Marshmallow Creme

This marshmallow creme is used easily in a variety of recipes! 

Use for a filling in cupcakes, in fudge, honey butter, fruit dip, or brownies!

3 large egg whites (about 90 grams)
1-3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla (clear or regular)

Combine egg whites and corn syrup and beat on high for about 8 minutes until thick with whisk attachment. Switch to beater attachment and add salt, powdered sugar and vanilla.  Beat on low until combined. Don't over-beat.  Can be frozen for use later!

Andes Mint Fudge

1 cup sugar
7 oz. jar marshmallow creme
1 cup (2 cubes) real butter
10 oz. Andes Mint Baking Chips or mints (chips are cheaper)
5 oz. evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup)
1 tsp. vanilla

Line a small rectangle baking pan with parchment.  In large saucepan, over MEDIUM heat, combine sugar, butter, milk, and marshmallow creme.  Stir constantly over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Continue stirring for 5 min. after it reaches a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add mints or baking chips and vanilla. Stir until mints are melted.  Spread into prepared pan and chill until set.  Lift out parchment and cut into small cubes.

Candied Christmas Almonds

1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbl. water
1 lb. almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp.cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
In a mixing bowl, combine egg white, vanilla, and water.  Using mixer, beat until frothy and foamy.  Stir in almonds and use spatula to coat.
In another bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Stir into almond mixture, thoroughly coating all nuts.  Evenly spread nuts onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 1-1/4 hours, stirring every 15 min.  When cooled, break off any extra sugar crystals.  Store in air-tight container.

Hard Tack Candy or Suckers

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
Flavoring (see below)

Grease inside of molds with shortening.  Place molds on greased, flat surface.  Place clip over tabs of molds and insert sucker stick between tabs.

Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan.  Cook on medium heat to 310 degrees on a candy thermometer (hard crack stage).  Remove from heat and let cool to 275 degrees.  Add flavoring and food coloring.  Stir until blended.  Pour into molds.  Allow to cool until candy is set.  Remove clip from mold, then remove mold from sucker.  Set suckers on another flat surface to complete cooling.

Flavorings:  (In general, use 1/8 - 1/2 tsp. flavored oil, depending on concentration of flavoring)
2-1/2 tsp. orange extract (if using orange oil, not that much)
2/3 tsp. cherry oil

Christmas Fudge

This is a very tempermental recipe--I can't even get it to work right sometimes!

2-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3 cups milk chocolate chips
1 lb. REAL butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine sugar and evaporated milk in large saucepan and stir with wooden spoon over med-low heat ("3"-"4") the whole time.  Stir constantly.  After boiling starts, continue to cook and stir until you see a speck of burning. As soon as you see a speck of burning, take off of heat.  Add chocolate, vanilla and butter.  Mix with mixer until it is well-combined.  Mix in chopped nuts.  Spread into 9x13 glass baking dish, lined with wax paper or parchment.  Allow to cool.  Lift out parchment and slice into small bite-sized pieces.  Store in sealed container.

Pretzel Chocolate Candies

Pretzels--small twists or "snaps" (grid-looking pretzels)
Kisses, Hugs, Rolos, Reese's Peanut-Butter Cups
Christmas colored M&M's

Grease a silver baking sheet and line with parchment.  Place pretzels in a single layer on the baking sheet (kids are great helpers!).  Place a Kiss or Rolo, or Reese's in the center of each pretzel.  Bake at 275 degrees for only 3-4 min. until chocolate is softened.  Remove from oven.  Quickly press an M&M on top of each chocolate, pressing down so chocolate fills the pretzel and won't pop off of pretzel when it cools.  Allow to cool until it is all firm.  Store in sealed container in a chilly place.

English Toffee

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 lb. (4 cubes) REAL butter
1 cup sliced almonds
Chopped pecans for sprinkling on top at end

Combine all ingredients except nuts in heavy pan. Stir with wooden spoon over medium heat the entire time. Add almonds when butter is melted.  Continue to cook and stir until almonds turn to the color of an almond shell, light brown (about 17-20 min. after it reaches a full boil, so be patient!  ...It starts to smell burned towards the end, but just keep watching the color of the almonds to darken!)  With a digital thermometer, this will be 290-305 degrees. Pour onto buttered metal cookie sheet: 1 sheet for thicker toffee or 1-1/2 sheets for thinner toffee.  Spread out with wooden spoon.  After spreading, put pieces of milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips on top and spread them out as it melts.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans and allow to cool.  Break into pieces.  Store in sealed container.

Personal Note: Use one jelly-roll pan and small metal rectangular pan.
If toffee decides to stick to your teeth, that means you didn't cook it quite long enough.

Peanut Brittle

2 cups sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup water
1-1/2 tsp. salt 
3/4 lb. Raw Spanish Peanuts (found on baking aisle)
2/3 cup REAL butter
2 tsp. baking soda

In large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt.  Cook and stir with wooden spoon until it boils.  Add [eanuts and butter.  Continue cooking over medium heat until it reaches 280 degrees on a candy thermometer.  (This will take about 23+ min. of continuous stirring once it reaches boiling again, so be patient!)  Take off heat and add soda.  (Don't forget to add it!)  Stir and pour onto large, metal, buttered cookie sheet.  Spread out and allow to cool.  Break into chunks.  Store in sealed container.

Peppermint Bark

1  12-oz. pkg white chocolate chips or 12 oz. of shaved ambrosia 
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract (not mint extract)
1/3 cup finely crushed candy canes (about 5)...done in food processor

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.  Melt chocolate in microwave in glass bowl or large glass measurer on med. heat, stirring every 45 seconds.  Don't overcook!  Just continue to stir in warm dish and it will melt.  Add extract and candy canes.  Spread in prepared pan as thinly as possible--it will cover about 3/4 of the sheet.  Allow to cool.  Break into pieces.  Store in sealed container in chilly place.

Caramels

Personal Notes:
Use large saucepan with long handle
Front left LARGE burner
When ingredients START to come to a boil (not "full boil"), turn heat to "3" and set a timer for 11 minutes. At 11 minutes, put in digital thermometer and take off of heat at 231-235 degrees...about 12-13 min

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup real butter  (2 cubes)
1 cup corn syrup

In large saucepan over med. heat, combine all ingredients and heat until it begins to boil.  Immediately, turn heat to low ("3") and continue to simmer until it reaches 231-235 degrees on a digital thermometer...about 12-1/2 min, stirring caramel continuously with wooden spoon.  Pour into greased 9X13 (or larger) pan.  Allow to cool.  With sharp knife or metal bench scraper, cut strips (a few at a time) and then cut strips into small chunks with kitchen shears or knife.  Wrap chunks in squares of wax paper or cellophane and twist ends.

Personal Note: Use large "Taylor" glass pyrex