Gumdrop Fudge

I attended a class last week that featured recipes for Christmas gifts that are simple and delicious. This recipe really fits the bill. It is simple enough to have kids make it, and it tastes great!

Gumdrop Fudge

1 1/2 cups chopped gumdrops

1 1/2 lbs white chocolate candy coating

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

Grease an 8 or 9" square pan with butter and set aside.

Using kitchen shears, chop gumdrops into small pieces. I like to use the shears and cut each one into quarters. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, combine candy coating, condensed milk, and salt. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until candy coating has melted and mixture is smooth. Do not turn up the heat--it burns easily!

Stir vanilla into fudge. Add gumdrops gradually while stirring to ensure that they don't end up in one big clump.

Pour fudge into prepared buttered pan. Let stand at room temperature until firm, about three hours.

Easy Soft Mints

If you are one of those people who think that everything mint tastes like toothpaste, then this isn't the one for you. For everyone else, here is an extremely easy soft mint recipe.

Soft Mints

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

2 lbs powdered sugar

3/4 tsp Creme de Menthe Oil

2 drops green food coloring

Beat cream cheese and butter until well-creamed, about two minutes. Slowly add powdered sugar and stir until well-incorporated and smooth. Add flavoring and coloring. Stir until color is even.

Put mixture into the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Once chilled, roll into small balls. (Optional) Toss in additional powdered sugar. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Makes about 50 small balls.

Rosewater Marshmallows

Homemade marshmallows are infinitely better than the store-bought variety. They are fun to make and fairly easy too. This is my favorite marshmallow recipe. Instructions are included for vanilla marshmallows as well.

Rosewater Marshmallows

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp rosewater

Food coloring (if desired)

4 envelopes Knox gelatin

3 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

Powdered sugar

A stand mixer is absolutely required for this recipe! Combine 3/4 cup warm water, vanilla, rosewater, and food coloring in bowl of stand mixer. Sprinkle gelatin over the top and let stand while you work on the rest of the recipe.

In a medium saucepan, combine remaining 3/4 cup water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook without stirring until it reaches the soft ball stage (see here for directions).

With mixer on at full speed, slowly pour in the sugar syrup. Be careful to avoid splattering! Continue mixing at full speed for 10-15 minutes or until mixture is fluffy and stiff.

While the marshmallows are mixing, line a 9x13 pan with foil. Lightly spray foil with oil. Get out a sheet of waxed paper about the size of the pan. Put approximately two cups of powdered sugar into a large ziploc bag.

Pour the marshmallows into the 9x13 pan. Gently shake the pan until the mixture settles.

Let sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours.

Sprinkle top with powdered sugar. Remove foil with marshmallows from pan and turn onto waxed paper. Sprinkle the bottom (now top) with powdered sugar.

Lightly grease a pizza cutter or knife. Cut marshmallows into squares and drop them into the bag of powdered sugar. Shake to coat. It works best to do five or six marshmallows at a time. Otherwise they start sticking to each other.

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 50 large marshmallows.

For vanilla marshmallows, omit rosewater and increase vanilla extract to 2 tsp.

Vanilla Taffy

This delicious taffy will give your arms a workout, so it basically negates the calories. Right? Pulling taffy is a good project to get the whole family involved in. I love the milky white color and hint of vanilla, but feel free to color it and add a different flavoring. Glycerine can be found at most craft stores by cake supplies.

Vanilla Taffy

2 cups sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 1/2 cups water

2 tsp glycerine

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp butter + extra

1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, glycerine, and salt in a sturdy saucepan.

Cook, stirring occassionally, until mixture reaches the hard ball stage. For directions on how to tell how "hard" the candy is--click here.

Remove pot from stove and allow to cool undisturbed for 2 minutes.

Add butter and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Pour candy onto a well-buttered pastry board or cookie sheet and allow to cool just until you can handle it.

Wash and dry your hands.

Rub butter all over your hands. Don't forget to get inbetween your fingers.

Pull the taffy into long ropes and fold it back onto itself repeatedly. Continue pulling until the taffy becomes both opaque and matte. If it is still shiny then you aren't done. Work quickly because the taffy becomes more firm as it cools.

Pull taffy into long ropes. Cut into pieces and wrap with wax paper or plastic.

Cake BonBons

Not quite a cupcake and not quite candy--these cake bonbons are a fun alternative to typical birthday cake. Feel free to use any combination of cake and frosting flavors. My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Cake BonBons

1 prepared 9x13 cake
12 oz frosting
20 oz bark coating or candy melts

Once the cake has completely cooled, use your hands to crumble it into a very large mixing bowl. If you want the final result to be prettier, skim off the brown from the top and sides of the cake before crumbling it.

Stir in enough frosting to make the cake crumbs stick to each other and be able to hold a shape--but not so much that they are gooey and overly sticky. I've found that about 3/4 of a 12 oz tub of frosting does the job well. You can adjust it based on what type of cake you use.

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form the cake mixture into balls. You can choose whatever size you want. Those pictured above were about 1.5" in diameter.

Put the cake balls into the freezer for 10 minutes. This will help them stick together better when you are dipping them.

Melt the candy melts (available at craft stores) according to package directions.

Pour the melted candy into a deep bowl. It needs to be deep enough to cover the entire cake ball.

Take the cake balls out of the freezer. Gently roll them with your hands to get rid of loose crumbs. Using two spoons, dunk each ball into the melted candy. Cover the entire ball in one continuous motion. Place back onto the wax paper to dry.

If desired, you can decorate with another color of melted candy melts.

Macadamia Honey Bars

Although these bar cookies are a bit bland in the appearance department, they have a nice honey flavor that complements the macadamia nuts very well. If I make them again I think I will double the crust so it is thicker. My rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Macadamia Honey Bars

1 1/3 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar, divided

1 cup butter, divided

1 egg

6 oz macadamia nuts

1/4 cup honey

2/3 cup heavy cream

Combine flour, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Cut 1/2 cup butter into mixture until crumbly.

Beat the egg in a small bowl and then add to mixture. Continue cutting the mixture until well-combined.

Grease a 9x13 pan. Press dough evenly into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until very lightly browned.

Chop macadamia nuts into small pieces but don't pulverize them. Spread them in a single layer on a pan and bake for 6 minutes.

Place remaining 1/2 cup butter into a medium saucepan on medium heat. Once butter has melted, add 3/4 cup sugar, honey, and cream.

Stir occasionally until mixture reaches the medium-ball stage (240 degrees). I prefer not to use a candy thermometer. Keep a bowl of cold water near the stove and occasionally drop a small spoonful of the topping into the water. Use your fingers to squish the topping and see how hard it is. When it is done, you should be able to form a ball that can be squished but isn't overly soft.

Stir macadamia nuts into topping and pour over crust.

Bake at 350 for an additional 5 minutes.

Allow to cool at room temperature for 2 hours.