Screening: Tangled

finished old fashioned mints

Supplies:
cutting board
3qt saucepan
measuring cups/spoons
serrated knife
Ingredients:1/4 c butter
3 and 3/4 c powdered sugar, divided
1/3 c light corn syrup
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
red food coloring

ingredients

cooking

melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. add 2 cups powdered sugar and corn syrup, stir to combine and bring to boil – about 4 min.

cooling

remove from heat and stir in 1 and 3/4 cup powdered sugar and flavoring extracts. pour mixture onto damp cutting board.

cooling

knead mixture until smooth and cooled with heat proof spatula – it is a tad too hot to do this step with just your hands so the spatula helps. divide in half and saran wrap one half (…grr…still need to buy clear plastic wrap).

coloring

tint one half with red coloring, knead until incorporated – you can use your hands now as it should be sufficiently cooled.

rolling

roll out into flat rectangle(ish) shape. next, roll out white half of mixture and place on top of red and cover with saran wrap. use rolling pin (or similar shape implement…) and flatten into combined sheet.

rolling

tightly roll up layers, squeezing as you go so that it all stays together.

cutting

using serrated knife, cut into slices, again squeezing and shaping to retain disk appearance as much as possible.

noms

Lessons Learned:

• make sure that you constantly squeeze the roll of candy as you roll it so that it stays tight and together.
• along the same lines rotate the roll as you are cutting it so that one side doesn’t flatten out too much.
• when you are using the spatula to smooth out the mixture right after it is off the heat try to mash out any lumps of powdered sugar – also maybe sift powdered sugar before starting recipe.

Review: texture is less like a hard candy mint and more like a soft candy corn consistency. the mint flavor isn’t too pronounced, which i actually prefer. i like the thin layers of color and think that they look really cute, aside from being a bit crumbly when observed under close inspection. i have a feeling that sifting the powdered sugar would have helped with this. the color looks a bit orange in some of the pictures but in real life it’s actually a pretty reddish-pink color.

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.