Candy

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Boozy Chocolate Truffles

December 31, 2012 6 Comments

Happy New Year! 2012 is almost over, but before it’s official I have one last recipe for you. I got a couple requests for New Years Eve dessert ideas and since I’m bringing these to the party I’m going to tonight I figured you all may like the recipe too! These truffles are easy as can be with a very short ingredient list you may already have on hand.

I made them extra boozy since it’s NYE after all, but you don’t have to. I had a little whiskey in the house so I used that, but anything would do- Baileys, Kaluha, Amaretto etc. Or- if boozy isn’t your thing- just use vanilla or almond extract and no one will be the wiser. The coating is also negotiable. I rolled half of mine in cocoa for a simple look, and the others got toasted coconut! If you want a rich chocolatey truffle that is festive and easy- this may just be your thing.

Have a happy, fun and safe New Years Eve, I hope you are all ringing in the New Year with your loved ones! We’re going to a laid pack get together with some close friends and couldn’t be happier about the chill plans.

2013 is going to be a great year I can just tell! (I mean I’m going to Paris, and Italy in March so how can it not be right!?)

Boozy Chocolate Truffles

Yield: 30 small truffles

Ingredients

4 oz. cream cheese softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups semi-sweet, dark or milk chocolate chips, melted. (1 bag)
2 Tablespoons whiskey or any other liquor/liqueur of your choice
For topping- cocoa powder, crushed toasted coconut, nuts etc.

Instructions

In a large bowl, cream together the powdered sugar and cream cheese on medium speed until thick and well blended. Add the melted chocolate and the booze.
Mix until thick, creamy and well combined.
Put the bowl in the freezer for 30-45 minutes or until mixture has firmed up. (If it's too liquid-y to form balls, chill it for a few minutes more.)
Form 1 inch sized truffles by rolling each one into a ball and setting aside.
Finish with a dusting of cocoa powder or other toppings. (The coconut needed a bit of gentle pressing help coat the truffles.)
Store in fridge until ready to serve.

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/12/31/boozy-chocolate-truffles/

Recipe adapted from: Food, Pleasure & Health

Filed Under: Candy, Recipes, Truffles Tagged With: Booze, Chocolate, Coconut

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Cups

November 30, 2012 14 Comments

For me, this time of year means making lots of homemade candy as well as cookies. I shared my family’s traditional toffee recipe in this post, and explained the history behind my relatives sending boxes of candy to my Grandad during the war. I don’t have anyone specific to send these to, but I think I may have started a tradition of my own! Let me assure you, that making peanut butter cups is really so much easier than it may seem. This whole project came together in about an hour and the end result is super satisfying. I mean when you remove your homemade peanut butter cup from the wrapper you just may be filled with all sorts of kitchen pride and be all happy with yourself. (At least I was!)

Like many things, you can totally adapt these to your own liking. I used half milk chocolate and half dark, but the proportions are up to you. Also, the fillings can be a result of your creativity. Peanut butter and caramel went into mine, but nuts, marshmallow, and pretzel bits could all be added to the middle of these. Because I’m obsessed with it, I sprinkled flaky sea salt on some of mine, but of course that too is up to you as well. Holiday Candy time!!

The process of making homemade peanut butter cups is much easier than you may think! First- chop the chocolate coarsely.

Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. (Make sure the bowl doesn’t actually touch the water.)

Stir until smooth and melted.

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Cups %The Baker Chick

Spoon a teaspoon of the melted chocolate into each liner and use the back of the spoon to coat the inside of the liner with chocolate. Repeat a couple times to make sure there is a thick layer of chocolate.

Chill the whole pan for 10-15 minutes until chocolate hardens.

Fill each liner with teaspoon of peanut butter filling. Press down a bit to flatten.

Top with a spoonful of caramel.- add a sprinkle of salt if you like.

Top with remaining melted chocolate and sprinkle with more sea salt if desired. Make sure the chocolate goes out to the edges. Chill for another 10-15 minutes until chocolate hardens again. Store in the fridge until ready to serve!

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Cups

Yield: 24 cups

Ingredients

16 oz chopped chocolate (I used half dark and half milk, you can use any combination.)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup thick caramel sauce (like dulce de leche.)
flaky sea salt (optional)
Fill each liner with teaspoon of peanut butter filling. Press down a bit to flatten.
Top with a spoonful of caramel.- add a sprinkle of salt if you like.
Top with remaining melted chocolate and sprinkle with more sea salt if desir

Instructions

Prepare a mini muffin tin with small cupcake liners. For the peanut butter filling, mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together until smooth and combined. Set aside Chop chocolate coarsely.
Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. (Make sure the bowl doesn't actually touch the water.)
Stir until smooth and melted.
Spoon a teaspoon of the melted chocolate into each liner and use the back of the spoon to coat the inside of the liner with chocolate. Repeat a couple times to make sure there is a thick layer of chocolate.
Chill the whole pan for 10-15 minutes until chocolate hardens.
Fill each liner with teaspoon of peanut butter filling. Press down a bit to flatten.
Top with a spoonful of caramel.- add a sprinkle of salt if you like.
Top with remaining melted chocolate and sprinkle with more sea salt if desired. Make sure the chocolate goes out to the edges. Chill for another 10-15 minutes until chocolate hardens again. Store in the fridge until ready to serve!

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/11/30/salted-caramel-peanut-butter-cups/

Filed Under: Candy, Recipes Tagged With: Caramel, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel

Salted Pumpkin Caramels

October 2, 2012 10 Comments

It’s October! Not only is it my favorite time of the year, but it’s the best time to be in New York City. I can leave my windows wide open and feel the brisk breeze sweeping through my apartment, (which makes turning the oven on bearable!) I also just love the energy in the air amongst my fellow New Yorkers. It seems like with the new season everyone feels hopeful, excited, and fresh. (At least I do.)

Anyway- onto these delicious candies- after seeing the popular combination of pumpkin and caramel everywhere these days, I figured a pumpkin flavored caramel was something that needed to happen in my life. I wasn’t so sure if the candy-making process would work with the addition of actual pumpkin pureé, but I’m so glad that it did. These caramels are soft, full of spice and they just melt in your mouth. Plus- they have a bonus of toasted pumpkin seeds which add nutty crunch. I’m planning on making them as a part of my Holiday candy-making this year.

Though the process of making these was pretty easy, it was a bit time consuming. It requires a bit of patient hands-off monitoring- (which happens to be great for when you have to wash dishes, prep dinner, etc.) Don’t worry though- while you’re waiting for the caramels to cook- your kitchen will smell absolutely divine…

PS- I used these caramels as the cupcake toppers for some very festive cupcakes. Stay tuned for the recipe tomorrow!

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Salted Pumpkin Caramels

Yield: 64, 1-inch caramels

Ingredients
2/3 cup unsalted pepitas
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cups light corn syrup
1/3 cup good maple syrup
1/4 cup of water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in chunks
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel

Instructions
Dry toast the pepitos in a skillet until they start to pop.
Line the bottom of an 8-in square glass pan with parchment. Butter the parchment and the sides of the pan. Evenly spread out the toasted pepitos on the bottom of the pan, on top of the parchment. Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt.
In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, pumpkin puree and spices. Warm the mixture, but not to the point of boiling.
In a second medium-sized heavy bottomed pan, (with sides at least 4 inches high,) combine the sugar, both syrups and water. Stir until the sugars are melted, Then let it boil until it reaches 244 degrees (the soft ball point on a candy thermometer). Then very carefully add the cream and pumpkin mixture, and slowly bring this mixture to 240 degrees as registered on a on a candy thermometer.
This will take awhile -- like 30-60 minutes -- but don't leave the kitchen, keep an eye on it, and stir occasionally. When it hits 230 degrees start stirring frequently to keep it from burning.
As soon as it reaches the 240, pull it off the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice. Stir vigorously so that butter is fully incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Let cool 10-15 minutes and sprinkle the salt over the top. Let the caramels fully set (at least 2 hours) before using a warm knife to cut them into 1-inch squares and wrapping them individually in waxed paper.
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http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/10/02/salted-pumpkin-caramels/

Recipe barely adapted from: Food 52

Filed Under: Candy, Fall, Recipes Tagged With: Caramel, Pumpkin, Salted Caramel, Sea Salt

Salted Caramel Cookie Dough Truffles

June 11, 2012 120 Comments

If you know my sweets-style at all by now, you know I have a flair for the sweet/salty combo. In fact, it is probably my all-time favorite blend of flavors and I do whatever I can to add that pinch of sea salt whenever a dessert warrants it (which is almost always.) So, when asked to create a recipe using the raw egg-free cookie dough featured in “The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook,” you can guess where my mind went first. Yes, that’s right, I knew right away that my creation had to include some salted caramel.

If the little pocket of caramel that I carefully “injected” into each truffle isn’t enough salt for you, I also used peanut butter cookie dough and finished the truffles off with some sea salt. The result? A truly decadent sweet and salty bite from beginning to end. And the best part- these are no bake, and they are much easier to assemble than they seem. (People always seem very impressed by homemade truffles, which is great for me because I find they pretty simple!)

This recipe is part of a fun promotion for Lindsay Landis’s new cookbook completely devoted to cookie dough! Yes, the talented blogger behind Love & Olive Oil has created, (and photographed beautifully,) dozens of recipes all using her safe-to-eat cookie dough creation. A few bloggers were asked by Quark Books to create something utilizing the cookie dough as part of the “Cookie Dough-lympics,” (Cute right?) I was excited to participate because A- I love Lindsay’s blog B- I have never tried making raw cookie dough!

Salted Caramel Cookie Dough Truffles

Yield: about 3 dozen

Ingredients

For the Cookie Dough:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips*
1/2 cup salted caramel (homemade or store bought)
sea salt and chocolate curls for garnish

Instructions

First make the dough:

In a large bowl beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Mix in 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla. Sift in flour and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. (My dough was a little too dry so I added another tablespoon of milk, you may not need it though.)
Cover and chill dough for 30 minute or until firm enough to handle.
Meanwhile, fit a pastry bag with an injector tip** and fill bag with the salted caramel.
When chilled, form dough into 1 inch balls and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Carefully push the angled part of the injector tip into each dough-ball and fill it with caramel. You will see the dough swell up a bit as it you fill it.
As you're removing the pastry bag, turn it to an angle so the caramel doesn't spill out too much. Repeat with all the truffles.
Pop tray of caramel-filled truffles into the freezer for at least an hour so the caramel firms up. (If you need to smooth/clean up the tops from caramel drips, now is the time.)
Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and melt according to instructions on the bag. (One minute on high followed by a stir and 15 second additional intervals works best for me.)
Using a spoon or fork, dip truffles into the melted chocolate one and a time, coating evenly. Tap the spoon on the edge of the bowl to shake of excess chocolate. Place truffles back on the baking sheets and sprinkle with sea salt and chocolate curls before the shell hardens.
In an airtight container, the truffles will last in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

*You can also use candy melts if you have them, I prefer the chocolate chips, but the candy melts lend a harder/smoother finish.

**An injector tip is a long pastry tip that allows you to easily fill baked goods and pastries. I got mine in this decorating set, but I'm sure most baking stores sell them. Any other tip with a small, round tip would also probably do the trick!

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/06/11/salted-caramel-cookie-dough-truffles/

Recipe adapted from: The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook by Lindsay Landis

Filed Under: Candy, Recipes Tagged With: Caramel, Chocolate, Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel, Sea Salt

Mini Tin Can Birthday Cake, Birthday Cake Marshmallows and a Giveaway!

March 7, 2012 182 Comments

Sometimes in life you just don’t want to share your birthday cake. You want to sit with a perfectly portioned serving of sugary goodness and eat the whole thing all by yourself. I mean you’re welcome to share, but with this adorable little nugget of a cake you don’t have to. In my opinion, it’s perfect to make for a birthday girl or boy when there isn’t a huge celebration, but cake is still in order. (Or in my situation, make it for myself and eat it later for breakfast.)

So I made my own birthday cake so what? It’s so cute that I don’t even care! It was a last minute decision made yesterday as I realized that even though I wasn’t having a big party this year, I still wanted some birthday cake. SO I started thinking…should I just make cookies instead? No….I definitely needed a cake. Would cupcakes do? No…I want to cut into something with layers. Luckily I remembered seeing a genius idea on Pintrest of baking cakes in a tin can…and that’s where this idea was born.

It really is the most easy way to make a mini layer cake. Any non-coated tin can will do*, just make sure it’s clean and free of sharp edges. You can use any cake recipe you’d like, but I found a great one that is actually for 2 cupcakes. Instead of using muffin tins , I just poured all the batter into the can and it was just the right size.

Like full size layer cakes, I sliced off the domed top and made three (even-ish) layers ready to be filled. I had some cinnamon cream cheese frosting left over from these which was perfect. The options for flavors, frostings and fillings are endless, which makes this recipe perfectly adaptable for the birthday girl/boy. I can’t wait to make various versions of this cake for every upcoming event. It was baked, cooled and frosted in an hour. Can’t beat that can ya?

Oh- and I made you one more birthday treat, (remember when we used to bring in birthday treats to our classmates in school?) This one is also festive and full of sprinkles!

My first batch ever of homemade Marshmallows! These ones are extra special because they taste like birthday cake. Fluff, puffy, sticky, gooey birthday cake. The recipe is from an adorable new cookbook callled Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever. It is full of whimsical mallow recipes that I can’t wait to try more of (Salted Caramel Marshmallows anyone?) The photos are gorgeous, the recipes are creative, easy to follow, and perfect for the mallow-lover in all of us.

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Mini Tin Can Birthday Cake

Ingredients
1 egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15oz tin can with cooking spray and dust with flour, tapping to shake out any excess. cut out a round of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of the can.
In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined. Add in vanilla and melted butter and stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in milk. Pour batter into can.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely, then invert cake and slide it out of the can. Slice the top off to level it (perfect for taste testing,) slice it into layers, and frost as desired.
Notes
*Some tin cans contain a possibly toxic coating called BPA. Most Organic Brands don't use it in their cans so I recommend buying a few to reuse for this purpose. I also think cleaning and scrubbing out a regular can is fine- whatever you're comfortable with!
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http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/03/07/mini-tin-can-birthday-cake-birthday-cake-marshmallows-and-a-giveaway/

cake recipe adapted from: How Sweet It Is

Mini Tin Can Birthday Cake, Birthday Cake Marshmallows and a Giveaway!

Ingredients

4 1/2 tsp of unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided
1/4 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup yellow cake mix
2 tablespoons sprinkles
gel food coloring (optional)
coating: (1/4 cup corn starch and 3/8 cup powdered sugar combined)

Instructions

Lightly coat an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray.
Whisk together the gelatin and cold water in a small bowl and let soften for 5 minutes
Stir together the sugar, 1/4 cup of the corn syrup, 1/4 cup water and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 240 F on a candy thermometer.
Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Microwave gelatin on high until totally melted, about 30 seconeds. Pour into the mixer bowl, Set the mixer speed to low and keep it running.
When the syrup is 240F, slowly pout it into the mixer bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes. Increase to medium-high and beat for 5 more minutes. Beat on the highest setting for 1-2 mins more and beat in the vanilla and food coloring if you're using. The finished marshmallow will be opaque, white, fluffy and tripled in volume. (don't overwhip the batter or it will make folding in the cake mix a huge mess.)
Sift in about half the cake mix over the marshmallow batter. Use a spatula to gently fold it in and then sift and fold in the rest. Fold in the sprinkles.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, using an offset spatula to smooth it into the corners. Sift the coating over the top, reserving some for later. Let it set for 6 hours in a cool dry place.
Use a knife to loosen the marshmallow fro the edges of the pan. Invert the slab onto a coating-dusted work surface and dust it with more coating. Cut into pieces (scissors worked well for me,) and dip the sticky edges into more coating, patting off the excess.

Notes

In this recipe and in her whole book, Shauna highly recommends using a stand mixer to whip the batter. I still don't have one (wedding gift I hope...) so I managed without. It wasn't easy, but you can do it. I held on to the mixer with one hand while I stirred the syrup.

Also- make sure your candy thermometer is "calibrated" check this by seeing what temp it shows for boiling water. I realized mine measures at 205F instead of 212- so I only cooked the sugar to 233F. Get me? Overheat the sugar and you'll end up with a hard candy-like mess!

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/03/07/mini-tin-can-birthday-cake-birthday-cake-marshmallows-and-a-giveaway/

Recipe from: Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever.

Filed Under: Cake, Candy, Recipes Tagged With: Marshmallow, Vanilla

Homemade Ginger Syrup, Ginger Candy and Ginger Ale

January 20, 2012 20 Comments

People always ask me where I come up with the recipes that I post on the blog. I wish that I had an elaborate system and that I scheduled all my choices days in advance. Unfortunately, my method is much more random. For example, the other day I had a cup of lemon tea with some Ginger Syrup in it, and I instantly became fixated on creating it at home. “How hard can it be?” I thought as I inhaled that cup of tea.

Turns out- I was right! Making Ginger Syrup is not only extremely easy, but the possibilities for using it are endless. Have you ever had a Homemade Ginger Ale with strong gingery taste and a tart lime wedge? Or did you know that when you make Ginger Syrup you actually are making Candied Ginger in the process? And don’t even get me started on how many different cocktails you could make with this. I’m thinking this syrup with some bourbon and a splash of soda would be amazing don’t you?

It’s freezing today in NYC, and I can’t wait to have another cup of lemon tea with some of this deliciousness mixed in. Have a great weekend!

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Homemade Ginger Syrup, Ginger Candy and Ginger Ale

Ingredients
1 cup of peeled fresh ginger, cut into thin slices
2 cups of water
2 cups of sugar plus 1/4 cup extra for candy

Instructions
Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is mostly dissolved. Add ginger and stir to make sure all of it is well-coated. Reduce head to medium low and let mixture simmer for and hour, stirring occasionally. (If you cut your ginger into larger chunks you may need more time- you will know when it's done because the ginger will be soft.)
On a baking sheet- sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Remove ginger from syrup with a slotted spoon and shake of all excess liquid. Toss the ginger pieces in the sugar until well coated. Let dry on a for a few hours or overnight until hardened.
Let syrup cool, put into a container and enjoy! Or make a ginger ale right away by mixing 2-3 tablespoons of syrup with a pint glass full of seltzer water. Yum!
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http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/01/20/homemade-ginger-syrup-ginger-candy-and-ginger-ale/

Recipe adapted from: Brooklyn Farm House

Filed Under: Candy, Drink, Recipes Tagged With: Ginger

Famous Family Toffee

November 28, 2011 52 Comments

During WWII my Granddad James McCann served as a soldier overseas. He had a huge family with many siblings back home in Wisconsin, and his sweet sisters would gather together and send him care packages filled with homemade candy. I remember hearing stories about how popular this made him with the other soldiers who I’m sure all missed the comfort of something sweet made from the heart.

Since then, making candy around the holidays was a yearly tradition. It got passed down to my Mom’s cousin Rosemary, who taught my Mom the tricks to perfect toffee, caramels and turtles. The last few years they have gotten together along with my Aunt Shari to make big batches of candy for everyone to take and give as gifts or serve to guests for holiday get-togethers. Since I was actually home for Thanksgiving this year, I made sure that the candy-making could happen when I was around to document it and learn it. Being a sentimental sap, nothing gets me quite like family traditions. Pair it with buttery, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth toffee and you may have my favorite thing ever.

This toffee is simple but amazingly delicious. It consists of heating butter and brown sugar until it gets to just the right temperature, pouring it onto a cookie sheet, spreading chocolate on both sides (after one side hardens of course,) and sprinkling it with ground almonds. Now that I know the basics of this simple recipe, I’m already scheming up alterations. (sea salt?) Just as is though, I must say it’s perfect. I can’t think of a better treat to whip up around the holidays. And if you do- just remember the little bit of family history that comes along with it!

PS- Wedding Venue- check! Wedding Date-check! AND- I think I already found my dress too. Am I efficient or what?

Famous Family Toffee

Ingredients

1lb butter
2c dark brown sugar
1 1/2 lb. Melting chocolate. (The official recipe says to use "Ambrosia's real dipping chocolate." I think any sort of chocolate candy melts would be fine.)
Ground blanched almonds (about 1/2-3/4 cup.)

Instructions

In large saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar, mix using a wooden spoon until mixture reaches just over 275 on a candy thermometer. (Must be a hair over 275- if it's under that- the toffee will stick to your teeth.)
Stir occasionally (not too much), watch carefully, use an ACCURATE thermometer, treat the thermometer carefully. When it gets to 275, let it stay there for about a minute, then pour into cookie sheet. (The traditional way is to use a stainless steel one, I think that any rimmed one would be fine, and in the future, I will line the pan with parchment or foil to make it easier.)
Pour sugar mixture into cookie sheet and shake to spread it. After it has cooled slightly blot with a paper towel to pick up any excess oil.
Meanwhile melt the half the chocolate in a glass measuring cup. The method my Grandma had written in the recipe suggested 2 minutes at medium heat, 1 minute at medium and then 30 seconds at medium stirring the chocoalte well in between each time.
Spread chocolate over hardened sugar. Spread it with a spatula and sprinkle with ground almonds. Cool outside (or in the fridge) until chocolate is firm, flip and add same to reverse. Break into pieces. Enjoy!!

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2011/11/28/famous-family-toffee/

Filed Under: Candy Tagged With: Chocolate

Candy-Covered-Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels

November 7, 2011 41 Comments

Wow oh wow have I had quite a weekend. The Foodbuzz Festival was amazing, San Francisco was beautiful and I really just had the best time. Thank you so much to all who voted for me for Best New Blog. I am so honored and excited to have won! Blogging and baking have changed my life and I can’t wait to see what the future brings. I’m back in New York so inspired and excited with tons of new knowledge and ideas I have for my blog in the next. So you just wait for it. :) I also promise to give full details of the festival and the weekend later this week. Stay tuned.

Today is my first time posting with the Secret Recipe Club. Have you heard of it? It’s a really wonderful way to meet some new bloggers, discover new sites and recipes and keep a secret. I love secrets but I am absolutely horrible at them. I never surprise anyone. I always give people their gifts early because I am just too excited to wait. I remember I made my Mom a quilt one year for Christmas and just couldn’t wait so she got it on the 22nd. Oops. Anyway- I did a good job with this one. See- we get better at things in time!!!!

This recipe was inspired by one I found on my blog assignment- Itzy’s Kitchen. Erika has lots of recipes to choose from, but when I saw this I just knew it was I wanted to make. I loved the idea of “loaded” pretzel rods and it left so much room for creativity on my part. She topped hers with chocolate chips and nuts, but I thought it would be fun to take it a step further with chopped up candy bits. Plus- I was looking for another treat that I could bring to San Fran to give our lovely hosts. These wrapped up well and were a huge hit. Plus- it’s a GREAT way to use up any leftover Halloween candy right?

I chose to use chopped up Snickers, Mini M&Ms, and chopped Mini Peanut Butter Cups (I found these at CVS and they are just the cutest things ever.) I drizzled some with white chocolate, and then made some without candy just so there were options. Cause you know- people like options! I found these to be easy, fun (sister Nadia helped,) and a really beautiful end result that has a wow factor. I’m thinking Holday M&Ms and festive sprinkles could make these a great gift in a box yes? (I bought celephane bags at the party store for these. If I’d had more time I would have surpassed the lovely twist tie for some festive ribbon!)

Feel free to check out the links below to the other Secret keepers at the bottom of the post! (Ooh that sounds magical and Harry Potter-esque!) Happy Monday!

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Candy-Covered-Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels

Ingredients
One Bag of Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (Each bag yielded enough for 15 pretzel rods.
Tablespoon of Shortening (I think this really helps make the chocolate silky and easier to dip. I used the organic stuff again.
Chopped Candy Toppings (Have these prepped and ready to go before-hand
Pretzel Rods
White Chocolate Melts

Instructions
Prepare a cookie sheet or two with covered wax paper.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and shortening for 60 seconds. Remove and stir, and then warm in microwave for 15 second increments until it is smooth.
Start dipping the pretzels right away. I used a spoon to bring the chocolate up to where I wanted and it dripped down smoothly. Set rods on the cookie sheet.
Dip about 5-10 pretzels and then start placing the toppings on. You will have to do this by hand because if you try to roll or sprinkle them on it really won't work and will end up with a sticky candy-glob mess.
So with a helper if possible- arrange the candy bits on each pretzel rod. (You have a good 5-7 minute window where the chocolate will still be soft enough to press the toppings in.)
If the melted chocolate in the bowl has started to harden, just give it 15 more seconds to get it back to it's nice melty-state.
Repeat with the rest of the toppings.
Place tray in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes until chocolate has hardened.
Melt white chocolate (the same way you melted the chips) and drizzle over the pretzels with a spoon.
Place them back into the freezer to harden and then wrap, eat, enjoy!
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http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2011/11/07/candy-covered-chocolate-dipped-pretzels/

Adapted from Itzy’s Kitchen via RhodeyGirlTests

Filed Under: Candy Tagged With: Chocolate

Sea Salt Caramels

October 28, 2011 30 Comments

If you have read my blog with any regularity, you know I’m obsessed with sweet and salty. I know some people hate it but I’m in love. It just tastes like the absolute perfect combination to me- mostly sweet, with a crunch of salt. Yum. You can imagine then that I’ve been waiting and waiting to make Sea Salt caramels of my own. I’ve made caramel sauce several times and have the hang of that, but I never really took the time to figure out a recipe for the chewy candy-like caramels I love eating.

This recipe is extremely easy. In fact, I think it is much easier than making caramel sauce because you don’t have the same risk of things burning. A candy thermometer is needed- but they are easy to find and a cheap investment. Whereas with caramel sauce, you can gage it’s readiness by color, this recipe is a bit different. The candy thermometer lets you know when the caramel has reached “soft ball” stage, which will give you soft and chewy candy. Mmmm.

I had a salted caramel a few weeks ago that I was particularly inspired by. It had bit of flaky salt with the caramel and not just on top. I love the texture and getting those bursts of salt, so I wanted to recreate this. I poured the caramel into a thin layer, sprinkled sea salt on all of it, then layered two thin peices together and cut then into pieces. I think this was perfect. Now these beauties are sitting in a candy bowl on my living room table. Halloween candy anyone? Have a great weekend!

PS- I know that Corn Syrup is not the same thing as High Fructose Corn Syrup, but I’m on the search for a good caramels recipe that uses maybe Honey instead? Just for a variety. If you have one pass it on!

PPS- This is the perfect caramel for Caramel Apples! More on that next week! :)

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Sea Salt Caramels

Ingredients
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 stick of salted butter
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Sea Salt for sprinkling
Wax Paper Squares for wrapping

Instructions
Butter or Spray a 9x12 baking dish. Set aside.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine.
When Butter is melted, add in the condensed milk. Attach the candy thermometer and mix constantly until it reads 240 (Or Soft Ball Stage) I think this varies between 230-240 degrees.
When caramel is at the right temperature, remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla.
Pour into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with sea salt (as liberally as you want.) Allow caramel to cool in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes.
When caramel is set, use a butter knife or spatula to help wedge the entire sheet of caramel onto a cutting board. Cut into strips and then layer two strips and cut them into small pieces. Wrap with squares of wax paper. Enjoy!
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Recipe: Adapted from recipe found at Your Home Based Mom

Filed Under: Candy, Recipes Tagged With: Caramel, Salted Caramel, Sea Salt

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