Candied Pecans

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Allrecipes


INGREDIENTS
1 egg white
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 dash vanilla extract
4 cups pecans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Spray the wax paper with cooking spray.

Beat egg white until stiff. Add brown sugar and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Mix in pecans and stir until coated. Pour the nuts onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake until browned, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool and dry completely. Store in an airtight container.

Goes great in spinach salad with this dressing.

Peppermint Marble Bark

Recipe courtesy of A Wife at Home

INGREDIENTS
12oz Chocolate chips
12 oz White Chocolate
50 peppermint candies crushed*

DIRECTIONS
Melt each chocolate separately in microwave, then stir until melted. Add approximately 1/2 the peppermint to each bowl of chocolate, reserving a portion to sprinkle on top. While the chocolate is still warm, spoon it onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Alternate the two colors of chocolate in small mounds. Then take a knife and drag it through the different chocolates so it looks marbleized. Sprinkle the remaining peppermint on top. Let cool (best done in the fridge). Cut with a sharp knife.

*How much you crush the peppermint is a personal preference. You can leave chunks, or crush it to a fine powder. I typically use the food processor and crush the peppermint completely.

Chocolate and Caramel Dipped Pretzel Rods

Recipe and photo courtesy of My Kitchen Cafe

Makes about 40 dipped pretzel rods

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
14 0z. can sweetened condensed milk
dash of salt
pretzel rods
chocolate for dipping and drizzling (white, milk, semi-sweet, or a combination)

DIRECTIONS

Mix ingredients in order over medium heat. Come to a rolling boil to soft ball stage (use a candy thermometer or test in a bowl of cold water - a drop of caramel in the cold water should roll into a soft ball in your fingers). Take caramel off heat and dip each pretzel rod into caramel, allowing the excess to drain back into pan.

Lay the pretzels on parchment paper. After they set for about 10 minutes, roll each one along the parchment paper or between your hands to eliminate the pool of caramel on the side they were laying on.

After caramel has set on pretzels (about 20 - 40 minutes), melt desired chocolate in microwave or in a bowl over simmering water. Pour melted chocolate into a tall glass and dip 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.

Allow them to set fully before drizzling with more chocolate. For drizzling, use melted chocolate and pour into a Ziploc bag. Cut a tiny tip off one corner and drizzle across pretzels.

Don't worry that there is a flat side to the pretzel or that the chocolate may pool underneath the pretzel. Once the chocolate has set, you can easily shave off any unwanted pooling or excess chocolate for a prettier pretzel using a sharp knife.

Caramel Apples

Photo Courtesy of 4LEA from Allrecipes


INGREDIENTS
About 12 Apples, depending on size
1 cup butter
1 16oz package brown sugar
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

First, remove the wax off the apples so the caramel will stick. Some methods are to scrub them well with a scrub brush, wash them in hot water with baking soda, or to dip them quickly into boiling water. You just want to make sure that the waxy shine is gone.

Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy saucepan. Stir with wooden spatula or spoon over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook caramel at rolling boil until thermometer registers 248°F, stirring constantly but slowly with clean wooden spatula and occasionally brushing down sides of pan. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool, without stirring, to 200°F. (Optional: Transfer caramel from saucepan to metal bowl to make dipping easier.)

While caramel cools, line 2 baking sheets with buttered foil or wax paper. Push 1 stick into stem end of each apple. Set up decorations and melted chocolates (if desired).

Holding the stick, dip 1 apple into 200°F caramel, submerging all but very top of apple. Lift apple out, allowing excess caramel to drip back into bowl. Turn apple caramel side up and hold for several seconds to help set caramel around apple. Place coated apple on prepared foil. Repeat with remaining apples and caramel, spacing apples apart (caramel will pool on foil). If caramel becomes too thick to dip into, whisk caramel over low heat to thin. Chill apples on sheets until caramel is partially set, about 15 minutes.

Lift 1 apple from foil. Using hand, press pooled caramel around apple; return to foil. Repeat with remaining apples. Firmly press decorations into caramel; return each apple to foil. Or dip caramel-coated apples into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off, then roll in nuts or candy. Or drizzle melted chocolate over caramel-coated apples and sprinkle with decorations. Chill until decorations are set, about 1 hour. Cover; chill up to 1 week.

Taffy

INGREDIENTS
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons glycerin
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1 teaspoon flavoring (such as vanilla, lemon, maple, or mint)
3 drops food coloring (optional)

DIRECTIONS
FYI - Don’t try to make taffy on a rainy or humid day.

1. Mix together sugar and cornstarch in the saucepan.

2. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the corn syrup, glycerin, water, butter, and salt. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.

3. Continue stirring until mixture begins to boil, then let cook, undisturbed, until it reaches the soft ball stage. Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water while the syrup cooks. Do not stir.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add food coloring and flavoring. Stir gently, then pour into a shallow greased cookie sheet to cool.

5. When the taffy is cool enough to handle, grease your hands with oil or butter and pull the taffy until it's light in color and has a satiny gloss. You can have a friend help with this step, which should take about 10 minutes.

6. Roll the pulled taffy into a long rope, about 1/2 inch in diameter, and cut it with greased scissors or a butter knife into 1-inch-long pieces. Let the pieces sit for about half an hour before wrapping them in wax paper or plastic wrap and twisting the ends of the wrapper. Makes about 30 - 50 pieces.

Grandpa’s Favorite Popcorn Balls

Recipe Courtesy of Lisa Cunningham

INGREDIENTS

3 tsp oil
½ cup popcorn (makes about 8 cups popped, and unsalted)
¾ cup dark brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
½ cup dark Karo syrup
½ cup water
¾ cup butter
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar

DIRECTIONS

To pop the popcorn: Place oil and popcorn kernels in a deep pan. Cover pan with foil, cutting several slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Place over medium heat and shake vigorously. Continue shaking pan until popping slows. Carefully remove foil. Measure 8 cups popped popcorn into a large bowl and set aside (try to pick out the uncooked kernels).

In heavy 2 qt pot, put the brown sugar, white sugar, Karo syrup, water, salt and vinegar,
and stir until sugar dissolves on medium heat. Now stir until caramel reaches soft-ball stage.

Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of butter and stir till the butter is melted into the caramel. Pour over the popcorn, while mixing the popcorn with a spoon to coat the popcorn evenly. Rub the 1/4 cup of butter that is left onto your hands, and start shaping your popcorn balls. Place them on foil sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Make them the size of your choice. After they cool a bit, turn them over to allow caramel to distribute evenly.

Makes about 9 large, or 15 small.