Category Archives: dessert

Peppermint Bark

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Screening: Elf

finished peppermint bark

 
Supplies:
aluminum foil lined cookie sheet
hand blender/mini food processor
heatproof bowl
3qt saucepan
measuring cups/spoons

Ingredients:
5 whole candy canes
12oz dark chocolate chips
3/4Tbs flaked sea salt (i used Maldon)
12oz white chocolate chips

ingredients

line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. grind up candy canes.

ingredients

simmer water in pot. place glass bowl on top of saucepan, just above simmering water but not touching. slowly melt chocolate chips, stirring constantly just until chips are almost entirely melted. remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth.

cooling

pour onto aluminum foil lined cookie sheet. spread out chocolate into a thin layer with offset spatula.

toppings

sprinkle with sea salt and place tray in fridge to cool for at least 20min.

toppings

melt white chocolate chips in same way as dark chocolate chips. spread on chilled dark chocolate/sea salt. sprinkle with crushed peppermint. chill and break into pieces.

noms

Lessons Learned:

  • definitely use metal offset spatula. it made the process of creating an even, thin layer of chocolate way easier than trying to use silicone spatula.

Review: very, very easy to make. i prefer thin bark but it would have been just as easy to make a thicker bark just by altering how chocolate was spread out. i love the layer of salt on top of the dark chocolate, but that’s my flavor preference.

experimenting with different toppings (crushed pretzels, nuts, mini marshmallows??) would be totally do’able. also would be a quick way to make this candy appropriate for whatever the occasion – st. patricks day: crushed thin mint cookies?, valentines day: crushed red hots? hmmm….

Dark Chocolate Ganache

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Soundtrack: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, pandora station

finished ganache

 
Supplies:
heatproof bowl
3qt saucepan
measuring cups/spoons
whisk

Ingredients:
6oz heavy cream
8oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (i used chips)
1oz (2 Tbs) unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbs cognac or brandy

ingredients

slowly heat cream in saucepan until simmering. pour cream over (heat proof safe) bowl of chocolate chips and let stand 1 min.

mixing

slowly stir chocolate mixture with spatula to combine.

mixing

add butter and whisk mixture until smooth. add in cognac or brandy. let cool stirring every 10min.

since i had such a large macaron order to fill i multiplied this recipe times 8 – but broke it down into 2 batches (multiples of 4). i made the ganache the night before and after cooling it down placed it in the fridge over night. then i woke up to this:

bloomed ganache

so this is what happens when chocolate ‘blooms’ – which i was told was due to my letting the cream heat up too quickly before i poured it over the chocolate. also, because i multiplied the recipe quantities i should have added small amounts of the cream at a time to heat in the pot – as in: heat 6 oz slowly, once it comes to a simmer add in the next 6oz to existing heated up cream and so on…

luckily i was able to soften and smooth out the cold ganache over a double boiler and it pipped perfectly in between two macarons. it was not as shiny as it should have been had i made it under ideal circumstances, but for my purposes it was delicious and effective.

Lessons Learned:

  • heat cream slowly
  • heat cream in increments if making a large batch

Review: good tasting, not so great looking ganache. i used cognac but the flavor wasn’t very pronounced, in the good kind of way – very subtle and yummy. finding the right consistency to pipe was a bit of trial and error but i is a delicious flavor combination with the mint macaron cookies.

Eggnog Fudge

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Soundtrack: The Faint

finished eggnog fudge

 
Supplies:
8in sq baking pan covered in parchment paper
candy thermometer
pastry brush with water
measuring cups/spoons
3qt saucepan
heatproof silicone spatula
standing mixer
Ingredients:
3 c sugar
1 and 1/2 c whipping cream
1/4 c light corn syrup
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbs butter 
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp brandy extract
3/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

ingredients

line square pan with parchment paper. measure out sugar and salt, corn syrup, cream (2 pink cups), vanilla and brandy extract, butter, and nutmeg.

cooking

combine sugar/salt, whipping cream, and corn syrup in saucepan – stir constantly over medium heat until sugar dissolves. move water soaked brush just above where mixture is coming to a boil to wash down sugar crystals.

bring to a boil. cook without stirring until mixture reaches 234 – 240degrees. about 10min

cooling

place pan in sink filled with 2in cold water. add in butter, vanilla/brandy, and cinnamon. do not stir. as you can see i stirred when i initially added the ingredients because it seemed natural to do so, luckily i caught myself and stopped. let temperature come down to 110degrees. about 10min

mixing

pour into standing mixer and beat for about 6min until fudge thickens

finishing

pour into parchment paper covered baking pan. cover and chill for around 2-3hours.

cut

cut into pieces – i got about 36 largeish pieces

noms

i also wanted to show off my pretty new christmas tree. my first ever since i’ll actually be in town over the holidays.

Lessons Learned:

  • prep everything before you get started. i usually do this, but with this recipe it seemed to really help make this an easy process despite the additional sink bath cooling/mixing steps.
  • when the mixture was boiling on the stove it actually boiled over a little – i just turned down the heat and let it calm down before increasing the heat again. additional bummer cleanup, maybe i need to buy a bigger saucepan.

Review: cooking this really made my house smell like eggnog. again, like fudge and white chocolate, eggnog isn’t something i enjoy but feel like it is a festive flavor for the holidays. and honestly, making candy every now and then that i don’t want to eat all day long is just smart planning if i want to keep fitting into my pants. this recipe wasn’t as easy as microwave fudge but it actually worked. thank god. the fudge holds it’s shape after it’s been cut and really really tastes like eggnog which is crazy. for some reason in my head i’d thought i would have to add in eggnog extract (which i did not buy despite the fear that i may need a back up plan) to produce such a close replica but the brandy and nutmeg seemed to do the trick.

**consensus is that these need some sort of texture aside from the smooth melty fudge – recommending walnuts since that seems to be the go to in all the fudge recipes i stumble upon.

Chocolate Rum Walnut ‘Fudge’

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Screening: The Addams Family, 1991

finished 'fudge'

Supplies:
microwave
microwave safe bowl
8in square pan buttered or lined w/parchment paper
measuring cups/spoons
Ingredients:
butter for pan if buttering
1 (12oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/8 c rum (or amaretto, coffee liqueur)
3/4 c walnuts (halves and pieces)

ingredients

line square pan with parchment paper. pour chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in microwave safe bowl. measure out rum and walnuts.

microwave chips and milk on high for 1 min 30 sec, remove and stir. put back in and microwave for 1 min 30 sec more. even though for me the chips and milk combined and mixed into a smooth consistency i put it back in for a second heating hoping that would help the fudge firm up. mix in the rum until combined. mix in nuts.

cooling

pour mixture into buttered or parchment lined pan, again make sure when you are pouring that the mixture doesn’t flow over the parchment lining, easy to prevent so long as you are monitoring. let cool – at room temp! – for at least an hour. apparently putting fudge to cool in the fridge produces a grainy consistency so plan accordingly if you are making the fudge last minute for an event/gift.

noms

(attempt to) cut into squares. serve with white chocolate fudge failure #1 topping.

Lessons Learned:

  • the fudge STILL takes longer to harden and is softer than i had anticipated. honestly it doesn’t hold up well enough to cut and serve in a social setting because the heat from your hands warms up the chocolate and it starts to melt over everything.
  • i haven’t given up on fudge yet, i will master this beast.

Review: people seem to love fudge and this is a really sweet boozy nutty version which i think will be an appreciative addition to an office party setting – IF it actually held up. because it really still seems too soft for me to even feel right about touting it as fudge, i have a feeling i will be putting this batch into a jar and calling ‘topping’ as i did with the white chocolate attempt.

White Chocolate Rum Walnut Topping

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Screening: Twilight Zone, black and white episodes

white chocolate rum walnut topping

Supplies:
microwave
microwave safe bowl
8in square pan buttered or lined w/parchment paper
measuring cups/spoons
Ingredients:
butter for pan if buttering
1 (12oz) package white chocolate chips
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c rum (or amaretto, coffee liqueur)
3/4 c walnuts (halves and pieces)

ingredients

line square pan with parchment paper. pour chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in microwave safe bowl. measure out rum and walnuts.

microwave chips and milk on high for 1 min 30 sec, remove and stir. for me the chips and milk combined and mixed into a smooth consistency so i did not have to return it to the microwave to heat it up any more. mix in the rum until combined. mix in nuts.

cooling

i poured my mixture into a parchment lined pan (my friend still has my proper pan following the divinity disaster so i’ve been relying on disposable ones…) because i was still under the assumption that it would harden up into fudge – NOT TRUE. make sure when you are pouring that the mixture doesn’t flow over the parchment lining, easy to prevent so long as you are monitoring. let cool.

this is the point at which i discovered my fudge was still super runny and plan b, c, or d’s would need to be employed. i put the ‘fudge’ into the freezer for a while and still no luck.

noms

since i have made hot fudge topping in the past with great success, i figured that this kind of had the same look and feel and would make a good stand in. i/gift recipients could then come up with ideas of ways to use the (still delicious) confection as a topping to all sorts of treats. that decided, i spooned the final product into a jar, slapped a label on it and called it a day.

Lessons Learned:

  • the fudge takes longer to harden and is softer than i had anticipated. it is possible that i added too much rum (shocking assumption i know) but truth be told i stuck to the 1/4 c measurement so maybe the recipe was at fault with this one. were i to make this again i would definitely use less.
  • this recipe does not for a fudge make. period. end of story.

Review: confession - i actually dislike fudge, and dislike white chocolate even more. i decided to make this confection though because it is one of the easiest recipes that i have come across in my scouring of things to make, and it avoids having to mess with boiling sugar or a candy thermometer. it is super quick to throw together and does not require vigilant attention to detail.

all this said, however, it did not deliver on the promised fudge final product. i substituted white chocolate chips for semi-sweet so i also thought that might have been my error, but as my next attempt proves this has nothing to do with the failure. i would have rather attempted a more involved recipe were it to guarantee that i’d wind up with actual fudge.

Dot Candy

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Soundtrack: San Diego Super Chargers song. kidding. but the colors are unintentionally those of my hometown football team. 

finished 'dots'

Supplies:
parchment paper or silicone mat
candy thermometer
pastry brush with water
measuring cups/spoons
1qt saucepan
stainless steel spoon
Ingredients:
1 c sugar
3 Tbs cream
2 Tbs water
1 tsp butter
5 drops flavoring extract (less if dividing syrup)
3 drops food coloring (less if dividing syrup)

ingredients

measure out sugar, cream, and water. combine in saucepan and stir – washing down sugar crystals that form

cooking

cook without stirring until mixture reaches 240degrees

ingredients

remove from heat and stir in butter – continue stirring for about a minute while mixture thickens. i just cut off small pieces of butter and smooshed them into a teaspoon to get the correct amount, since there is no teaspoon measure on a stick of butter package (unlike tablespoon markers). if you are only doing one flavor batch this is when you would stir in extracts and food coloring.

flavors

i decided to make 2 different flavors – vanilla and peppermint.

making 'dots'

alright. this looks horrible but honestly it’s what happened when i tried to artfully spoon the syrup onto the silpat like the recipe suggested. the syrup cooled really fast and i ended up using two spoons to try and drop it on the mat like you would do with cookie dough. the top few ‘dots’ in the middle row of vanilla were the only ones that looked anything like the traditional strips of candy dots that you think of. these were the first few i was able to get out of the bowl and only the mat while the syrup was still super hot and everything after that turned crumbly with a dull appearance.

mistakes

i tried to microwave and restir but was never able to get the mixture to liquify in the correct way.

mistakes

then i tried to put hardened candy back into the pan in flavor batches and this is what happened. the sugar heated up again too much and changed the color, and hardened the syrup into a hard caramel consistency. the kind that ruins teeth.

noms

(i felt pastel worked in the poor appearance candy’s favor)

Lessons Learned:

  • probably just do one flavor batch at a time, i think pouring the hot mixture into a cold bowl and adding in the food coloring and extract flavor cooled the syrup too quickly.
  • spoon syrup onto silpat quickly!! the first few i did look so far superior to the dropped balls that followed and i was never able to recreate that initial consistency.

Review: even though the final product looked so far off from what i was going for, the candy itself tastes pretty good. the small amount of butter used carries through in each individual piece and works well with vanilla and mint flavorings. initially the consistency is a bit granular but melts quickly into how (at least what i remember) candy dots taste. not something i would give as a gift unless i can master the presentation.

macaron – class

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Currently Screening: An American Werewolf in London

finished macaron

i love macarons, and have had the extreme pleasure to have enjoyed them from one of the very best candy stores in the world (Sprungli, Zurich). my favorite type, were i to chose, i think would be fleur de sel caramel. though i didn’t get to make this particular flavor combination, the cooking class taught me how to make almost perfect looking macarons with a variety of fillings. the cookies look like little vividly colored jewels and, while not candy, they were far too pretty and i enjoyed making them far too much not to post.

assemblage

Menu: Lavender Macarons with White Chocolate Ganache – Lemon Macarons with Lemon Buttercream – Coconut Macarons with Cocoa Custard – Mint Macarons with Dark Chocolate Ganache

noms

by the end of the filling process the group started experimenting with different flavor combinations (ie – we got the bags mixed up and just decided to go with whatever was handy)

the process of making the cookie is pretty involved – including multiple siftings, vitamix grindings and something called macaronnage, but i figured i would just include the general recipe because the texture and taste of these cookies is so interesting that it’s hard to tell what comprises it. macarons are made with almond flour – a lesson, unfortunately, learned by a girl in my class with a nut allergy who was forced to look on during the entire process, though she did get in some good ganache making practice.

Basic Macaron Ingredients:
7oz powdered sugar
4oz almond flour
4 large (4oz) egg whites, room temp
pinch cream of tartar
3 and 1/2oz granulated sugar

Additions: 
Lavender - dried lavender, purple food coloring
Lemon - lemon extract, yellow food coloring
Coconut - desiccated (super dried) coconut, brown food coloring
Mint - peppermint extract, green food coloring

Peppermint Divinity

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Soundtrack: Everyday is like Sunday, Morrissey

finished peppermint divinity

Supplies:
8x8 pan lined with parchment paper
candy thermometer
pastry brush with water
measuring cups/spoons
3qt saucepan
heatproof silicone spatula
handheld mixer, or ziplock bags and mashing implement
standup mixer with whisk attachment
Ingredients:
1 jar (7oz) marshmallow fluff
2 c sugar
1/2 c water
2 Tbs light corn syrup
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c finely crushed peppermint (about 6oz)

cut sheet of parchment paper big enough for 8in square pan, it will sink down to fit inside the pan once you pour in the divinity so don’t worry about getting it to fit for now

ingredients

empty out jar of marshmallow fluff into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. it is easy to get the fluff off of the spatula if you wet your fingers first and swipe it off into the bowl

ingredients

pulverize candy canes – about 40 small.

ingredients

as you are chopping up the candy canes hit bottom of container on counter every now and then to bring unchopped candy cane pieces up to the top – making it easier for mixer grind into a powder.

measure out sugar, water, corn syrup and salt into saucepan. stir constantly over medium heat until sugar dissolves – it won’t turn into a clear fluid but it will liquify a bit

(awkwardly) move water soaked brush just above where mixture is coming to a boil to wash down sugar crystals – just until sugar is dissolved.

bring water, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil. cook without stirring until candy thermometer reads 250degrees about 20-25min

mixing

slowly pour hot syrup mixture over marshmallow fluff with the whisk running on slow. add in vanilla. once incorporated increase speed to high and mix until divinity begins to hold it’s shape 2.5 to 3 minutes

mixture

stir in pulverized candy canes – i didn’t use it all, maybe only mixed in a scant half cup

consistency

the still warm divinity is not sticky like marshmallow, it has more of a crumbly dense consistency

finishing

pour on to parchment paper lined square pan – pressing down with folded over parchment paper to create a level sheet. let cool then cut into pieces

noms

Lessons Learned: (i’m going to do this part with photos from the first batch i messed up so badly…)

mistakes

  • watch the temperature of the syrup!! i let this get too hot and it turned into a dark caramel which not only affected the color but also made for rock hard final product. seriously a knife couldn’t even score the block of candy let alone cut a piece off.

mistakes

  • make sure whisk is in the correct position to mix before switching machine on, lest you fling hot sugar silly string all about your kitchen and person.

mistakes

  • i tried to mash up the candy canes by putting them in a ziplock and smashing with a spice bottle. the bag was quickly riddled with holes and got peppermint dust everywhere, which i can assure you will wind up (painfully) in your eyes. this still kind of happens if you mash them with a handheld in an open container but this round i wore glasses.
  • line baking dish with parchment paper rather than trying to butter it, getting the divinity (or any candy that gets poured into a baking dish) is so so so much easier

Review: very sweet, almost confectioner sugar tasting. much prefer marshmallows to divinity but it’s a beautiful candy that some people have a huge fondness for. i’d like to try it with a recipe that doesn’t start off with using marshmallow fluff because it seems a little weird to me, but i’m assuming greatly cuts down on the time it takes to make this candy. sort of crumbly end product that doesn’t cut easily into uniform pieces but that never really bothers me.

thanksgiving

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Screening: It May Look Like a Walnut (Planet Twilo), The Dick Van Dyke Show 

had a lovely thanksgiving with the family – didn’t have time to whip up some confectionary delights as my time was allocated to the traditional holiday turkey and (awesomely excessive numbers of) side dishes.

did, however, make Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Frosting – a Barefoot Contessa recipe. her dishes never fail as crowd pleasers and this one was no different. the cupcakes had more of a molasses flavor than gingerbread but this worked really well with the dense moist cake. the frosting wasn’t too sweet, but for someone who admittedly isn’t a buttercream fan (if anything i prefer marshmallow frosting) i found myself trying to think of other things i could put it on top of – pancakes? cinnamon sugar pita chips? a spoon…?

as i’m trying to keep this a candy only focused blog i’m only posting a link to the recipe rather than a step-by-step, but i for sure will be attempting candied fruit (inspired by the candied ginger topping) in the future.

noms

 

 

Chocolate Rum Balls

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Soundtrack: chatting with a friend

finished chocolate rum balls

Supplies:
8 in square pan
measuring cups/spoons
small saucepan
heatproof silicone spatula
blender/food processor/handheld blender (i used a handheld)
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups semisweet choc chips - divided
1/4 c sour cream
1 Tbs honey
1/4 tsp salt
scant 1 c ground graham crackers
1/2 c confectioners sugar
scant 1/2 c ground nuts (i used peanut/almond mix just cause)
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c rum

measure out honey, sour cream, salt (i combined the salt in with the sour cream), and 1 cup chocolate chips

somehow i forgot to take a pic of this next step!! i’m blaming good conversation with an even better friend

combine ingredients in small pan and melt over low heat. pour into 8 inch pan (honestly this could have just been poured into a freezer safe bowl). let freeze for 30 min.

rolling

roll chilled chocolate mixture into balls – return to freezer when the chocolate starts to cool and get melty until it hardens up again otherwise it will be too soft to roll into balls. i used food safe rubber gloves since this is a pretty messy step. also – i stopped using the teaspoon after the first couple because i found it easier just to pinch off a general idea of how big i wanted the chocolate balls to be. the chocolate kept getting stuck in the teaspoon so it was only useful to use once to get a general idea of the sizing.

chocolate balls

finished chilled chocolate balls

ingredients

grind up graham crackers, nuts and chocolate chips (if you haven’t yet). the hand held mixer worked, but make sure to use your hand to cover the blending container because the ingredients have a tendency to fly out and everywhere

ingredients

ground up toppings – graham crackers, almond/peanut mix, powdered sugar, chocolate chips

toppings

combine cracker crumbs, sugar, nuts, butter and rum. place ground up chocolate chips in a big enough container that you can drop the coated balls in and cover in chocolate chips. the graham/rum coating is pretty wet and sticky so make sure you have enough ground up chocolate chips. this may mean curbing snacking on chips prior to grinding process…

finished chocolate rum balls

dip (frozen-ish) ball in graham/rum mix – trying to get on as much coating as possible. immediately drop in and roll in ground chocolate chips. put in fridge until ready to eat.

noms

Lessons Learned:

  • using a hand held to grind the chocolate chips was challenging – they do not grind easily and kept flying out of the container. also it took a lot of shaking and re-grinding to get a good consistency
  • rolling the chocolate is way easier the colder the chocolate mixture is – keep it in the freezer for as long as possible before rolling and keep returning to freezer to re harden as you are rolling if it starts to get soft
  • i went heavy on the rum and lighter on the butter for the topping mixture, playing to my audience – however this did effect the coating consistency
  • the graham/rum coating was pretty wet, it is easier to coat the chocolate balls in it and then immediately drop in ground chocolate chips and roll around to make sure as much graham/rum coating sticks as possible

Review: strong rum taste which was what i was going for, i’ve been partial to rum as the weather has cooled off lately. the candy making process took a long time overall because of the re-freezing process during the initial candy rolling step, but not a hard recipe to master. the chocolate balls need to stay cool because they seem to melt and don’t hold their shape, which would make it difficult to package as a gift in any other way than an even layer – and even then the bottom part of the ball seems to level off a little bit. still pretty fancy looking though.