Peppermint Fudge

I got not one, but two requests for this recipe. The mint fudge recipe I’ve used before calls for cooking the chocolate, which I think leads to a harder, more bitter fudge. This is smooth and has a much lighter consistency.

Here’s the funny thing. The recipe calls for round peppermint candies (Everyday Foods always goes the anonymous route on naming candies), so I picked up York Peppermint Patties because that’s where my mind went automatically. It wasn’t until I turned the page over to make a copy that I realized they meant Starlight mints. You can decide (heck, you can even use Junior Mints), but I’m sticking with Yorks.

Peppermint Fudge
Nonstick spray
2 ¼ C (16 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 C round peppermint candies, plus more for garnish
¾ C heavy cream
3 ½ C mini marshmallows
5 T unsalted butter
1 ¼ C sugar
1 t coarse salt

Lightly coat 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. Line pan with two pieces parchment paper in both directions, leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides.

Place chocolate chips in a bowl. In food processor, pulse candies until finely chopped. In medium saucepan, combine candies, cream, marshmallows, butter, sugar and salt over medium high. Whisk until smooth, 5-8 minutes.

Pour mixture through strainer (not necessary with Yorks) into bowl with chocolates. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Pour into baking pan and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. I place my garnish Yorks on about halfway through. Cut into squares.

Stores covered and refrigerated for 1 week.

Holiday Blondies

I made these Holiday (Halloween) blondies over the weekend and they were a big hit. What I liked most was a) the recipe called for melted butter b) it called for an 8 x 8 pan, which was the right amount for the gathering since we had other treats. I got asked if there was peanut butter in them because they were very creamy and slightly nutty.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature, for pan
1 cup packed light-brown sugar (I used dark brown because that's what I had)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 cup each orange, yellow, and brown candy-coated chocolates (from a 12.6-ounce bag)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with butter; line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter paper. (I skipped the parchment and sprayed with cooking spray)

In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; stir just until moistened. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top. Arrange candies in 12 rows (2 rows per color, repeating once) on top of dough. (I used the monster mix and did a circular pattern)

Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. (Mine was done in 30 minutes) Set pan on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Photo and recipe from Martha Stewart.

Far Too Easy Treasure Brownie Cakes

This is no earth shattering recipe by any means, but they were tasty.

Treasure Brownie Cakes

1. Mix up brownies. I used the Betty Crocker mix, you could make your own
2. Butter muffin tin, including around the edges
3. Scoop in 1/4 cup or less of brownie mix, place candy on top, then cover with more brownie batter
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven and the candy

I used York peppermint patties (which explode) and Rolos (which sink to the bottom). Both were good and made for completely different tastes. Others to try: Hershey kisses, Reese's peanut butter cups, caramels, chocolate chips or Andes mints.

What I liked best (besides the taste) was ease of transport. These would be good for camping or tailgating (why I made them).

Favorite Holiday Candy

I have always, always been intimidated by making my mom’s English Toffee recipe. Like going on seven years of putting off because I thought it would be too hard to make. Turns out, it is quite easy!

English Toffee
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
¼ c water
½ t salt
3 squares of semi-sweet chocolate or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Cook butter, sugar, water and salt in heavy bottomed pan. Stir constantly to keep from turning to dark until candy thermometer reaches the hard crack (HC) stage. This took about 20 minutes or so.* When it reaches the hard crack stage, pour into an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Freeze until cool.

Melt chocolate chips and spread over cooled toffee. Sprinkle with nuts and freeze again to harden. Break up with your hands or a butter knife. My mom always stores these in the freezer.

*I made this last night and brought it into work to test on my co-workers. I now realize I could have waited another minute or so to cook the toffee so it would have been a little more brown and crunchy. The toffee I made last night it pretty chewy. Tasty, but chewy.