Fudge Caramels

 

Well, we are on to the wonderful Christmas stretch.  I took a long Thanksgiving break.  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

 

 

I have wanted to make Fudge Caramels for quite some time.  On occasion I have made other caramels, licorice and normal, but have never made chocolate caramels. They are a fun treat to make for the holidays.  they are soft and full of chocolate flavor, made with ingredients you have in your kitchen.  Yes, made with good old Hershey's cocoa powder!  The recipe is from a Hershey's Chocolate Treasury Cookbook.

 

 

 Fudge Caramels Recipe

 

2 cups sugar

2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Butter a nine-inch square glass pan; set aside.  combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and corn syrup in a heavy 3-quart saucepan.  Then add evaporated milk and water.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils.  Cook, stirring frequently, to 245 degrees (or firm-ball stage) or until syrup, when dropped into very cold water, forms a firm ball that does not flatten when removed from water.  Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla, blending well.

 

Pour into prepared pan.  Cool; cut into 1-inch squares with butter scissors or pull into pieces.  Wrap individually in waxed paper or cellophane wrappers. 

 

Candy Making Tips

 

 Always adjust your thermometer.  For example, I live at 5700 foot altitude.  Mixtures boil at a lower temperature at this altitude, which means that if I don't adjust the temperature, my candy might cook too long and come out hard.  Find out what temperature water boils at with your thermometer, and adjust accordingly.  Always use a  heavy saucepan.  While stirring, use a wet pastry brush or clean, wet dishcloth to wash down the sides of the pan to dissolve any sugar crystals.  Also when you pour the caramel mixture into the buttered glass dish, do NOT scrape the pan.  If you do scrape the pan, this could also cause the mixture to sugar. If you are making more than one batch, make sure that your pan and spoon are clean of sugar crystals. 

 

 

 

You can wrap these in waxed paper, for an old-fashioned look, but I always wrap mine in the clear cellophane wrappers.

 

 

 

Last night I had a discussion with my children how we can bring Christ more into our Christmas celebration.  They had some good ideas.  My idea is, and has been for awhile, is to make candy at Christmas for those I love.  I seldom make candy at any other time than Christmas, and I do make it with love and package it prettily. 

 

What candy are you making this Christmas?  I seldom make candy during the rest of the year, but Christmas really brings out my desire to make candy.

 

I make Grandma Utahna's English Toffee.  Sometimes I have made up to 24 batches.  It is the vintage recipe of my husband's Grandmother; she was named after her home state of Utah.  A no-thermometer recipe that is sure to please!

 

 

 

 

I also make Almond Rum Balls.  This is a much requested treat in our home; we obtained from my sister Jacqueline.

  

 

 

Sometimes I make peanut brittle.  This is a spiced up version of normal peanut brittle.  I have made this at Halloween too, thus the Halloween background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing up my mother used to make the best Black Walnut Divinity.  It also seemed like we used to make endless batches of cream cheese mints. 

 

I would love to hear what you are making.

 

 

Thanks for dropping by the Couch! 



Halloween Sucker Bucket

 

 

Zoulah is back, and you know she loves candy so she is bringing this fun bucket filled with Halloween sticky suckers.  Wouldn't you love to take this to someone

 for a "Halloween Happy?"  Wouldn't you like to receive this? 

 

So here is what you need to make these fun buckets.  Well, first of all you need a Halloween bucket.  Zoulah purchased her bucket at Home Goods, but you can also buy  smaller or larger ones wherever they are Halloweenin' it!  Zoulah thinks small buckets would be super cute.  Then you need to stuff your bucket (don't you like the sound of that?) with dry oasis.  You can find this at Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store.  Now just stuff it, and don't be shy.  If the oasis is too high or wide, just use a knife and cut it off.

 

 

Then the fun part begins when you get to shop for suckers.  Zoulah lives in a very small town and the suckers in this arrangement are just what she could find here.  Zoulah  imagines you could find more variety in larger areas.   If you do make a Sucker Bucket,  Zoulah would love to see it.  You also need something to cover up the oasis at the top of the bucket.  Zoulah just used some orange tulle Zoulah bought last year. You could also use some cute shredded decorative paper.  Zoulah  decorated the bucket with some black ding dongs,. and also poked in some Halloween straws purchased at Michael's this year.

 

 

Zoulah unwrapped all the candy, so that you could see it better, but if you are giving it for a gift, you could leave the wrapping on.  Also, if you are having a rainy fall, keep the wrappers on as the moisture from the rain tends to make the suckers sticky.  Alas, Zoulah laments that the Red Couch children are not at the pesty, she means cute, age where they would sneak out the suckers.

 

 

Zoulah wants to caution you that if you use a swamp cooler (evaporative cooler), the candy might get a bit sticky....it just depends on the candy.

 

 

 

Zoulah wants to just say a word about candy, just try to get different sizes of suckers, with different sucker lengths.  You can also vary the height of the oasis.  Zoulah anchored her arrangement with a big orange pumpkin sucker, and then tried to arrange it like a flower arrangement.

 

This arrangement is brightening up my kitchen bar right now.  It just makes Zoulah and I happy.

 

 

 

On the Homefront:  This is the cat we rescued last March that was sitting in the road.  We thought he was a she, but he is a he!  He has the sweetest disposition of any cat I have owned, but watch out, he almost took out some royal icing cookies last night that my daughter and her friend were decorating.   

 

 

Zoulah wishes to tell you that she was inspired, once again by Matthew Mead, in making these buckets.  She wishes to thank you for dropping by her "Bewitchen Kitchen" this fall.

 

 

 

Linked with the following parties:  Sumo's Sweet stuff Block Party, Link Party Palooza, Polish the Stars Halloween Party

Amazing Almond Rum Balls

 

Dear Red Couch Readers, it is that wonderful time of year, when your mind turns to dreams of making sweets for your loved ones.  You go through old magazines and recipe files, and with the advent of Pinterest, you pour over the Pinterest boards.  You think of these treats  as you lie in bed, drive in traffic, or take a shower!   Maybe this will be the year that you try making Venetian Bars or Linzer Cookies, or that smashing new fudge?

 

I have a new sweet for your to put on your list and make -- Almond Rum Balls.

 

 These rum balls are really dream-worthy.  Now these rum balls are not just your everyday kind of candy you make at Christmas.  This is the kind of candy that you bring out or give to your "bestest" loved ones and friends.  They have an amazing flavor and I love the crunch of biting into them and breaking the chocolate around the rum center.  The rum center is so addictive.

 

 

 

My favorite candy to make at Christmas is my husband's Grandma Utahna Felix's Vintage Toffee recipe.  I have made up to 24 batches at Christmas before.  You can find the recipe and directions to make this amazing toffee here, but these rum balls are a close second.

 

 

  

I am not a chocolate dipping queen like my sister Jacqueline at Purple Chocolate Home.  If you are like me, a non-chocolate dipping queen,  these are the perfect chocolates for your to make.  This is Jacqueline's recipe, and it is so good!  Thanks for this yummy recipe Jacqueline.  If you are a chocolate dipping queen like Jacqueline, you can find more precise directions for using tempered chocolate in this recipe on her blog.

 

 The recipe for the rum balls is fairly simple.

 

Almond Rum Balls Recipes

 

4 cups confectioner's sugar

1 cup softened butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14-Ounce)

1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

 

1-2 cups dipping chocolate -- I use good quality milk chocolate chips.

3-4 cups chopped and toasted almonds or pecans -- you can quickly whir them in a food processor or blender. Today I used pecans, other days I have used almonds.  I prefer the taste of pecans.  To toast, spread nuts over a jelly roll pan and bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Watch carefully, as they can burn easily.  Cool, then whirl the nuts in a blender.

 

 To make the almond-rum centers, put  the sugar, butter, sweetened condensed milk, and the extracts.in a large bowl in a mixer and mix well.  Store covered in the fridge overnight. 

 

Take the mixture you have refrigerated over night and make into small balls, less than one-inch (1/2-inch to 3/4-inch) in diameter.  Put a bit of flour on your hands to try to control the stickiness of the almond rum mixture.  Store the balls in fridge for an hour or so so that they are firm when you  are dipping them in chocolate.  You could also freeze the rum centers so they are easier to dip.

 

 

In large medium bowl, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, in 10 second increments, being very careful not to burn the chocolate.  After each 10 seconds in the microwave, be sure to stir the chocolate as the chocolate is most likely melted more than you think.  Let the chocolate cool a bit before you dip the rum centers in the chocolate.  Jacqueline says that the chocolate should be cool when you place a tad bit on your bottom lip.  Dip the rum centers, and then try to flick off , with quick switches of your wrist, as much chocolate as you can.  If the chocolate gets hard while you are dipping, just reheat it in the microwave.

 

 

 

The nuts pictured below were hand-cut.  The rum balls pictured above had nuts whirred in the blender. 

  

 

Roll the chocolate-covered rum ball in the chopped nuts.  Then store the chocolate and nut crusted rum ball in the fridge.

 

 

 

This is a picture of the rum balls made with larger nut pieces.

 

 

 

 

Store all of the rum balls in the fridge until you give them away.  You should also give instructions to the happy recipient that the rum balls should be stored in the fridge.  Pack some up in pretty tissue and give them to a loved one.  The silver jingle bells have magnets attached, and are a little "happy" I am including in my Christmas goodies this year. 

 

 

 

On a Christmas side note, we have a huge basket of Christmas books in our Red Room.  I caught my 16 year-old reading a Christmas children's book to my 12-year old today.  As soon as I grabbed my camera, they hid.  Now of course my younger daughter can read, in fact she is a great reader, but since they were little my older daughter has read to her.    Sometimes they switch off reading.  they are just like me; I love children's books. 

 

Don't you just love the Christmas season?

 

 

 

 

I hope you are having fun in all your preparations for Christmas.  Thanks for dropping by the Couch.

 

Posted with the following:

 

What's on the Menu Monday, Craft-O-Maniac Mondays, Made By You Mondays, MM

 

 

 

 

 

Candy Acorns!!

 

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes.

 

I have a little candy crafting to share with you today.  It would be perfect for the little ones to make while the turkey is cooking.  I found them to be easy to make and delicious to eat!  All you need is some Tootsie Rolls and Caramels.

 

 

 

Heat the caramels and the Tootsie Rolls, separately, in the microwave for about 10 seconds, or until the candy has softened and ready to roll into balls or be rolled out.  If the candy is not ready in 10 seconds, just add a few more seconds in the microwave.  Do this in small batches (4 or 5 caramels or 4 or 5 Tootsie Rolls)  and really be careful when heating in the microwave.  Take out of the microwave and begin rolling  the caramels, into oblongish rounds for the "nut" part of the acorns.  They don't have to be perfect -- mine weren't :).

 

 

Roll out the Tootsie Rolls into a thin round.  Then cut the Tootsie Roll round with a small cookie cutter.  If you don't have a suitable cookie cutter, then just cut out a small round of Tootsie Roll.

 

 

Score the "caps"  or capules with a knife, making cuts both horizontally and vertically.  Then make a hole in the center with a skewer or toothpick so that you can insert the stem.

 

 

Press the Tootsie Roll "cap" on the top of the caramel oblong.  If your acorn is "out of shape" at this time, just press on it gently to get it back into shape.  Then roll a small amount of Tootsie Roll into a stem.

 

 

 

Voila, you will have lots of cute acorns in just minutes!

 

 

 

This kind of candy crafting is right up my alley!  I first saw these on Pinterest; they were pinned from Linet's Cake's  Facebook page.  There wasn't a tutorial, so I decided to blog about them and provide a tutorial.  Thanks Linet; they are so charming!  They would be adorable on a cake or cupcakes!

 

I hope you make some of these.  They are so fun and easy to make, and I think the end product was charming.   Quick, I see some squirrels, or was that my 12 year-old daughter, with stuffed cheeks grabbing some to store up for the winter?

 

 

Candy or the real thing?

 

Wilkipedia Photo

 

We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Hot and Spicy Peanut Brittle and Halloween Cooking Failures and Memories

As you might imagine, Zoulah is getting very excited for the big day.  Only four more days until Halloween!  At her "Bewitchen Kitchen" she stirred up some Hot and Spicy Peanut Brittle, and she can't keep her little green hands off of it!  You are going to love this little witch for this recipe she came up with.

 

  

 

 Halloween Kitchen Memories

 It all started with Martha....yes, you know Martha, as in Stewart.  About 15 years ago during the month of October, we had just sold our home in California, and we moved in with my husband's Uncle Bill for a couple of weeks until we could find an apartment.   Bill and I used to watch the Martha Stewart Show together.  That Halloween, on one of Martha's shows, she made peanut brittle.  I went out an bought a nice Taylor thermometer so that I could use it to make peanut brittle.  With my dandy new thermometer in hand, the first batch burned.  Undaunted, I tried again, and the second batch burned.  Determined to be successful, I tried for a third time and ditched the thermometer and used the old-fashioned "water" method and I had success!!

 

 I returned the $15 thermometer never thinking it could be my error!  Since then I have learned that you have to calibrate your thermometer.

 

 

So Zoulah and I decided to make some peanut brittle for my husband.  Zoulah, the spicy witch that she is decided to change it up a bit with some Hot and Spicy peanuts, crunchy coated, that she found at Wal-Mart!

 

Recipe for Hot and Spicy Peanut Brittle

 

 

1 cup water

1 cup light corn syrup

2 cups granulated sugar

1 (10.5 ounce) jar of Hot and Spicy Peanuts

Pinch of Salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Lightly spread butter on large baking pan and set aside.  Place sugar, light corn syrup, and water in a medium sized, heavy, saucepan.  Cook over medium heat to the soft ball stage (around 234 to 240 degrees).  Add peanuts and salt.  Then cook to hard-crack stage (around 300 to 310 degrees).  Stir in butter, baking soda, and vanilla.  Quickly pour onto buttered baking pan.  Spread out a little bit.  When cool and hard, break into pieces.

 

 

Peanut brittle ready to mail to my husband.

 

Zoulah's Notes:

 

Many peanut brittle recipes direct you to pull the edges of the peanut brittle so that you can thin it.  Zoulah likes thick peanut brittle so she skips this step.  To calibrate your thermometer, put some water in a sauce pan with your thermometer.  Bring the water to a boil.  When the water comes to a boil, note what temperature your thermometer indicates, then adjust accordingly. For example,  if water is boiling and your thermometer reads at 200, then adjust your candy cooking temperatures down 12 degrees. We live at 5700 feet above sea level, and water boils at about 200 degrees.  You generally subtract a degree for every 500 feet above sea level. 

 

 

 

 



Easter Jelly Bean Topiary

 

Hi!  Like many of you every once in awhile I just have

a wonderful, terrible urge to craft that must be satisfied.

Mainly I like to do kitchen crafts but when holidays roll around

I also like to do candy crafts.

This styrofoam ball has been loaded with candy corn at Easter

and gum drops at Christmas.  Now I have added jelly beans for Easter.

I found the pots at Wal-Mart on clearance this past November.  I painted them a wicker white and then distressed them.  I glued the jelly beans on with hot glue and then inserted a painted dowel in the styrofoam ball and into the urn (there was already foam in it).

I added a pink polka-dotted ribbon and then voila!

I am posted this with the following:

Metamorphosis Monday, Craft-O-Maniac Monday, Motivate Me Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up,

Easter and Spring Party, Polish the Stars Link Party, Take-A-Look Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Hump Day Hoorah, Tickled Pink

Valentine Candy Skewer Bouquet

I love candy.  I love it soooo much that I wish I would have won the Golden Ticket to visit Mr. Wonka's factory.  I love to decorate with it more than I like to eat it.  I especially like decorating with it for holidays.  My family just doesn't get it that candy is for decorationg not eating!  Candy is bright and fresh and FUN!

This is a view from the top.  The bouquet is part of a centerpiece on my dining room table.  I wonder how long it will last?

I shopped for candy at the Dollar Store and and at another grocery store for some fun Valentine Candy.  Note:  There are very few tricks to making candy skewers.  Just make sure you use the thinnest skewers possible and add the candy with the pointy end.  Most foil wrapped chocolates are too hard to use.  Gummy and jell- type candies and marshmallows don't mix.  Once you have put on a gumdrop, the marshmallows won't slide down. 

Have some fun with those you love making some Valentine Candy Skewers!

Posted with the following:

Take-A-Look Tuesday, Mostly Made By You, I'm Lov'n It, Feature Yourself Friday, Made by You Monday, Show and Tell, Valentine Party, Weekend Wrapup