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Archive for the ‘Candy’ Category

We are getting soooo close to Christmas, and we have a 3 year old in the house. Needless to say, she is pretty much bouncing off the walls out of sheer excitement! This is actually my favorite time of year as well, in addition to having the grand babies to celebrate with…..what a joy! The house is decorated and we’ve even made gingerbread houses (this is a tradition that my Mom started when I was 16, and it’s been maintained since).

Those are so fun to make, but it takes some serious time to bake them and then put them together! Or, you can go to the Wally World and purchase one that has already been baked, and everything you need is in the box. Either way, it’s great fun for the kids and the adults alike!

I actually ran across this recipe a few months ago as I was hunting around on Just a Pinch, and decided then that I needed to try it for Christmas. This is super easy and very yummy! The only thing that I think I will do in the future is probably use less almond bark, but either way – these are awesome, think I’ll put these on a special plate for neighbor gifts. This recipe does make a lot, so I do recommend that you have plenty of cookie sheets or other flat surfaces to spoon them onto.

I placed everything in the crock pot, starting with the peanuts, then the chocolate chips, the German chocolate squares and finally the almond bark on top.

Then place the lid on that baby and let the crock pot goulies do their magic for about 3 hours.

Stir it up – stirring all the way to the bottom.

Then drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.

Allow to set up and dig in. It almost tastes like there might be a hint of peanut butter in them because the peanuts have had a chance to sit in there and get very acquainted with the chocolate.

These are seriously to die for!!!!

Crock Pot Candy
Adapted from Just a Pinch Recipe Club

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. jar roasted, unsalted peanuts
1 16 oz. jar roasted, salted peanuts
1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 bar (4 ozs.) german chocolate, broken into pieces
3 lbs. (two 24 oz. pkgs.) white almond bark, broken into pieces

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a crock pot on low in the order they are listed. Cover and allow to sit on low for three hours. The candy may not look like it’s melted, stir and combine. Spoon candy onto wax paper with a teaspoon and allow to set up and harden. Makes about – 150 – 170 pieces.

Since the time I can remember, my Mom always made fudge around the holidays. This is an all time traditional thing to have on hand this time of year because you just never know who might stop by for some coffee and conversation, so it just makes sense to have something a little sweet to complete the picture. The thing that I discovered with these recipes is that they are silky, creamy, smooth and they have such a wonderful flavor. Now mind you, I’m not typically a huge fan of sweets, nor have I been huge on fudge, but as I was making these, I couldn’t help but lick the bowl, the spoon, the beaters and anything else that came into contact with the fudge. My first try at this fudge was kind of a botch, but it tasted phenomenal so I had to forge ahead until it was right. The first batch didn’t set up, for two reasons……to begin with I stirred when I wasn’t supposed to and I didn’t boil it long enough to allow for a good soft ball to form. Once I got it right though, things just fell into place.

I started by combining milk, butter, sugar, and corn syrup in a heavy sauce pan.

The first batch was for coconut fudge, so I got the flavoring and the coconut ready for when it was time to add those two items to the delicious mix.

I’ve not had a lot of luck using a candy thermometer, so I do the alternative and test my candy using some ice water in a bowl. If you want to use a candy thermometer, please click here for more information.

Slowly bring this to a boil on medium heat…..please note, the spoon laying beside the pan this time.

Allow this to boil for a few minutes before testing, which it took about – 15 – 20 minutes to get to a point where it looked like the mixture was getting thicker. Test by taking a small spoonful of the mixture and pouring the candy in the ice water. When it reaches the “soft ball” stage, it will hold it’s shape quite well. Feel free to taste you little nibble of heaven at this point – you won’t be sorry.

Once the candy has reached the soft ball stage, remove it from the heat and place the pan in a sink of ice water to allow it to cool to about 110 – 120 degrees on a candy thermometer.

When the candy has cooled to about 110 – 120 degrees, I added the flavoring and, in this instance, coconut and I beat it with an electric mixer until the candy started to lose it’s gloss. I quickly poured the candy into a pan lined with aluminum foil that I had buttered and allowed it to finish cooling.

This is the coconut fudge, I’m not kidding when I say that this is fabulous! It’s creamy, buttery and completely awesome!

This is the eggnog fudge, once again – buttery and creamy and what a wonderful flavor of eggnog.

And finally, this is the chocolate fudge. I added pecans to it, but they are completely optional.

Coconut Fudge
Adapted from Old Tyme Fudge Recipes

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp coconut extract
1 1/3 cups sweetened coconut

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Alternatively, butter the pan.

In a large 3 quart saucepan, combine sugar, milk, corn syrup and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Cook to 238F on candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Do not stir. Remove from heat. Do not stir.

Cool to 120F. Add coconut extract and coconut. Beat until mixture starts to lose its gloss. Quickly pour into greased pan.

Eggnog Fudge
Adapted from Old Tyme Fudge Recipes

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups eggnog
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Alternatively, butter the pan.

In a large 3 quart saucepan, combine sugar, nutmeg, eggnog, corn syrup and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Cook to 238F on candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Do not stir. Remove from heat. Do not stir.

Cool to 120F. Beat until mixture starts to lose its gloss. Quickly pour into greased pan

Chocolate Fudge
Adapted from Old Tyme Fudge Recipes

Ingredients:
4 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
3 cups sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups milk
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups nuts (optional)

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Alternatively, butter the pan.

Melt chocolate in pan over very low heat. Stir in sugar, corn syrup, and milk. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring until sugar dissolves. Wash crystals from side of pan. Cook to 238F on candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Remove from heat, and without stirring, add butter.

Cool to 120F. Add vanilla and beat until mixture begins to thicken. Stir in nuts. Pour mixture into the pan and cut into squares when cool (room temperature).