboard, why not?  This is the last of the Christmas treats.  Only a week left until the big day and I must spend the next few days frantically writing out Christmas cards and wrapping presents.  Oh how I dread the wrapping presents.  Perhaps a trip to the Dollar Store for some cheap gift bags should be on my agenda this week.

To everyone, a safe and wonderful Christmas!

Rocky Road Fudge

1 12 oz. package semisweet chocolate chips
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 stick butter
4 cups sugar
2 cups coarsely cup nuts
2 cups minature marshmallows

Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan and set aside.  In a heavy 4 quart saucepan, combine milk, butter and sugar.  Place over medium heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixutre comes to a boil.  Boil, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes.

Take off heat and add chocolate chips and marshmallow creme.  Using a wooden spoon, beat until mixture is creamy.  Stir in the nuts and minature marshmallows.  Pour fudge into prepared pan. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.  Cut into 1 inch squares.  Keeps well for several weeks in the refrigerator. 

Sticky Toffee Mess

I have a recipe for sticky toffee ice cream sauce that I've been wanting to make. Sticky toffee pudding is an English dessert that consists of a cake with dates and a toffee/caramel sauce over the top. This ice cream sauce sounded wonderful. I made it as one would in England, using treacle (golden syrup), but dark corn syrup could be substituted.

I dutifully got to work and put the four simple ingredients in the pan to cook. My failure was that I was busy doing other things in the kitchen and let it cook way too long. When the time came for our dessert that evening, the sauce was quite congealed and when spooned over the vanilla ice cream it hardened into one big lump of sticky toffee caramel candy. Don't get me wrong, it tasted delicious with a butterscotch-penuche flavor that I adore. It was just impossible to eat with the ice cream. I chopped up a Heath bar to add to the decadence of this sundae.The next morning I looked at the bowl of solid caramel and decided to give up on the sauce idea and spooned it out into globs on wax paper and made individual candy pieces. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Not that I necessarily need candy nor did I invent it!Sticky Toffee Sauce

3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp soft dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp dark corn syrup or treacle

3/4 stick unsalted butter

2/3 cup heavy cream

Put the sugar, syrup and butter in a pan and slowly bring to the boil, allowing the butter to melt and the sugar to dissolve. Let the mixture boil for a couple of minutes before carefully adding the cream. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thick, sticky and glossy. Serve over ice cream or as a sauce for desserts.

Carin's Caramel Corn

A former employee of mine use to make divine caramel corn. She would take orders at work and then go home and make large batches and bring it to us all neatly bagged and sell it for some extra spending money. We were discussing this at work the other day and I said she had actually given me her recipe so I decided I would whip up a batch and surprise the girls on Monday with some of this delightful confection.

It couldn't be more simple to make but does take a time commitment of about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish and a large roasting pan to bake the caramel corn in to dry it out. The beauty of this recipe is that you don't have to worry about using a candy thermometer. It just boils for 5 minutes and it's done. It's fun to watch the mixture change in viscosity from a thin liquid to a molten lava. You will find the end result is a far more delicious product then what you can buy in a cardboard box.Carin's Caramel Corn

6 quarts popped corn (approximately 1 cup unpopped)

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put popped corn into a large roasting pan which has been sprayed with vegetable spray.In a fairly large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in sugar, syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in soda and vanilla. This will bubble up and double the volume in the pan. Pour all over popcorn and quickly mix well. Put roasting pan in oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Store in airtight containers. This recipe can easily be doubled but be sure to use a large pan when cooking the caramel.

Fantasy Fudge

An age old favorite at Christmas time is Fantasy Fudge. You know, the kind made with marshmallow fluff and loads of chocolate chips. Most recipes I've read call for nuts also, but I like my fudge totally smooth, silky and luscious. No crunchy pieces in it for me, thank you very much.

This fudge is so simple to make as it involves no candy thermometers to ensure getting the candy to the correct stage. You just mix the milk, sugar and margarine together and boil until the bubbles resemble a bubbling cauldron of thick viscous lava, then add the rest of the ingredients, stir vigorously and pour into a pan. It makes a wonderful fudge to be enjoyed by all.

Fantasy Fudge

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 sticks margarine

2/3 cups evaporated milk

1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, margarine and milk in a heavy 2 1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate until fully melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts and vanilla and beat until blended. Pour into greased 13x9 baking pan. Let cool and cut into squares.

MINTY GOODNESS

A bake sale was beckoning at the Fire Dept. for a good cause - the local food bank. The always daunting question lay before me; what to cook? Should I go for the usual suspects, cookies, banana bread, cupcakes? Or think "outside the box" and challenge my creativity.

Going for the latter, I decided on candy making at which I am a virtual novice. I went for a simple no cook recipe of butter mints, a much beloved treat my mother has made over the years for special occasions such as wedding receptions. Well, I guess that's the only time she made them really! But they left an impression.

Off to the Candy Making Store I went and purchased the required silicone molds in the shapes of a rose and leaf, peppermint extract and food colors. I also obtained there a copy of a corresponding recipe for said butter mints that I thought I would try since I didn't have my mom's recipe.

My experiment started Saturday and ended (thankfully and none too soon) Sunday. The recipe below has been adjusted considerably from the original I started with which called for only 1/4 cup of melted butter. In fact, it took 1/2 cup plus approximately 1 Tbsp. extra melted butter to make the candy dough malleable enough to work with. Utilizing the amount called for in the recipe only created a crumbly sticky mess.

The end results turned out most acceptable and despite my audience of primarily firefighters, my dozen bags of mints proceeded to sell out quite quickly and made $12.00 for a good cause.

Butter Mints

1 box minus 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 stick plus 1 tbsp melted butter

7 drops peppermint extract (more or less to get desired strength)

7 drops food color (more or less to get desired color)

granulated sugar for rolling

Put sugar in medium mixing bowl.

Add food color and extract to melted butter and pour into sugar.

Mix with fork (or hands) until mixture is consistency of play dough.

Roll mixture into size of small marble and roll one side into granulated sugar

Press sugar side down into mold, then immediately release onto wax paper.

Let mints sit uncovered overnight until they are slightly dried out.

Store in refrigerator or freeze until ready to use.