Cappuccino Fudge

The countdown to Christmas is on for REAL at my house, y'all.

Every day I'm hearing kids saying things like "5 days and a wake-up!"

The pressure for last minute shopping is looming over my head. Primarily what we're lacking is the kids' gifts for each other. I had them draw names so they would only be buying something for one sibling, and so far, only the two little ones have their gifts bought.

 Because I bought them during our grocery trip. Ha.

I had every good intention of taking kids shopping yesterday, but the day just got too busy. I decided it would be the best evening to deliver goody trays to our neighbors, so I spending my spare hours of the day, aside from the five hours we spent at Corban's two basketball games, lunch, and some time with my parents, making treats like this fudge, Peanut Brittle, and Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles (which, for the record, I ended up modifying significantly because the original dough just wasn't very good).  I already had a double batch of my favorites, Hint of Berry Bon Bons, in the fridge, which I made on Thursday.

Ok, so this fudge. Wowzer!

Now admittedly, I've never met a fudge I didn't like. I love the different flavors, add-ins, whatever.
So when I saw this version, a fairly traditional recipe flavored with coffee or espresso powder, I was just dying to try it.

It did not disappoint.

Like any cooked fudge (assuming its cooked properly), it has a dreamy, creamy, melt in your mouth texture. No grittiness, no stickiness, just pure, simple smoothness.

I used instant coffee granules, a little more than originally asked for, and I found the coffee flavor to be really complementary to the chocolate. Not too overpowering, but certainly present.

There is an interesting addition of cinnamon, which I find mostly interesting because I can't taste it. Maybe its adding some complexity to the fudge that I would miss if it wasn't there????
I dunno. Well anyways, I won't omit it, because it's not like it costs much to toss in there.

So if you're looking for a simple, yet definitely different version of fudge to make this year, I highly recommend this one. I'm going to have to use some serious restraint to make sure we have some leftover pieces to share with my family on Christmas!

Cappuccino Fudge
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

7 (oz) jar of marshmallow cream
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Line an 8" square pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the bottom with butter and set aside.
In a 2 qt. saucepan, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, cream, butter, coffee granules, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth.

Pour immediately into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Place on cutting board and cut into 64 1-inch squares.

Source: Adapted slightly from Annie's Eats

Chocolate Covered Fluffernutter Hearts

Even though it's slightly embarrassing to be posting about Valentine's Treats

when it's already the first week of March, I refuse to wait till next year to post

about these little treats. 

I'm stubborn like that. 

And please try to ignore the fact that they're decorated with Christmas sprinkles.

I had brilliantly thought that the red and white decorating sugars I had on hand would look darling, not taking into account that they would just disappear into the chocolate. 

These were the only acceptable sprinkles I had.

And Christmas sprinkles are better than no sprinkles. 

My kids didn't notice anyways. 

They were too busy munching and wiping chocolate off their fingers and asking for more.

When I first saw this recipe, I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it myself.  I've posted before about Chocolate Peanut Sweeties, which have a creamy peanut butter confection dipped in chocolate on top of a pretzel.  They're amazing.  These are essentially the same thing, but in a different form.

A little pretzel sandwich with a peanut butter filling, dipped in chocolate. Why had I never even noticed that mini-twist pretzels are shaped like hearts?  And that when totally dipped in chocolate, you wouldn't even know that it's a pretzel?

Well, I know now.  And I love them.  So so cute.  And yummy. 

Recipe: from Home Grown Beanes

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 T. softened butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Mini twist Pretzels
2-3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T. shortening or oil

 With a hand held mixer or electric mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, butter, sugars, and marshmallow fluff.  Beat until creamy and smooth.

Scoop out some of the mixture onto a pretzel. Top with another pretzel to make a sandwich.  Press down slightly so you are sure it will stick together.  Wipe off any squished out peanut butter mixture.
Continue until you have used up all of your "Fluffernutter".  I got about 65 pretzel sandwiches. 
Melt chocolate chips with the shortening or oil in microwave (or double boiler). 
Stir until completely smooth.

Dip each pretzel sandwich in the chocolate and tap off the excess.  Lay on wax paper to set up
Decorate with sprinkles if you want.

Andes Creamy Fudge

Yes, it's one more Christmas recipe that I never got around to posting.  But hey, we haven't gotten to February yet, so I'm doing good.  

Last week was a doozy for my family - we had a vicious round of a stomach virus, of which I'll spare you most of the gory details, but here are a few take-aways from the week.

* I never knew that a 4-year old could vomit 18 times in a nine hour period. (granted, 

half of those were dry heaves, but we all know how painful that can be)

* I never knew I could be so completely dehydrated and still be able to nurse my 3-1/2 month old.

Thanks to God for making that happen.  She never once went hungry.  

* Our boy (8) only had a mild stomach ache for a day and the baby didn't get sick at all. 

The rest of us had varying degrees of miserableness.  

* We lived to tell about it.  Amen.

On to the Fudge.

I'm a fudge-kind-of girl - I like all kinds of flavors, with and without nuts, pretty much if 

it's fudge, I like it.

Back in 2006, I got this recipe from a friend after she made it for a Christmas party and I fell in love with it. 

It's super smooth, soft, creamy, melt-in-your mouth, minty chocolate goodness. 

And it's very easy to make.  

Doesn't photograph very well, but that's probably just me.  

I had a real hard time keeping out of the container of this one.  Definitely part of the reason I 

didn't lose any baby weight over the holidays.    

Recipe: (from a friend)

Yield: approximately 4 lbs

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 (5 fluid oz) can evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup)

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme

1 package (10 oz) Andes Baking Chips

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Lightly grease a foil lined 9x9x2" pan; set aside.

Heat sugar, butter, milk, and marshmallow creme in heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add Andes baking chips and vanilla extract, stirring until chips are melted.

Immediately spread into prepared pan.  Refrigerate overnight.  Cut into 1 inch squares.  Store in airtight container in refrigerator.  For creamier fudge, let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Christmas Mice

I can't even take how cute these are!

Marissa (6) saw me looking at them on a blog around Christmastime 2010 and asked if we could make them, but somehow I forgot about them and it never happened.
This year, when I saw the mice again, I knew I just had to make them with her.  I bought the ingredients and a few days before Christmas, I mentioned that we were going to make little mice.
"Oh, just like the ones we saw last year and I loved so much?" Marissa excitedly inquired.
Yes, she had remembered.

We had a lot of fun making them.....but I have to say, it's really hard to eat something so stinkin' cute!  However, we managed.

Recipe: (from Smockity Frocks)
Yield: about 28 mice

1 jar marchino cherries
1 cup milk chocolate chips
chocolate kisses
sliced almonds
Black decorating gel

Drain cherries and dry on paper towels.
Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and stir until smooth.
Dip cherries in the chocolate and set on a wax-paper lined baking sheet.
Immediately place an unwrapped chocolate kiss on the front and press together.  Add sliced almonds for the ears.  Pipe on eyes and noses with the decorating gel.
Let stand until firm, or refrigerate for faster results!

Grandma and Annika got in on the fun.

Dipping cherries

I

I thought it was fun to have the little mice all around the goodies platter, like they were nibbling away on the candy.  We also had Divinity, Hint of Berry Bon Bons, Homemade Snickers (new), and Andes Creamy Fudge (new).

Peanut Brittle

I know, I know, Christmas is over and here I am, posting one of my favorite Christmas candies. What can I say, the past week has been really busy and I just couldn't make time to blog.  I'm just happy I made time to even make the peanut brittle in the first place!

I got this recipe from my grandma many years ago; it was one of the Christmas candy traditions for our family along with Divinity and Buck-Eyes.  I absolutely loved eating the candy, but as I got into my teen years, I treasured the time spent learning how to make it and getting special time with Grandma. She passed away in '98 and to the best of my knowledge, I'm the only one of her grandchildren who makes these recipes anymore.   

I had a batch turn out really badly a couple of years ago - I didn't cook it long enough and the result was so chewy/sticky that you could barely eat it and keep your teeth intact.  It was extra disappointing because I had made it to give as gifts to some ladies in my MOPS group and it was such a flop, I couldn't possibly give it away. 

My point - be SURE to cook it to 300°!

Which brings up another point - be SURE to test your candy thermometer (stick it in boiling water and see if it registers 212°F; if not, make necessary adjustments when making candy) before you start making the candy. 

The end result is a wonderfully crunchy, sweet, peanutty candy that makes a great addition to your candy or cookie trays and really nice gifts to neighbors and friends. 

Recipe:

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
12 oz. raw Spanish peanuts
2 T. butter
1-1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

Grease a large cookie sheet with rims generously with butter.  Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water, cover with a lid, and heat over medium heat for three minutes.  Uncover and cook to 250° or it spins a thread.  Add peanuts and cook until it reaches 300°, stirring frequently. 
Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, and salt, then baking soda.  Stir until blended.  Mixture will foam up and lighten in color when you stir in the baking soda.
Pour immediately into prepared pan and spread to the edges. 
Break into pieces after it cools.

Chocolate Peanut Sweeties

I first tried these a couple of years ago, after spotting them in a Taste of Home magazine

 

I thought they were fantastic. 

They remind me (quite rightly so, since the recipe is nearly identical) of Buck-Eyes, but with the pleasant addition of pretzels, which not only contribute to the fun factor with the salty crunch to complement the chocolate and peanut butter, but they also make the peanut butter balls infinitely easier and faster to dip. 

That makes a win/win combination, if you ask me. 

Recipe: (adapted from Taste of Home)

1-1/2 cups peanut butter

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

60 miniature pretzels

1-1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

2 T. shortening or butter

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until completely incorporated.

Shape into 1" balls; press each one onto a pretzel and place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips with shortening until melted.

Stir until smooth.

Dip the peanut butter ball into chocolate; allow excess to drip off.  Return to baking sheet, pretzel size down.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: 5 dozen

Chocolate Pretzels

Say "Hello" to one of the easiest treats ever.  And delicious to boot!

I was introduced to these by my neighbor Jenny, who invited us over for our kids to make these together a few days before Christmas.  The kids LOVED making them and eating them....so when my sister was visiting, she asked if we could make a batch ourselves.  So we did.  The hardest part about it is unwrapping all those hugs and kisses.  I take that back....the hardest part is keeping the kids from eating all of the hugs and kisses before they even make it onto the pretzels.  

Definitely fun and festive and a wonderful way to put those little hands in your house to work in the kitchen.  

Recipe:

Bag of small pretzels - I like Snyder's Snaps (Note:  not all will be used)
Bag of Hershey's Hugs or Kisses, unwrapped
Bag of M&Ms (not all will be used)

Preheat oven to 275°.
On an ungreased baking sheet, lay pretzels out.  They can be very close together.
Top each pretzel with an unwrapped chocolate kiss/hug.
Put in oven for 3-4 minutes, or until chocolate is softened but not completely melted.
Place an M&M on top of each chocolate piece, pressing lightly.
Refrigerate until firm if desired, or just let them sit at room temperature (which will take longer).

They don't need to be refrigerated.

Buck-Eyes

Can you stand one more candy recipe?  This is one of the best ones, no kidding. Everyone who tries them loves them and doesn't want to stop munching.....which could be a bad thing, if you have a tray sitting in your fridge calling your name all day.

There are tons of variations on this recipe out there...some include graham cracker crumbs, some have more butter, or more peanut butter, or more sugar, etc etc.  I can't say for certain that this is the best one....because I just didn't have the time or room in my pants to try them all, but this one is good enough that I don't feel compelled to try another one.

Note: The original said to stick a toothpick in each ball before chilling....but I thought that was wasteful of toothpicks and found that it worked just fine to just re-use the same toothpick for dipping.....as long as the peanut butter balls weren't too large and heavy.  

Recipe: (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

1-1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
3 c. powdered sugar
1-1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T. shortening

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until completely incorporated.  If mixture is too stiff, add a little more peanut butter.  If it's too sticky, add a little more powdered sugar.  You want it a nice consistency that you can easily roll balls of it without it being all stuck on your hands.  

Roll balls of desired size and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.  If desired, insert a toothpick into each ball.  (See note above).  Chill in the refrigerator or freezer for at least an hour.  

Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in a glass bowl in the microwave (or use a double boiler) just until melted and you can stir it smooth.  

Dip each ball into the chocolate, not covering all the way.  Place on the wax paper and remove the toothpick. There will be a hole....no worries!  Continue until all the balls are dipped. 

You can go back with your clean fingers and carefully smooth over the holes.....it won't be "perfect", but it will look much better, and believe me, once people taste these, they won't care what it looks like!

Chill the balls until the chocolate is set.  Store in the refrigerator.  

Divinity

I have many fond memories of my Grandma....whom I loved very dearly and who went to meet Jesus back in 1998.  She was 80 years old; I was 20.  

As a child, I loved eating the fruits of her labor in the kitchen, as she was a wonderful cook.  Thankfully, as I entered my later teen years, I had the sense to recognize that she was getting older, and I didn't want to miss out on any opportunities to spend time with her and learn some of her tricks of the trade.

We always spent a lot of time at my grandparents' home around Christmas, as they only lived 20 minutes away from us.  So when Grandma set aside a day for baking her traditional goodies, I made sure to get there.  She taught me how to make peanut brittle, fudge, buck-eyes, and my favorite, Divinity.  

I don't know why I love it so much.....I have to admit that I enjoy the taste of Buck-eyes much more.....but Divinity is just special.  It's so sweet, amazingly melting in your mouth yet with the crunch and flavor of pecan bits adding interest and dimension to the softness of the fluff.  I can't explain it. 

Anyways.

I haven't had it in years.  Nobody I know makes it....and I never see it in stores.  Grant isn't the hugest fan (again, because it doesn't involve chocolate), so I always hated to make a batch and then eat it all alone. 

This year, I said "Forget it, I don't care if I'm the only person who likes it or eats it, I'm having Divinity."

And now I am.  And it makes me think of Grandma. I like to think she'd be proud of me.  Not just for making the candy, but for everything else that's happened that she never got to see.....my husband, my children, the person I've become.....darn it, I'd better stop or I'll start to cry. 

NOTES ABOUT DIVINITY:

1. Divinity takes time and patience to make......and you HAVE to have a candy thermometer.  One that works.  Be sure to test it before making the recipe by boiling some water on the stove and seeing if the temperature registers 212°F.  If it doesn't, note whether it's high or low and by how much and adjust accordingly. 

2. It's best to have all the ingredients out and ready to go.  Especially have the nuts chopped and the vanilla ready to stir in because at that point, the mixture stiffens up really fast and you can't waste any time. 

3. Divinity MUST be stored in a covered container at room temperature.  If you even have it sitting out on a tray with other goodies for too long, it will get stiff and dry (not good).  I would say leave it out for an hour maximum.  Otherwise, just store it in layers on wax paper in a pretty candy tin or something with a lid. 

4. Oh, and you shouldn't make it on a humid or rainy day....it won't set up right.  So I'm told.  I'm not willing to take the chance on it.

Intimidated yet? 

Don't be...it's not that hard, just a little finicky!  I think it's totally worth it....I hope you agree. 

I didn't have my Grandma's old recipe, for some reason, but this one I found tastes exactly as I remember hers, so I guess I picked well.

Recipe (from Allrecipes)

2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. hot water
1/4 t. salt
2 egg whites
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)


Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside. 

In a heavy, 2-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt. Stir together well and then heat to boiling, stirring occasionally until mixture comes to a boil.  Then STOP stirring and cook to hard-ball stage, 266­° F.  Mixture will look about like this.  Remove from heat.

While the syrup is cooking, begin whipping egg whites in a large mixing bowl until stiff peaks form.  This takes a few minutes and will look like this.

Pour hot syrup in a thin stream SLOWLY over beaten egg whites, (as in, take at least 4-5 minutes to pour it all in) beating constantly with the electric mixer at medium speed. (I didn't take photos of that part...all my hands were busy!).   

Increase speed to high, and continue beating for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla; continue beating until the mixture becomes stiff and begins to lose its gloss. If it is too stiff, add a few drops hot water.  Stir in pecans by hand. 

Immediately drop by spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.  Let stand until set.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

This post is linked to the Holiday Recipe Link-Up at Raising Olives.