Candy Week Entry #3 - Fudge

Ever since I was a kid, this was one of my MUST HAVE items at Christmas.  Mom always made sure to have a batch (or two!) of fudge on hand!  Over the years I have made many different versions of fudge recipes - but my favorite always comes back to the creamy delicious version with marshmallow crème.  (Some also call it fantasy fudge.)

The fudge is quick, easy, virtually foolproof, and VERY delicious.

Fudge keeps for a while, so make this one of the first items you bake this holiday season, and then you can snack on it a little each day.

(you had better make two batches - you will be glad you had extras!)

Print this recipe card: CLICK HERE!

Ingredients

·         3 c. sugar

·         ¾ c. butter (1 ½ sticks)

·         1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk

·         1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

·         1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow crème

·         1 t. vanilla

Instructions

·         In a large saucepan, melt butter on medium heat.

·         Stir in sugar, and evaporated.  Mix well.

·         Bring mixture to a boil and continue stirring until the candy thermometer reads 240 degrees.

**always continuously stir**

·         Once at 240, remove from heat.

·         Immediately stir in chocolate chips until melted.

·         Immediately stir in marshmallow crème.

·         Add vanilla.

·         Pour into parchment lined pan.

·         Chill for 2-3 hours.

·         Cut fudge into small squares.

Fudge is best kept chilled until you are ready to display it for eating.

Candy Week Entry #2 - Homemade Caramels

Caramel.  A beige to dark brown confection made by heating a variety of sugars.  Some have suggested its origin in the Arabic phrase "kurat al milh" which means “ball of sweet salt”.

I AGREE!

The buttery richness of fresh homemade caramels are perfect for any time of the year.  This treat is rich, so you don’t want to have them around every day - but for special occasions I would suggest whipping up a batch.  The holidays are the perfect time for you to try making these yourself!

Print a copy of this recipe card: CLICK HERE!

Ingredients

·         1 c. butter

·         2 ¼ c. brown sugar

·         Pinch of salt

·         1 c. light corn syrup

·         One 15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

·         1 t. vanilla

Instructions

-In a large saucepan, melt butter on medium heat.

-Stir in brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup.  Mix well.

-Add sweetened condensed milk (and candy thermometer).

-Turn up heat, stir constantly, and bring mixture to 248 degrees.

-Stir continuously, but avoid scraping the bottom of your pan.  **Watch closely- if you get past 250 you may ruin your caramels!**

-Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

-Pour into parchment lined pan.

-Let set at room temperature for 6-8 hours.

-Cut caramels into desired sizes.  Caramels are perfect for dunking in chocolate too!

-Try seasoning some of your completed caramels (in chocolate or not) with sea salt.

-Wrap caramels in waxed paper.

Individually wrapped caramels placed in a nice decorative box make great gifts for friends, co-workers, or any special person in your life.

Hard Candy

I was introduced to the art of making ‘hard candy’ by my good friend Karyn last Christmas… and it has become one of my signature holiday items!  Karyn deserves all the credit.  I say art- because make the candy at first appears simple… but it can be dangerous - so be careful!

This candy can be served in dishes around your house, bagged up and given along with holiday gifts, or placed in decorative boxes and given to friends and family.  Again- the beautiful colors make this a beautiful gift.

There aren’t a lot of steps to making the candy, so it really makes the toughest part about the flavoring.  Deciding what flavors to make is half the fun!

Here is what I think are the most traditional flavors to make:

·         Anise

·         Cinnamon

·         Spearmint

·         Wintergreen

My friends and I have also had some luck with the following flavors:

·         Tangerine

·         Vanilla Butternut

·         Watermelon

·         Blue Raspberry

Truth be told- it looks so pretty that even if no one liked to eat it, I would still make batches and batches every year!  Happy Candy Making!!

Print a copy of this recipe: CLICK HERE!

Hard Candy Recipe

Ingredients

·         2 c. sugar

·         2/3  c. light corn syrup

·         3/4  c. water

·         1/4  t. food coloring

·         1 dram flavoring oil*

*you can’t use flavoring extract- it must be oil*

Instructions

In a large saucepan (on the stove), mix together the sugar, water, and corn syrup.  Consistently stir over medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved.

Once sugar has dissolved, bring mixture to a boil over medium heat - and DO NOT STIR.

Place candy thermometer in your mixture.

Still- no stirring.

When syrup temperature reaches 260 degrees - add your desired food coloring.

Still- no stirring.  The boiling will mix in the food coloring.

Remove from heat at exactly 300 degrees.

Let the mix sit for 1-2 minutes while the boiling subsides.  Then add flavoring.  (stand back- when you add the oil there is a strongly scented steam that will be produced that can be dangerous to nose, mouth and eyes)

Stir in flavoring.

Quickly pour mixture into greased candy molds (or a greased cookie sheet w/ edge).  Mixture will harden very quickly, so you have to move fast.

Allow candy to sit for 2-3 hours.

When hard- break candy apart from the molds (or use a mallet to break about cookie sheet candy).

Candy can be served plain or dusted with powdered sugar or extra fine granulated sugar.

Place candy in your favorite dishes or gift boxes.

To order flavoring oils, candy molds, and much more - visit my favorite candy supply company on-line at www.lorannoils.com - they are reasonably priced and ship quickly so there is still time to make candy for this Christmas!

Extra Tip: Once you are done making this delicious candy, cleaning the dishes that are used to make the candy sometimes appears to be challenging.  Just soak in water for an hour… rinse… and repeat soaking.  The excess candy residue will dissolve off the dishes very easily if you are patient and just use hot water.