{Candied Cinnamon Pecans}

Posted on November 30, 2017

I feel like its really not the holidays without some candied nuts around. Plus we make these for salads too. They are so easy, and delicious!

Directions:

You take 1-2 cups of pecans and put them in a small sauce pan with 1 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water.
Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a simmer.
Simmer 5-7 minutes. After awhile the liquid will dissolve the pecans will start to get a candy coating on them at this point add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
Keep stirring until completely coated. If they are runny at all they aren’t done yet.

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{Easy English Toffee}

Posted on December 17, 2012

This is my favorite things to make at Christmas time. Its easy and makes a lot to give away. And it is out of this world yummy.

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

5 Tbs hot water

1 cup sliced almonds

For the chocolate topping:

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

1/4-1/2 cup sliced almonds

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 minute increments until smooth. Pour over the toffee once it is set. Then top the chocolate with sliced almonds if you desire.

Place the butter in a large pot over medium high heat, (make sure you have your candy thermometer in the pot) Once the butter is melted add the sugar and stir until it is all combined. Keep stirring. When the mixture comes to a boil add the water one tablespoon at a time. Keep stirring and add the almonds. Now you just keep stirring over medium heat until the candy thermometer reaches 310 degrees. It usually takes about 10 minutes or so. The mixture starts to turn a light brown color and pulls away from the sides.

Remove it from the heat and pour into a large jelly roll pan, and let it cool completely. Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute or until it is smooth and melted. Pour the chocolate over the top and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Once it has set, break it into pieces and store in an air tight container for up to 3 weeks.

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{Pumpkin Fudge}

Posted on October 1, 2012

Happy October! I hope you make and enjoy this yummy fall treat 🙂

3 cups white sugar

3/4 cup melted butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

½ cup canned pure pumpkin puree

2 Tbs light corn syrup

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 12-ounce package white chocolate chips

1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème

1 cup chopped pecans, optional

1 tsp vanilla extract

Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick spray.

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 234° (soft ball stage) or for about 12 minutes.

Once mixture reaches 234°, remove from heat and quickly stir in the white chocolate, marshmallow creme, pecans (if using) and vanilla until well blended.

Pour into the prepared pan. Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool; cut fudge into squares.

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{Delicious Fudge}

Posted on December 19, 2011

I have really gotten into candy making this year. It has been a lot of fun. I figure since I am not living close to my family to eat up all their goodies I need to make my own. This was my first time making fudge. It was so creamy and delicious. Make sure you cover it good while you store it in the fridge, otherwise it will dry out. Happy Holidays!

4 cups sugar

1 can evaporated milk

1 cups butter

2 large (4.4 ounce) Hershey Chocolate Candy Bars

1 12 oz package milk chocolate chips

1 7 oz jar marshmallow cream

Put the sugar, milk and butter into a large sauce pan. Stir it all together over medium high heat. Bring it to a boil while you continue stirring. Once the mixture has reached a “hard boil” which means it keeps boiling even while you are stirring it, continue cooking for 5 minutes while you stir.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the Hershey chocolate bars, chocolate chips and marshmallow cream. Mix it well so that all the ingredients are well combined.

Pour the fudge into a buttered 9×13 pan. Let the fudge set and cool for about 1 hour. After it has cooled down you can cover it (or it will dry out) and store it in the fridge, or freeze it.

Recipe Source: Jamie Cooks It Up

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{English Toffee}

Posted on December 12, 2011

I recently got a candy thermometer and it has made me one happy girl! I have never made candy for Christmas because I never dared to do it without one. Now I can’t stop making candy, it’s so fun. This English Toffee recipe is so simple and so delicious. I have made two different recipes that are both really good. One happens to be my Mother in Laws recipe which she is pretty much famous for. The other one is really good too, I can’t decide which one I like better. I think I will post both just to have them when I need them. You really can’t go wrong with either. 🙂

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

6 Tbs hot water

3 Tbs corn syrup

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 cups melted chocolate (I use milk and I prefer a large symphony bar)

extra nuts chopped finely (like almonds or pecans)

Place the butter in a large pot over medium high heat, (make sure you have your candy thermometer in the pot) Once the butter is melted add the sugar and stir until it is all combined. Keep stirring. When the mixture comes to a boil add the corn syrup and add the water one tablespoon at a time. Keep stirring and add the almonds. Now you just keep stirring over medium heat until the candy thermometer reaches anywhere between 275-280 degrees. It usually takes about 10 minutes or so. The mixture starts to turn a light brown color and pulls away from the sides.

Remove it from the heat and pour into a large jelly roll pan, and let it cool completely. Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute or until it is smooth and melted. Pour the chocolate over the top and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Once it has set, break it into pieces and store in an air tight container for up to 3 weeks.

Kelley’s Toffee

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

5 Tbs hot water

1 cup sliced almonds

Do the same steps as said above, except cook it until the thermometer reads 310 degrees.

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{Oreo Truffles}

Posted on December 8, 2011

I am posting these again because they are so amazing and perfect treats for the holidays. I got the original recipe from The Sisters Cafe These are surprisingly very easy to make, and look pretty fancy when they’re all done 🙂

1 bag Oreo Cookies, ground up in blender or food processor

1 1/2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, softened

2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Combine ground Oreos and cream cheese in mixer using paddle attachment until well mixed. Roll into 1 inch balls (makes about 30) and place onto baking sheet or tray. Refrigerate overnight or until very firm.

Melt white chocolate in microwave for 1-2 minutes. Using 2 little spoons, dip balls into chocolate and place onto parchment paper to harden. Once dry, melt dark chocolate and spoon into the corner of a ziplock baggie. Snip a small corner and drizzle back and forth over the truffles. Let dry.

1 comment

{Chocolate M&M Cookies}

Posted on March 11, 2011

These are really good! And I was glad I found a fun way to use the Easter M&M’s I just bought 🙂

1 cup flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup M&M’s

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and the butter in the Microwave for one minute. Stir. Microwave again for one minute and stir well. If the chocolate is not fully melted, continue microwaving in 30 second intervals until the chocolate and butter are well combined

In a large bowl (or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer), combine the chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until combined. Gradually mix in flour mixture on low speed. Fold in M&M’s with a wooden spoon (don’t use a mixer as the M&M’s will break into pieces and not stay whole).

Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Drop dough onto baking sheets by tablespoonfuls (or use a cookie scoop) spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies until they have slightly flattened and there are a few cracks on the surface, about 13-14 minutes. The cookies will still be soft. Let the cookies sit for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. These cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for about 2 days. They also freeze well.

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{Chocolate and Caramel Covered Pretzel Rods}

Posted on December 18, 2010

These are really fun to make, really messy but way fun 🙂 So delicious! This recipe makes about 40 pretzels and I didn’t have a candy thermometer so I just kept dripping the caramel into cold water to see if it would roll in a ball and once it did I knew it was done. 🙂

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

14 0z. can sweetened condensed milk

tiny bit of salt

pretzel rods

chocolate for dipping and drizzling (I used about 10 ounces of milk chocolate that I just chopped up and melted to cover the pretzels and for additional drizzling and 6 ounces of white chocolate for drizzling)

Mix ingredients in order over medium heat. Come to a rolling boil to soft ball stage. Take caramel off heat and use a spatula to smooth caramel over pretzels. I let the caramel set for about 15 minutes and then rolled the pretzel on waxed paper so there wasn’t a pool of caramel under the pretzel.

After caramel has set on pretzels (about 20 minutes), melt desired chocolate in microwave or in a bowl over simmering water. I poured my melted chocolate into a tall glass and dipped each caramel pretzel into the glass to coat the caramel pretzel in chocolate. Again, lay the pretzel to dry on a tray covered in parchment paper. I put them in the refrigerator to set fully before drizzling with white chocolate. (I also used food coloring to color the white chocolate before drizzling.) For drizzling, use remaining melted chocolate and pour into a ziploc bag. Cut a tiny tip off one corner and drizzle across pretzels.

If the pool of chocolate underneath the pretzel is too big, don’t worry just cut it off with a knife. ENJOY!

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{White Chocolate and Peppermint Popcorn}

Posted on December 14, 2010

This stuff is so yummy! And I love to make it during the Holidays and give it away as little gifts 🙂

16 oz. white chocolate (can use white chocolate baking morsels) or almond bark

1 cup finely crushed (like sand) peppermints (about 10-12 candy canes or 40 mints) I crush my peppermints in my food processor.

4 quarts popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup corn kernels. If you are using air popped corn, throw in a pinch of salt when you sprinkle in the crushed peppermints.

Slowly melt white chocolate or almond bark in the microwave or on stove-top with double boiler. Stir often to keep chocolate from burning. Stir 1/2 cup crushed peppermints into the white chocolate. Place popped corn into a large bowl. Pour melted white chocolate and peppermint mixture over the popcorn. Gently stir to coat popcorn while sprinkling remaining crushed peppermints over the popcorn. Pour out on parchment paper until the chocolate hardens.

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