Recipe(tried): Repost: Sara's Holiday Candy Recipes (14)

Hello Charmez,

Here is a file of tried and true candy recipes that Sara was kind enough to share with us.

If you have any holiday favorites to share we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Cooking,

Betsy

Posted by: Sara in IL on Tuesday October 27th 1998 10:33:02 AM
To: The Recipe Link: Holiday Cooking and Baking

DOUBLEDECKER FUDGE
PEANUT BRITTLE
PEANUT BUTTER CUPS
BUTTERSCOTCH CARAMELS
DIVINITY
BUTTERCREAMS
EASY MAPLE CREAMS
CASHEW-CARAMEL CLUSTERS
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BALLS
NEVER FAIL FUDGE
CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL PECAN CLUSTERS
CAPPUCCINO CARAMELS
WHITE-CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
WHITE-CAPPUCCINO TRUFFLES


My friend Suz and I have a candy making marathon day every November or December. We'd see
some of your favorites. Here the recipes we made last year . . .

DOUBLEDECKER FUDGE

2 c. (12 oz. pkg.) Reese peanut butter chips, divided
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
4-1/2 c. sugar
12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 jar marshmallow creme
1/4 c. butter

Line 13x9x2 inch pan with foil. Place 1 c. peanut butter chips in medium bowl, set aside. In second medium bowl, blend 1/4 c. melted butter, cocoa and vanilla until smooth. Add 1 c. peanut butters chips. In heavy, large pan, combine sugar, M.M. creme, evaporated milk and 1/4 c. butter. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture comes to a rolling boil and stir 5 minutes. Remove from heat, immediately add half of hot mixture to bowl with peanut butter chip only. Pour remainder into cocoa mixture, stir to blend. Beat peanut butter mixture until chips are completely melted, spread evenly in pan. Beat cocoa mixture until chips are melted and mixture thickens. Spread evenly over peanut butter layer. Let cool, remove from pan. Remove foil. Cut into squares. Store in airtight container. Makes 4 lbs.

PEANUT BRITTLE

2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. raw peanuts
1 c. light corn syrup
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. butter
1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt

Place sugar corn syrup and water in large kettle. Mix well and cook to 280 , stirring a little while cooking. Add butter and peanuts, then cook to 300 . Add vanilla, salt and soda, then quickly spread on well buttered table-top or countertop and stretch. Using fork, lift candy under edge and stretch. Work quickly to make thin. Let cool then break into pieces.

PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

1 stick soft butter or margarine
2 c. peanut butter

Powdered sugar (enough to make dough easy to handle) Blend margarine and peanut butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, first with a spoon, and then with hands. Coat inside of paper cups with melted chocolate coating. Shape into patty shapes to fill in cups. Seal tops with additional coating.

BUTTERSCOTCH CARAMELS

3/4 c. condensed milk
2 c. lt. brown sugar
1 c. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. dark Karo corn syrup

Cook together to 240 . Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Cook to 246 . Pour into buttered tin 1 deep. Press nuts into candy if desired. Cut when cool.

DIVINITY

3 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
2 egg whites
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. nut meats

Cook sugar, syrup, water until hard ball stage. Beat egg whites until stiff. Add salt and vanilla to egg whites. Beat until mixture can be dropped from a spoon.

BUTTERCREAMS

FILLING
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar

COATING
1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet real chocolate chips
2 T. shortening

In large mixer bowl combine butter and cream cheese. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding powdered sugar, until well mixed (4 to 5 minutes). If too soft, refrigerate until firm.Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of mixture into 1 balls. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Cover loosely; refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight).In saucepan melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat (3-4 minutes). Dip buttercreams into chocolate mixture; let excess drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate to set (30 minutes). Makes 5 dozen.

EASY MAPLE CREAMS

CANDIES
1/2 c. butterscotch flavored chips
1/4 c. butter
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. maple extract
2-1/2 c. sifted powered sugar

TOPPING
1-1/2 squares (1-1/2 oz.) semi-sweet baking chocolate, broken
1 tsp. shortening

In saucepan melt butterscotch chips, butter, cream cheese and extract over low heat (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat. With wire whisk, stir in powdered sugar, 1 c. at a time, until smooth. Refrigerate 30 minutes.Shape mixture into 3/4 balls. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Flatten balls with bottom of glass to 1/4 thickness.1n 1-quart saucepan melt chocolate and shortening over low heat until smooth (1-2 minutes). Using fork, drizzle melted chocolate over candies. Refrigerate until firm (2 hours). Store refrigerated. Makes 48 candies.

CASHEW-CARAMEL CLUSTERS
25 caramel candies

1 T. water
2 c. unsalted cashews
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1/3 c. white baking chocolate

Spray baking sheet with nonstick vegetable-oil cooking spray. In double boiler, combine caramels and water. Cook, stirring, until smooth. Stir in cashews until coated; by teaspoonful, drop onto prepared baking sheets.Melt chocolate chips and baking chips separately over low heat, stirring until smooth. Spoon each into separate plastic food storage bags. Seal; squeeze each chocolate to corner. Snip corner of each bag and drizzle over candies. Let stand until firm. Makes 32 candies.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BALLS

FILLING
1 c. chunky peanut butter
1/4 c. butter, softened
1-3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 c. crisp rice cereal
COATING
1 c. butterscotch-flavored chips
1 c. semi-sweet real chocolate chips
1-1/2 T. shortening

In large mixer bowl combine peanut butter and butter. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (1 minute). Continue beating, gradually adding powdered sugar and scraping bowl often, until smooth (1-2 minutes). By hand, stir in cereal.Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of peanut butter mixture into balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Cover, refrigerate at least 1 hour.In 1-quart saucepan combine all coating ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat.Using a spoon, dip peanut butter balls into chocolate mixture, letting excess chocolate drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to set. 4 dozen candies.

NEVER FAIL FUDGE

1 can evaporated milk
1/2 lb. butter or margarine
5 c. sugar
1 lg. bag chocolate chips
1 lg. jar of marshmallow creme
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Place evaporated milk, butter and sugar in sauce pan. Bring to rolling boil for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in chocolate chips and marshmallow creme. Add chopped nuts if desired. Stir until mixture starts to harden and pour in greased pan. Let cool for one hour.

CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL PECAN CLUSTERS

4-1/2 c. (1 lb.) pecan halves
2 c. sugar
2 c. whipping cream
3/4 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. butter
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 c. vanilla baking pieces
1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 tsp. shortening
1/3 c. vanilla baking pieces
1 tsp. shortening

In a shallow baking pan, spread pecan halves in a thin layer. Bake in a 350 oven for 5-10 minutes or until pecans are a light golden brown, stirring once or twice. Remove from oven. Set aside. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or greased foil.For caramel mixture, in a 3-quart saucepan, combine sugar, 1/2 c. whipping cream, corn syrup, butter and salt. Cook and stir over medium-high heat to boiling.While boiling, very slowly add remaining 1/2 c. whipping cream. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook stirring occasionally until mixture reaches 244 . Remove from heat and pour into a 4-cup glass measuring cup.Arrange 3-4 pecan halves 2 apart. Quickly pour half of the caramel mixture over the pecans. Repeat with remaining caramel mixture. Caramel will have cooled enough to mound.In a small saucepan, melt 1 c. chocolate pieces over low heat. In another small saucepan, melt 1 cup vanilla pieces over low heat. Spread half the caramel mounds with chocolate and half with vanilla.Using the same small saucepans, melt the 1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces and 1 tsp. shortening is one pan and 1/3 c. vanilla pieces and 1 tsp. shortening in the other. Drizzle chocolate over vanilla frosted candies and vanilla over the chocolate frosted candies. Drag a toothpick through the drizzle, if you like.Makes 30 to 35.

CAPPUCCINO CARAMELS

1 c. butter or margarine
2-1/4 c. (16 oz.pkg.) brown sugar
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. lt. corn syrup
3 T. instant coffee crystals
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 to 1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
Line baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges. Grease the foil with butter and set aside. Melt margarine or butter over low heat. Stir in brown sugar, condensed milk, corn syrup and coffee crystals. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until candy reaches firm-ball stage (248 ). Remove saucepan from heat and remove candy thermometer. Immediately stir in walnuts, vanilla and orange peel. Pour into prepared baking pan, smoothing the surface; cool. Use foil to remove from pan. Cut into squares using buttered knife.

WHITE-CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

1/3 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. fresh grated lemon rind
8 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1 T. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/3 c. confectioners sugar OR 12 oz. white chocolate, melted for coating
In medium-size saucepan, heat cream and lemon rind until mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat, stir in chopped white chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes.Add butter and vanilla, stir until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. By rounded measuring teaspoonfuls, scoop mixture onto waxed paper. Roll into balls, coating hands with confectioners sugar, if needed.Roll in confectioners sugar to coat or dip into melted white chocolate. Chill covered for at least 2 hours. Makes 24
candies.

WHITE-CAPPUCCINO TRUFFLES

1/2 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. instant espresso powder
8 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1 T. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. confectioners sugar OR 12 oz. white chocolate, melted for coating
24 small chocolate-coated espresso beans (optional)

In small saucepan, heat cream and espresso powder until almost simmering. Add chopped white chocolate and butter. Remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add vanilla, and stir until smooth. Cover, refrigerate for at least 3 hours.By rounded measuring teaspoonfuls, scoop mixture onto waxed paper. Roll mixture into balls, coating hands with confectioners sugar if needed.Roll in confectioners sugar or dip into melted white chocolate. Garnish each truffle with one small espresso bean. Makes 24.