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While the snow flew
Our storm really hasn't amounted to as much as they said it would, as is usualy the way. It has been snowing, mind you, but there's only a few inches down coating everything.
I spent a few hours this afternoon making my version of the caramel pecan candy, Turtles. I don't make them look like the store bought ones, as that involves fiddling around with molds and they're fiddly enough as it is. And in keeping with some LJ people's tradition, a pictorial guide to making them. Recipe at the end.
First you buy caramels, like Kraft or similar. Unwrap them all while watching tv because it's dead boring! Put them into a bowl that has buttered sides. Trust me on this. Melted caramel is stick. Butter everything. spoons, bowls, hands and fingers.
You must then melt the caramels. I use the microwave but it's an aquired art. Short zaps of a minute or so and make sure it's not sticking or burning. If you cook them too long, when they cool they'll be too hard. The melty caramels will be soft and you can add nuts and stir it all into a great lump.
Now you take bits off the big lump and make little lumps. Size depends on you. I make them anywhere from the size that you'd get making a circle with your thumb and forefinger to about half again as big. The smaller you make them, the more they'll make but the more you'll have to mess around dipping in chocolate too. Put them on a greased cookie sheet or, like i do, a sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for about an hour.
When they're good and cold, get your chocolate and melt it in a double boiler. I wouldn't microwave it as it can burn very easily. If you're good at that sort of thing, then fine but i think it's better over the hot water as the chocolate stays melted while you work.
Another fiddly bit, you have to dip each of the lumps into chocolate. I use a fondue fork to spike them and dip them and tap the fork on either the side of the pot or against a spoon just to knock off some of the excess chocolate. You may have to fish them out of the chocolate in the pot because sometimes taping the fork makes them fall off. Go figure.
Once they're all dipped, chill them again to set the chocolate. You can then store them in a zip lock bag in the freezer if you want. You can eat them frozen but mind your teeth. You don't want to be singing "All i want for Christmas is my two front teeth"
And Voila, you have chocolates to give to people. They are chewy but not too sticky.
Recipe for Turtles:
About a pound or so of wrapped vanilla caramels. (unwrap them, obviously)
about a cup and a half of pecan pieces
about a cup of slivered almonds
1 Tablespoon butter
Chocolate for dipping, at least 2 cups of chocolate chips, maybe another cup full. Have the extra in case you need it.
Melt the caramels with the butter, either in the microwave or in a pan over a double boiler. Be really careful if microwaving. You want them soft and melty but not liquid and watch them, they burn easily. I use a heavy pyrex mixing bowl and zap them about 90 seconds at a time, usually don't need to do it more than twice.
Remove from heat and use a buttered wooden spoon to soften and mix them with the nuts. IT's a bit sticky and stiff and sometimes i use my hands to mix it but the caramel is hot so again, be careful.
Take lumps of the mixture onto a buttered spoon and roll them into a sort of flattish shape and put them on greased or parchment covered cookie sheets. Depending on how small or large you make them, you can probably get 6 to 7 dozen out of a pound and a bit of caramel and nut mixture. Chill the candy.
Later, melt chocolate over a double boiler. You can use semi sweet or milk chocolate, whatever you prefer or a mixture of both. Use decent choc, though. This year i used a bag of Chipits chocolate chips. The cheap chocolate from the bulk bins isn't going to be as nice. Use something sharp to spike them with and dip in the chocolate, coating it all and tap on the pot to shake off the excess. The cold candy may fall off the spike at first. By the time you get to the end of the sheet, they'll be a little softer and stay on the spike better but if they're too soft, they'll melt again with the hot choc. That's why it's better to start with them cold.
Chill the coated candy so it sets. Store in an airtight container. They'll keep in the freezer a few weeks.
I spent a few hours this afternoon making my version of the caramel pecan candy, Turtles. I don't make them look like the store bought ones, as that involves fiddling around with molds and they're fiddly enough as it is. And in keeping with some LJ people's tradition, a pictorial guide to making them. Recipe at the end.
First you buy caramels, like Kraft or similar. Unwrap them all while watching tv because it's dead boring! Put them into a bowl that has buttered sides. Trust me on this. Melted caramel is stick. Butter everything. spoons, bowls, hands and fingers.
You must then melt the caramels. I use the microwave but it's an aquired art. Short zaps of a minute or so and make sure it's not sticking or burning. If you cook them too long, when they cool they'll be too hard. The melty caramels will be soft and you can add nuts and stir it all into a great lump.
Now you take bits off the big lump and make little lumps. Size depends on you. I make them anywhere from the size that you'd get making a circle with your thumb and forefinger to about half again as big. The smaller you make them, the more they'll make but the more you'll have to mess around dipping in chocolate too. Put them on a greased cookie sheet or, like i do, a sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for about an hour.
When they're good and cold, get your chocolate and melt it in a double boiler. I wouldn't microwave it as it can burn very easily. If you're good at that sort of thing, then fine but i think it's better over the hot water as the chocolate stays melted while you work.
Another fiddly bit, you have to dip each of the lumps into chocolate. I use a fondue fork to spike them and dip them and tap the fork on either the side of the pot or against a spoon just to knock off some of the excess chocolate. You may have to fish them out of the chocolate in the pot because sometimes taping the fork makes them fall off. Go figure.
Once they're all dipped, chill them again to set the chocolate. You can then store them in a zip lock bag in the freezer if you want. You can eat them frozen but mind your teeth. You don't want to be singing "All i want for Christmas is my two front teeth"
And Voila, you have chocolates to give to people. They are chewy but not too sticky.
Recipe for Turtles:
About a pound or so of wrapped vanilla caramels. (unwrap them, obviously)
about a cup and a half of pecan pieces
about a cup of slivered almonds
1 Tablespoon butter
Chocolate for dipping, at least 2 cups of chocolate chips, maybe another cup full. Have the extra in case you need it.
Melt the caramels with the butter, either in the microwave or in a pan over a double boiler. Be really careful if microwaving. You want them soft and melty but not liquid and watch them, they burn easily. I use a heavy pyrex mixing bowl and zap them about 90 seconds at a time, usually don't need to do it more than twice.
Remove from heat and use a buttered wooden spoon to soften and mix them with the nuts. IT's a bit sticky and stiff and sometimes i use my hands to mix it but the caramel is hot so again, be careful.
Take lumps of the mixture onto a buttered spoon and roll them into a sort of flattish shape and put them on greased or parchment covered cookie sheets. Depending on how small or large you make them, you can probably get 6 to 7 dozen out of a pound and a bit of caramel and nut mixture. Chill the candy.
Later, melt chocolate over a double boiler. You can use semi sweet or milk chocolate, whatever you prefer or a mixture of both. Use decent choc, though. This year i used a bag of Chipits chocolate chips. The cheap chocolate from the bulk bins isn't going to be as nice. Use something sharp to spike them with and dip in the chocolate, coating it all and tap on the pot to shake off the excess. The cold candy may fall off the spike at first. By the time you get to the end of the sheet, they'll be a little softer and stay on the spike better but if they're too soft, they'll melt again with the hot choc. That's why it's better to start with them cold.
Chill the coated candy so it sets. Store in an airtight container. They'll keep in the freezer a few weeks.