Easy Divinity

Tags

candy, divinity, egg whites, homemade, pecans, vanilla

Divinity is an old fashioned candy that I remember from my childhood. My grandmother used to make this every year. Be sure when you make this it is on a sunny dry day. The humidity should be below 60%. This is true of most homemade candies. Candy made on wet day will not turn out. Divinity takes a little effort but it is worth it!

Easy Divinity (From the Southern Lady Cooks)

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans, plus more for topping

Combine the white sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and microwave for 5 minutes on high. Remove from the microwave and stir. Microwave the sugar mixture again for another 5 minutes, uncovered. The temperature should reach 250 degrees or hard ball stage. Set aside to cool for 3 to 4 minutes.

In the bowl of a mixer, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. While the mixer is still running on high, slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites. Continue to beat the mixture on high until the mix looses it’s glossiness and holds together, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and pecans. Spoon the mixture onto wax paper in teaspoon fulls. Makes approx 25 candies, depending on the size you make.

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Apple Cider Caramels…. and Change….

Tags

apple, candy, caramels, cider, dessert, fresh, gluten free

Nothing ever stays the same. Even if you insist on standing still, the rest of the world continues to evolve and revolve around the sun. Some changes are good, some are bad, some are mix of both.

I am sure you have noticed I have been MIA from blogging for a good while. In short, my husband and I are in the process of divorcing. It has been difficult. I am trying to sort through my life, piece by piece.

One of the most consistent things in my life has been my continued passion for food. I haven’t been blogging but I have still been creating and cooking my own food. I have still been connecting with fellow foodies. My passion for food remains unchanged.

I have missed connecting with the blogging community. I have missed showing my readers my culinary discoveries. I have missed being pushed to continue creating and exploring the wide world of food. But I am back now!!!

This month I want to embrace the best of the fall season. The amazing fresh produce – apples, pumpkins, greens, and root vegetables. Today’s recipe is one I have been eyeing for a long time.

These caramels are a flavor explosion in your mouth, buttery smooth with a bright apple taste and little hints of salt at the finish.

Apple Cider Caramels (from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)

• 4 cups fresh apple cider
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp heavy cream
• Neutral oil for the knife

Boil the apple cider in a 3 to 4 quart saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to a dark thick syrup between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. This takes about 35 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, line the bottom and sides of a square metal baking pan with parchment. Set aside. Stir the cinnamon and salt together in a small dish.

Remove the reduced cider from the head and stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream. Return the pot to medium-high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees, only about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it.

Immediately remove caramel from heat, add the cinnamon-salt mixture, and give the caramel several stirs to distribute it evely. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cooled, about 2 hours. When the caramel is set, remove the caramels from the pan and use the well oiled knife to cut the caramel into 1 by 1 inch squares. Wrap each one in a 4 inch square of waxed paper, twisting the sides to close. Caramels with be soft at room temperature and firm in the fridge. Makes 64 caramels.

Thanks to Boyd’s Orchard for the fresh apple cider.

Coffee Toffee

Tags

candy, chocolate, Christmas, coffee, dessert, gluten free, hazelnuts, toffee

My Christmas specialty is usually chocolate covered caramels. But this toffee may have replaced the caramels as our new favorite Christmas candy. The coffee adds a special touch that pairs really well with the bitter chocolate.

Coffee Toffee (from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)

• 8 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp molasses
• 1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium heavy sauce pan with a candy thermometer attatched, melt butter both sugars, molasses, salt, and espresso together over medium high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a whisk, until the temperature approaches 250 degrees; then stir constantly until it reaches 300 degrees.

Pour immediately onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee, let them sit for a minute until soft, then spread the chocolate evenly over the candy base. Sprinkle the chocolate with chopped hazelnuts. Set the sheet aside on a cooling rack until set. Break the toffee into pieces and then store in an air tight container. Consider storing in the fridge if it gets sticky. Makes 1 1/2 lbs toffee.

Bacon Week Part 5: Bourbon, Caramel, Marshmallow, Bacon Bark

Tags

bacon, bark, bourbon, candy, caramel, celebration, marshmallow, new years, Southern

I want to end this most successful blogging year with a bang. What better way to ring in the New Year that with a candy full of unique flavor? And it is yet another recipe in our Bacon Week! The previous posts include:

Bacon Week Part 1: Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!

Bacon Week Part 2: Bacon Salt

Bacon Week Part 3: Beer and Bacon Mac and Cheese

Bacon Week Part 4: Bacon Wrapped Smokies

Bourbon, Caramel, Marshmallow, Bacon Bark (from Endless Simmer)

• 16 oz of semi-sweet chocolate
• 4 cups of mini marshmallows
• ¼ cup bourbon (I used Woodford Reserve)
• 1 cup caramel (recipe follows)
• 1 cup of spiced bacon crumble (recipe follows)

Line an 8×8 inch glass pan with parchment of wax paper with 1 inch overhang on each side. Melt semi-sweet chips. Pour half into lined pan, spreading the chocolate until smooth and evenly distributed. Chill until chocolate becomes solid.

In a saucepan, heat marshmallows until the become stringy and sticky. Remove from heat and add in bourbon; stir to combine. Spread marshmallow mixture over solid chocolate.

At this point, make the caramel (look below for instructions). Pour finished caramel over marshmallow layer. Spread until smooth. Chill for about 5 minutes or until caramel becomes slightly hardened. Pour remaining half of melted semi-sweet chocolate over caramel layer and spread until smooth. Gently press the bacon crumble (recipe below) into the chocolate. Chill until solid. Use a sharp knife to cute the bark into pieces. Refrigerate bark to extend it’s shelf life.

Bacon Crumble

• 16 oz bacon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoon water
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Cook bacon and set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, coarsely crumble bacon with hand; set aside and heat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine sugar and water in a pot and heat until sugar is dissolved. Toss crumbled bacon in sugar syrup to coat. Drain coated bacon with a strainer to remove excess syrup. Whisk an egg white until fluffy and foamy. Sprinkle in black pepper and cayenne. Add in bacon and toss to coat. Spread bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, then crumble bacon one last time.

Caramel Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoon butter
• 7 tablespoon heavy cream

Combine sugar and water into a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Once sugar has dissolved increase heat to high. Periodically, using the handle, give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving. Do not stir the mixture directly. The mixture will start to bubble after a minute. As the mixture darkens to a medium amber color, approximately 5-7 minutes, add the butter and heavy cream to saucepan. The mixture will bubble wildly. Whisk to combine (bubbles will subside upon cooling). Set aside to cool completely.

Bourbon Truffles

Tags

bourbon, candy, dessert, Kentucky, pecans

Bourbon balls tend to be a Christmas candy. They are so good; I don’t think that anyone will object to these tasty truffles. They are pretty easy to make. Definitely a recipe to add to my repertoire.

Bourbon Truffles (from Cellar Door Chocolates in Louisville, KY)

• 1 pound dark chocolate (55-71%), chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup bourbon (I used Woodford Reserve)
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 cup finely chopped pecans (the original calls for 1 cup but I like them really coated)

Bring heavy whipping cream to a boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth. Add bourbon; stir until well-incorporated. Add salt. Let the chocolate mixture rest at room temperature until firm. (I put mine in the fridge for about an hour).

Using two spoons, portion out balls of ganache, about the size of a walnut. Hand roll balls until smooth and then roll it in the pecans. Makes about 40 truffles.

Divinity

Tags

candy, dessert, divinity, holiday, winter

This divinity is a total experiement for me. The last time I ate it, I was ten years old. No one I know has made it recently. So I just read the recipe and tried to recreate. I think that I didn’t beat it long enough. According to the pictures posted on the internet, divinity forms fluffier balls that retain that shape when dropped onto the wax paper. Mine flattened out quickly into little frisbees. They are not a total loss though. They still taste good and the consistency is melt in your mouth. Do you readers have any tips for making divinity? I plan to make these again; maybe the next time I will use another flavoring than vanilla. I have read that you can use peppermint or almond extract. And that you can add food coloring for a more festive presentation.

Divinity

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup white corn syrup
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 2 cups chopped pecans

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Stir only until sugar has dissolved. Allow syrup to cook until it reaches 250 degrees or hard ball stage on the candy thermometer.

While the syrup is cooking, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. When the syrup reaches 250 degrees, carefully pour a slow steady stream of syrup into the egg whites. The mixer should continue running though this point at a high rate of speed. Add vanilla and continue to beat until the mixture holds shape (approx 5 minutes). Stir in pecans.

Quickly spoon out spoonfuls of the candy onto waxed paper. Work quickly as it tends to become stiff quickly. Allow to dry and then store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Covered Caramels

Tags

candy, caramels, chocolate, dessert, hand dipped

I have very little experience making candy so this was an adventure to say the least. I ended up with a burned finger, a sticky kitchen, and a full belly. I think it was worth it.

Things I learned-

1) Caramel is ridiculously sticky so handle with care and don’t let them touch each other, the counter, or anything else that you really care about.

2) If the thermometer says 250 degrees, don’t try to rake the excess caramel off the spatula with your finger. Duh!

3) Drop only one caramel at a time into the chocolate. The filling starts to melt really quickly.

These caramels are topped with walnuts, coconut, an almond slice, coarse sea salt, and a toasted pecan. 

Chocolate Covered Caramels

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 cup butter
• 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (12 oz) package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp shortening
• Wax paper
• Toppings of choice (Sea salt, crystallized ginger, nuts, coconut, etc)

Bring sugar, corn syrup and butter to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, for 7 minutes.

Stir in the condensed milk and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the candy thermometer reaches 238 to 240 degrees (soft ball stage). This takes about 18 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into butter greased 8×8 inch glass pan.

Let cool at room temperature for 8 hours. Cut into even squares and set on wax paper. Be sure that they do not touch each other (I did and it was a mess!).

In a small saucepan, melt over medium heat the chocolate and the shortening. Stir and heat until smooth then turn off the heat. One at a time, drop the caramel square into the chocolate. Retrieve the square from the chocolate with a fork. Tap the fork on the edge of the pan several times to remove extra chocolate. Rake the excess chocolate off the bottom of the chocolate by scraping the bottom of the fork on the side of the pan. Gently place the square onto the wax paper. Top with desired nuts, etc.

Chocolate covered…

Naked…

Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch

Tags

buttercrunch, candy, chocolate, holiday, holiday season, pecans, toffee

This recipe is perfect because it combines three amazing things-toffee, dark chocolate, and pecans. What could be better? This is my first attempt at making candy. I think it went pretty well considering I didn’t have a candy thermometer or experience. It holds together and doesn’t melt in room temperature. Plus it tastes pretty dang good.

Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (if unsalted, add 1/2 tsp of salt)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 cup pecans pieces or slivered almonds, toasted
1 1/2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

In a saucepan, melt the butter, In a large, deep saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar, water and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil gently, over medium heat, until the mixture reaches hard-crack stage (300°F on an instant-read or candy thermometer). The syrup will boil for about 12 minutes until the color change (it darkens slightly). At that point, drop a bit of the syrup into the ice water and test to see if it hardens to the point it snaps into without bending.

While the syrup is cooking, toast the nuts. On another baking sheet, spread the chocolate chips and the toasted nuts. Pour the syrup over the nuts and chocolate. Allow to cool until it can be gently removed from the sheet. Break into pieces and enjoy!