Making Christmas Candy?

[KittenKrazy]

Ok, I responded in the Cookie thread, but it's got me to thinking... am I the only body on here who makes candy instead of, or along with cookies this time of year? On a good year, we will make:

Regular fudge
peanut butter fudge
rocky road fudge
coconut balls
peanut butter balls
white chocolate macadamia nut balls
rum balls
date/nut balls
orange slice candy.... this stuff will melt in your mouth, lol!
peanut brittle
divinity
caramel corn
chex mix (yeah, it's not candy, but is soooo good, lol!")
I know there's more.....but I'm on a sugar high at the moment, 'cause I just finished making a couple of batches of divinity!

Anyone else?

 

[lotso'cats]

I made some almond brittle (don't like peanut's) and cinnamon candy coated almonds and pecans. I have one of those nut roasters that Target sells/sold every holiday season. I made all them in it.

 

[dusty's mom]

Originally Posted by LotsO'Cats

I made some almond brittle (don't like peanut's) and cinnamon candy coated almonds and pecans. I have one of those nut roasters that Target sells/sold every holiday season. I made all them in it.

Almond brittle is yummy! I don't care for peanuts either!

 

[trouts mom]

Holy moly! I don't know how people make so many things!

 

[ruthyb]

Oh stop it!!I don't really eat alot of chocolate but at xmas time "Bring me the candy"

x

 

[KittenKrazy]

Yep, almonds work great, as do walnuts, both black ones and English ones.....

 

[Winchester]

I do almond brittle, too, instead of peanut. I also make a Best Ever Nut Brittle that has a great flavor of sweet and salty from the sea salt that is sprinkled on top of the brittle right after it's poured onto the sheet. Delicious! I got that recipe from a close GF who enjoys cooking. She also gave me a recipe for Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch.

I make homemade marshmallows that are out of this world good. Some will be sprinkled with cocoa, which serves to cut out some of the sweetness. Some I roll in toasted coconut, although they go to work with me as DH hates coconut and thinks it should be declared diseased and illegal in the US.

Once you've eaten a homemade marshmallow you will NEVER go back to those store-bought air things. A cup of hot, rich cocoa with a large marshmallow floating on top and every thing is right in my world.

Oh, and I love cranberry gumdrops! Very good! They're made with raspberry gelatin and cranberry sauce. The guys at work love them.

And I love Alton Brown's White Trash. Believe me, you cannot just eat a handful. I brought a huge pan into work last year and people would walk by the office, just to take a couple handsful. One guy came back with a paper plate to fill.....and filled that plate 3 times! It's full of Cheerios, Chex cereals, M & M's, pretzels, etc. and then slathered with melted Ghiradelli white chocolate chips.

I don't do fudge that often b/c Mom does and she makes sure we get a bit; she uses walnuts, though, and I don't like walnuts. But I do make Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch, which is a lot like Heath bars. I think it came from the King Arthur website. It's really good.

Sugared popcorn has been a family tradition for decades around here. My grandmother made enormous batches of the popcorn so that everybody had a bag for the holidays. I could eat a huge bag by myself. She's been gone for many many years, so Mom and I always made the popcorn. The last few years I've had to make it by myself. But I make enough for everybody. Some popcorn is tinted red, some tinted green. Together, they make a pretty holiday bowl.

And spiced nuts. And sugared pecans, too.

 

[dusty's mom]

Winchester do share your marshmallow recipe!

Can you put chocolate chips on top of almond brittle to make English toffee?

 

[KittenKrazy]

I've got to try the sea salt..... that sounds wonderful!

 

[starryeyedtiger]

I plan to make homemade candy as Christmas gifts this year along with cookies,etc.

I'm not 100% sure what all I'll be making just yet, but I have a few ideas to go along with my regular standbys - white chocolate Christmas suckers (reds, greens,etc), peppermint bark,etc. I plan to wrap everything and make cute little gift baskets. I'm also thinking about throwing some chex mix in there somewhere as well.

My mom normally makes Divinity at Christmas time, I may just try out my own recipe for it this year!

 

[Winchester]

I hpe you don't mind if I just share all of the ones I talked about. They're all worth trying. Here are the recipes that I use:

Alton Brown's White Trash - Oh yum!

3-1/2 cups Cheerios
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
16 oz. plain M & M's
2-1/2 cups salted mixed nuts
2 cups small pretzels
2 (11-oz.) pkg. white chocolate chips (Ghiradelli brand preferred)

Dump the cereals, M & Ms, nuts and pretzels in a large bowl.

Melt the white chips in a microwave or double boiler, being careful not to burn.

Dump the melted chocolate over the cereal mixture and fold over and over until you have well-coated hunks and chunks.

Spread the whole mess out on parchment paper and set in a cool place until it sets up. Break into pieces and put into ziploc bags or air-tight containers. (While it's cooling, every time you walk into your kitchen, grab a chunk or two!!)

Makes 18 cups.

Note: I dump everything into a huge roaster. A large bowl (unless you have one that's truly gigantic!) will not allow you to mix the melted chocolate into the cereal mixture without making a mess....unless you're a lot neater than I am.
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Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch - from my GF who found it on King Arthur's website

This recipe requires few ingredients and little effort, but the result is superb, making it appear you slaved over a hot stove all afternoon. Whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s more, this candy is so rich that a few pieces go a long way, making it ideal for holiday gift bags. Add it to an assortment of other candies, cookies, or bars, and itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s probably good for 8-10 gifts.

For those of you unfamiliar with buttercrunch, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a lot like a Heath Bar. And, like a Heath Bar, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s delicious crunched up and stirred into ice cream, or mixed into whipped cream and spread between layers of a chocolate cake. Than again, you can just eat it au naturel. "Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m only going to have one piece today. Really! I mean it. Well, maybe just one piece this morning, and one this afternoon, and one after supper…"

1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter*
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 cups (8 ounces) diced pecans or slivered almonds, toasted
1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (chocolate chips are an easy solution here; youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll need about 2-2/3 cups)

*If you use unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon salt.

In a large, deep saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar, water and corn syrup, and 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), about 20 minutes. The syrup will seem to take a long time to come to the hard-crack stage, but be patient; all of a sudden it will darken, and at that point you need to take its temperature and see if itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s ready. (If you donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have a thermometer, test a dollop in ice water; it should immediately harden to a brittleness sufficient that youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll be able to snap it in two, without any bending or softness). Pay attention; too long on the heat, and the syrup will burn. And what a waste of good butter and sugar that would be!

While the sugar mixture is gently bubbling, spread half of the nuts, in a fairly closely packed, even single layer, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Top with half the chocolate. When the syrup is ready, pour it quickly and evenly over the nuts and chocolate. Immediately top with the remaining chocolate, then the remaining nuts. Wait several minutes, then gently, using the back of a spatula, press down on the chocolate-nut layer to spread the chocolate around evenly.

While the candy is still slightly warm, use a spatula to loosen it from the baking sheet. When cool, break it into uneven chunks.
Yield: about 24 big bite-sized pieces, if you want to be scientific about it.
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Homemade Marshmallows - from The Barefoot Contessa

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
confectioner's sugar -- for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

With a sieve, generously dust an 8 x 12-inch nonmetal baking dish with confectinoer's sugar. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, smooth the top, and dust with more confectioner's sugar. Allow to stand uncovered overnight until it dries out.

Turn the marshmallows onto a board and cut them in squares. Dust them with more confectioner's sugar. Makes 20 to 40 marshmallows.

Note: I use parchment paper, sugared heavily, to line the pan, then dumped the mixture onto the paper. You do need a pan with sides!! Let them stand, uncovered, overnight. Dump them out of the pan and peel off the parchment....you may have some trouble peeling off the paper, but it will come off.

Use your pizza cutter to cut the mixture into squares. Roll them in confectioners' sugar (or just dust the cut surfaces with the sugar). I also dusted them with some Dutch cocoa. The cocoa serves to cut some of the sweetness. You can also toast coconut and roll the marshmallows in the toasted coconut.
_________________________________________________________________

Best-Ever Nut Brittle

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces roasted salted peanuts, cashews, pistachios and/or pecans
Fleur de sel or crushed Maldon sea salt

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, butter and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel is light brown and registers 300 degrees on a candy thermometer, 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble. Stir in the nuts, then immediately scrape the brittle onto a large rimmed, nonstick baking sheet. Using the back of a large spoon (oil it lightly if it sticks), spread the brittle into a thin, even layer. Sprinkle with salt. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Break the brittle into large shards.
Make Ahead and Storage: The brittle can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
________________________________________________________________

This recipe is from Best of Country Cooking 1999 and we love these nuts! I use all pecans and double the recipe when I make them. They don't really taste like much when you first take them out of the oven, but after they've cooled down and stored for a couple of hours? Good stuff!! I've made other spiced nuts and they're all good, but for some reason, this is our favorite. I lost the recipe a couple years ago and found it again recently. And promptly made a double batch!

Spiced Nuts

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. chili powder
1 cup whole unblanched almonds
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup pistachios or macadamia nuts

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients, mix well. Add nuts and stir well until coated. Spead evenly in an ungreased 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring two or three times. Spread on a waxed-paper lined baking sheet. Cool. Store in an airtight container. Makes 3 cups.

Note: Since we like more of the "spiciness", I'll add more spices and about 1-1/2 tsp brown sugar in addition to the tablespoon of brown sugar called for in the recipe. You may have to roast them longer than 15-20 minutes. I do mine for abou 30 minutes. Watch carefully; you don't want them to burn.
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From Taste of Home's Treasury of Christmas Recipes

Cranberry Gumdrops

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 (16 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce
2 cups sugar, divided
3 (3 oz.) pkg. raspberry gelatin
Additional sugar, optional

In a saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over water; let stand for 2 minutes to soften. Add cranberry and 1 cup sugar; cook over low heat until sauce is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Whisk until smooth,

Remove from the heat and add raspberry gelatin; stir until completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Pour into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with nonstick spray. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.

Cut into 1-inch squares; roll in remaining sugar. Place on baking sheets; let stand at room temperature for 3 hours. Turn pieces over and let stand 3 hours longer. Roll in additional sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Makes about 5 dozen gumdrops.

Note: It took me longer than 10 minutes to melt the cranberry sauce completely and get the mixture completely smooth. After removing from the pan, I cut my squares a little larger than one inch....it's hard to see exactly where your slices are! I rolled the squares in sugar twice...it was optional to do so, but I found that after standing, the sugar started to melt off the gumdrops. These are really good.

 

[KittenKrazy]

Thanks for sharing them......now I want to make more, lol!!!!

 

[kara_leigh]

My mother in law used to own a little candy store out in California, so we get all sorts of candy around this time of year. My mom likes to make most of that stuff, too. She gets creative. She makes THE BEST Pistachio Toffee (toffee with chunks of pistachio mixed in), it's SOOO good! I'm good at Fudge, but that's about it.

My husband would die for some good Divinity. His biological grandmother made the best Divinity (IHO) and his adopted mother doesn't quite measure up. lol He's been looking for good Divinity for as long as I've known him.

 

[ldg]

We always made saltwater taffy and ribbon candy. SO pretty with the red & green!

 

[stephanietx]

I make crockpot candy. So easy, makes a ton so you have plenty to eat and share (if you want), and you can use whatever kinds of nuts you want.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Originally Posted by stephanietx

I make crockpot candy. So easy, makes a ton so you have plenty to eat and share (if you want), and you can use whatever kinds of nuts you want.

Aren't you going to give us the recipe? Please?

 

[stephanietx]

Sorry, I was at work and the recipe is here at home. Besides that, I was wondering if anyone was still reading the thread!

Flo's Crockpot Candy

16 oz can salted peanuts or mixed nuts (I used roasted pecans)
16 oz dry roasted peanuts
1 large bag (24 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
2 pkgs white almond bark
1 German chocolate bar

Combine all ingredients in large crock pot and cook on LOW. Forget it for 2 hours. Stir to blend and dip out into pieces onto waxed paper to cool. Makes a big bunch.

Enjoy!

 

[Winchester]

Originally Posted by stephanietx

Sorry, I was at work and the recipe is here at home. Besides that, I was wondering if anyone was still reading the thread!

Flo's Crockpot Candy

16 oz can salted peanuts or mixed nuts (I used roasted pecans)
16 oz dry roasted peanuts
1 large bag (24 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
2 pkgs white almond bark
1 German chocolate bar

Combine all ingredients in large crock pot and cook on LOW. Forget it for 2 hours. Stir to blend and dip out into pieces onto waxed paper to cool. Makes a big bunch.

Enjoy!

Oh yum! Thanks! (A post of recipes? Yep, I'm still reading!)

 

[stephanietx]

I did forget to mention that you can use whatever combination of nuts you want. If you use something less salty, then you might want to add some sea salt to the mix (not a lot, just some). Last year, I used almonds. I wasn't overly impressed with them.

 

[nurseangel]

Originally Posted by stephanietx

Sorry, I was at work and the recipe is here at home. Besides that, I was wondering if anyone was still reading the thread!

Flo's Crockpot Candy

16 oz can salted peanuts or mixed nuts (I used roasted pecans)
16 oz dry roasted peanuts
1 large bag (24 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
2 pkgs white almond bark
1 German chocolate bar

Combine all ingredients in large crock pot and cook on LOW. Forget it for 2 hours. Stir to blend and dip out into pieces onto waxed paper to cool. Makes a big bunch.

Enjoy!

On the German chocolate bar, is it unsweetened? Is there a special brand that you like?

I would love to try the homemade marshmallows, too.