December 11th - Candy Day

Our Martha Steuart Candy Day

As always I imagine big and drag my friends into it.  After taking family pictures with Santa Clause, we hurried home so I could start the candy making process.  Before Rose, Lita and Lori arrived, I had made several barks and fudges.  Then we all made chocolate covered pretzels, hay stacks and the finale as it were…globs of red and clear sugar…I mean…candy canes…homemade candy canes.  My fingerprints grew back a couple of weeks later.

Here are some of the recipes:

Fudge

3 cups (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

Dash salt

1/2 to 1 cups chopped nuts (optional)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

LINE 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.

MELT chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

CHILL 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of foil. Cut into squares.

MICROWAVE METHOD

COMBINE chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in 1-quart glass measure. Cook on HIGH (100% power) 3 minutes or until chips are melted, stirring after 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Proceed as above.

VARIATIONS

CREAMY DARK CHOCOLATE FUDGE: MELT 2 cups miniature marshmallows with chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Proceed as above.

MILK CHOCOLATE FUDGE: OMIT 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Add 1 cup milk chocolate chips. Proceed as above.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP GLAZED FUDGE: FOLLOW above recipe using 3/4 cup peanut butter chips instead of nuts. For glaze, melt 1/2 cup peanut butter chips with 1/2 cup heavy cream. Stir until thick and smooth. Spread over chilled fudge

I made milk chocolate, dark chocolate walnut and peanut/candy corn (which was my fav)

Almond Bark Pretzels

1 pkg almond bark (flavor of choice)

1 bag pretzels (stick or twists)

In microwave or pan on stove, melt the almond bark (3 min), slowly, do no scorch or burn.  

With chopstick or fork, drop the twisted pretzel (fork for sticks), into the melted almond bark. Turn until covered, lift out of bark and place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet, leaving space between each. Let cool, then put into plastic bags or decorative containers.  To make festive for holidays, add a few drops of related holiday food coloring, and flavoring extracts to white bark.  We made snowmen using the long sticks

HAYSTACK COOKIES

12 oz. Pkg. Butterscotch chips

12 oz. Jar peanut butter

9 oz. Can chow mein noodles

Melt chips in a saucepan, add peanut butter and remove from heat. Stir well. Add chow mein noodles. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool thoroughly.

ALMOND BARK - PEPPERMINT CANDY

2 lbs. White almond bark

melted chocolate chips as a sedond layer (optional)

1 1/2 c. Crushed peppermint candy

Melt white almond bark on top of double boiler (never add water as it curdles the white almond bark). It takes about 10 minutes to melt thoroughly and will be very thick. Crush either peppermint candy canes or peppermint hard candy in blender until it is powder. Meanwhile, line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Mix hard crushed candy with melted white almond bark. Spread on lined cookie sheet. Let it dry and chop into pieces.

ALMOND BARK CLUSTERS

2 lb. Almond bark

2 c. Cap'n Crunch peanut butter cereal

2 c. Rice Krispies

2 c. Miniature marshmallows

2 c. Dry roasted peanuts

Soften almond bark in 200 degree oven (or nuk for 3 min). Stir together. Add cereal, marshmallows and peanuts. Mix well. Drop by teaspoon on waxed paper will harden as they cool. If mixture starts to harden, soften a few minutes in oven.

ALMOND BARK KRISPIE TREATS

1 (12 oz.) almond bark

1/3 c. Peanut butter

2 c. Miniature marshmallows

3 c. Rice Krispies

1/2 can peanuts, dry roasted or Spanish

Melt bark in microwave in a glass container 5 minutes at medium power. Add peanut butter; cook 1 minute more. Mix up good. Mix in large bowl marshmallows, Krispies, and peanuts.

Pour almond bark over dry ingredients and stir. Pour in greased 13 x 9 pan (can add Fruit Loops along with Krispies).

ALMOND BARK CRACKER COOKIES

1 box Ritz crackers

Peanut butter

Almond bark candy (white chocolate)

Melt bark in double boiler. Spread peanut butter between crackers (like sandwich). Dip in melted bark. Set on wax paper to cool and dry. Easiest to just use fingers to dip.)

WHITE CHOCOLATE ALMOND BARK MIX

1 (12 oz.) pkg. white chocolate chips

1 tbsp. Crisco

or 1 bag white choc chips and 1 block white bark

1 bag Cranberry-Walnut mix (Cranberries, Raisins, Walnuts, Almonds, Pumpkin Seed) from https://store.vendingnut.com/

Combine chocolate chips and Crisco in double boiler. Heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in mix. Spread in waxed paper lined 13 x 9 inch pan. Chill 45 minutes. Break in bite size pieces.

ALMOND BARK CANDY

1 lb. chocolate

1 bag choc chips

1/2 c. honey roasted peanuts

Melt chocolate until smooth. Add peanuts. Pour onto wax paper - this will be a thin candy. Let cool then break into pieces.

Anyway for a first time candy making day...it was a lot of fun...my poor kitchen did take a beating in the Month of December though!