Food gifts

Chocolate Mint Marshmallows

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There is something truly special about real, fresh, homemade marshmallows in your hot chocolate.  Or hot cocoa.  Did you know there is a difference beyond personal word choice?  Me neither!  But these marshmallows really do melt differently than the store bought kind.  And the best part is, they’re not impossible to make at home!

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I’ve only made marshmallows once before, and I didn’t remember them being too terribly difficult, just time consuming.  Not a lot of active time, but a good 6-18 hours of wait time between putting the marshmallow goo in the pan and then cutting and enjoying them.  This time around was no different.  These are really not difficult to make in your own kitchen.  The only special equipment you need is a candy thermometer.

It’s kind of fun (especially if you’re a food nerd likes me who still finds beating egg whites to stiff peaks amazing) to watch such simple ingredients go from nothing impressive to a fluffy, sticky mound of marshmallow in just a few minutes.  And again, marshmallows aren’t difficult at all to make!  But you do need to plan ahead.  And you do need a candy thermometer.  You will be sad and lost without your candy thermometer!

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I found this tutorial from The Kitchn to be extremely helpful in making marshmallows and used their recipe as my base.  I’ve seen yummy variations including pretty pink peppermint marshmallows, toasted coconut marshmallows and even salted caramel marshmallows.  All of which I thought about making.  But I decided to try something a little different.  My undying love of York peppermint patties led me to make these.  They’re delicious on their own, but something really wonderful happens when the peppermint patties start to melt into your hot chocolate.  It’s heavenly.

One of the little bits of advice I’d give is to be patient in waiting for the sugar syrup to get to temperature.  It heats quickly to 200°F, but took a while to get to 250°F.  Keep a close eye on it after it gets to 230 or so, because it seemed to speed up then.  Also remember, no stirring.  It all comes out fine in the end.  Resist the urge.

These are another great gift idea for Christmas!  Wrap up a few in a glassine or poly bag and pair with some fancy hot chocolate mix and a cute mug.  Done.

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Chocolate Mint Marshmallows

Marshmallow recipe from The Kitchn

Ingredients

  • 1 batch marshmallow base (ingredients and recipe below)
  • 1 bag mini York peppermint patties (about 27) unwrapped and roughly chopped

Marshmallow Base

For the gelatin bloom:

  • 3 tablespoons (typically 3 packets) unflavored gelatin powder (See Recipe Notes)
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

For the marshmallows:

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar cane syrup or corn syrup
  • Pinch kosher salt

For the marshmallow coating:

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch

Directions

  1. Grease a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray or shortening, making sure to cover every nook and cranny.
  2. Spread/sprinkle/place the peppermint patty pieces onto the bottom of the pan, covering as evenly as possible.  This will be hard since the candy will want to stick to everything but the pan.

For the Marshmallows

  1. Put the gelatin into the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add 1/2 cup cold water and the vanilla to the gelatin and whisk with a fork. Continue stirring until the gelatin reaches the consistency of apple sauce and there are no lumps.
  2. Pour 3/4 cup water into a heavy bottomed 4-quart saucepan.  Pour the sugar, corn syrup, and salt on top and leave it.  Do not stir.
  3. Clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pot and place over medium-high heat.  Bring it to a full boil.  Do not stir.  As the mixture comes to a boil, dip a pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pot to keep the sugar from crystallizing on the sides of the pot.
  4. Continue boiling until the sugar mixture reaches 247°F to 250°F, brushing down the sides of the pot occasionally. Take the pan off the heat and remove the thermometer once it reached temperature.
  5. Turn on your mixer to low speed.  Slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the gelatin, being very careful not to let the syrup spill on anyone, it is extremely hot.
  6. After all the syrup has been added, cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel (to keep you and your kitchen clean!) and increase the speed to high.  The towel can be removed once the mixture begins to thicken.
  7. Whip for about 10 minutes.  No excuses.  Set a timer and don’t turn the mixer off until the timer says so.  You will have a beautiful bowl of white fluffy goodness.
  8. Remove the whisk and scrape off as much of the marshmallow as you can.  Use a spatula to scoop the marshmallow, which will be incredibly sticky, into the 9×13 pan lined with your peppermint patties.  Try to spread it as smoothly as possible without moving the patties too much.  Spray your hands with cooking oil and flatten and smooth the top of the marshmallow as much as possible.
  9. Leave it alone now for 6-24 hours, uncovered.  Away from toddler hands.
  10. Whisk the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.
  11. Sprinkle the top of the marshmallows with some of the powdered sugar mixture. Turn the pan over onto your work surface or large cutting board.  This may require some coaxing from an offset spatula.  The patties will stick somewhat, so be careful not to lose a chunk by being too rough in removing the marshmallow block.  Once it is removed, sprinkle more powdered sugar onto the other side of the marshmallows, the peppermint patty side.
  12. Use a pizza wheel, knife or cookie cutters to cut the marshmallows.  Wet your utensil of choice between cuts to keep the marshmallow from sticking.  (If you use cookie cutters, make sure they’re large and not too intricate.  I tried a small frilly snowflake cutter with less than stellar results.  The heart cutter was easier.  Squares are easiest!
  13. After cutting, toss the marshmallows in the powdered sugar and place on a platter, cookie sheet or in the container you plan to keep them.  Repeat with the remaining marshmallows.
  14. Keep marshmallows in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

 

 

Caramel Pecan Turtles with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

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Pecan-Caramel-Turtles

There is a story behind these tasty treats.  This was my second batch.  Not because the first was so delicious that it was eaten up before I could take any photos, though.  The first batch was an “Eat at your own risk” kind of candy thanks to an overcooked caramel that could probably have taken a tooth out.  I pride myself in being pretty good in the kitchen.  I’m not afraid of recipes that require some skill because I think that I have pretty good kitchen skills.  I know fancy cooking words and know the science behind some baking do’s and don’ts.  My first time making this caramel was a humbling experience, to say the least.  And we all need those experiences from time to time to keep us from thinking that we’re real good at something.

Some things to know before making these candies.

Lesson 1: Do not overcook your caramel!  Be patient and attentive, watch it like a hawk!  Candy is not forgiving.

Lesson 2: Go buy yourself a decent candy thermometer if you have any intention of ever making candy.  It is a necessity.

Lesson 2: Use a heat proof spoon to avoid losing half of the plastic part of your spatula in the hot caramel.

Lesson 3: Use parchment on your pans to make removing the finished caramels a breeze.

Lesson 4: Have everything you need ready to go so that making the caramel and assembling the candies is quick and easy.

I found this recipe on a blog called Alaska from Scratch.  It was my first time stumbling upon the site and it’s one I’ve now added to my blog reader.  The only thing I did differently was to use a different chocolate.  I was fortunate enough to come across Ghirardelli melting wafers at Target.  I think I might have audibly gasped as I saw them on the shelf.  It was a Christmas miracle!  It is way better than candy bark.  It hardens nicely, is easy to work with and actually tastes like chocolate.  They have white chocolate too!  Stock up.  I know I’m going to.

Giving handmade gifts at Christmas is something I really love doing.  Sometimes you know someone well enough to know they need a particular item, but other times you’re not sure what to get for someone and you don’t want to get them something they’re not going to use or that they’re going to throw out.  Food is almost never a bad gift idea.  It only takes up space for a short time, and the recipient is guaranteed to enjoy it.  These candies are a great gift to give.  Pack them into normal sized mason jars or cute baby ones if you’re giving them with something else or in a basket of other goodies.  You could easily use walnuts or almonds instead of pecans.  You could also make some with white chocolate and pack a few of each together.

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The caramel recipe is fairly simple, but be sure to keep a watchful eye on it and stir is constantly.  Make sure to have your pecans toasted and set up for topping before you even start the caramel.  Getting the chocolate melted before you start the caramel is also a great way to make the process fast and smooth once the caramel is done.  If you have another set of hands, set up a little assembly line.  The caramel does begin to thicken up and harden after you remove it from the heat so it’s important to work quickly.  If it does get too thick to drizzle onto the pecans, you can warm it (stirring constantly) over low heat until it thins a bit.  I had extra caramel that I spread onto some parchment, let cool and cut into little pieces.  The consistency was much different than the caramel on the candies since I’d warmed it again a couple times.  Another example of how finicky candy can be even with just a little more cooking.  It still tasted great, but wasn’t gooey like it should be.

The pecans are crunchy and delicious, the caramel is sweet, rich and gooey, the chocolate is nice and smooth and the little bit of salt on top is perfection.  These are wonderful little treats.  Enjoy!

Caramel Pecan Turtles with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

From Alaska from Scratch

Ingredients

For the Caramel:

  • 1/2  cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

You also need:

  • 2-3 cups whole pecan halves, toasted
  • Dark chocolate candy coating
  • Flaked sea salt

Directions

  1.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or nonstick silicone mats.
  2. Arrange pecans in clusters of 3, 2 next to each other and one on top, on the parchment.  They shouldn’t be too close so that the caramel does not run together.
  3. In a heavy saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter, sugar, honey, salt and condensed milk together, stirring occasionally.
  4. You can begin to melt the chocolate in the microwave according to the package instructions while the caramel starts to cook.
  5. Once everything has melted together increase the heat to medium high and attach your candy thermometer to the pan.  Do not let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan, you will not get a correct temperature reading.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a heat proof spoon.
  6. The moment the temperature reaches 234°F, remove from the heat and mix in the vanilla.
  7. Spoon the caramel onto each pecan cluster, just enough to coat, a little more than a teaspoon.  If at first the caramel seems too runny, just stir and let it cool and thicken slightly.  Resit the urge to cook it any longer!
  8. Finish melting the chocolate (or maybe someone was doing this for you while you did the caramel!) then spoon the melted chocolate on top of the caramel.  Sprinkle each with a little sea salt and allow to set completely before eating or packaging up to give as gifts.