Triple Chocolate-Covered Nut Clusters
Ingredients:
- 1 jar (16 oz) salted dry-roasted peanuts
- 1 jar (16 oz) unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
- 36 oz chocolate-flavored candy coating, chopped
- 1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
- 1 bar (4 oz) sweet baking chocolate, chopped
- 1 can (9.75 oz) salted whole cashews
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
- Spray 3 ½ to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, mix all ingredients except cashews and vanilla.
- Cover; cook on Low heat setting 2 hours.
- Line cookie sheets with waxed paper. Stir mixture in slow cooker until smooth. Add cashews and vanilla; stir until cashews are coated. Drop mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Let stand until firm. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
Submitted by Carolyn Shaffer
Bunny Mix
Ingredients:
- 3 cups bite-size rice square cereal
- 3 cubs bite-size corn square cereal
- 1 cup small pretzel twists or sticks
- 1 cup honey-roasted peanuts
- 2 12-ounce packages white baking pieces
- 1 12-ounce package red and green or mint-flavored candy-coated milk chocolate pieces
Directions:
- In a very large bowl, combine cereals, pretzels and peanuts. Melt baking pieces according to package directions. Pour melted baking pieces over cereal mixture; stir gently to coat. Spread on waxed paper or parchment paper. Sprinkle with chocolate. Cool.
Recipe from: Midwest Living Dec 2010
Fudge in a Flash
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. powdered sugar (3 ¾ Cups)
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 6 TB. Butter
- 4 TB. Milk (Laurel uses evaporated, we found 2% worked equally well)
- 1 TB. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup chopped nuts, optional
Directions:
- Combine all of the ingredients, except the nuts, in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. Stir until bubbles form and continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts if using. Spread into a greased 8x8 pan. Work fast as the fudge will set quickly. Don’t worry about scraping the last bits out of the pot because they will sit on top and not blend in, the fudge does set that quickly! When cool, cut into squares.
Submitted by Carolyn Shaffer
Healthy Chocolate Truffles
Makes 12
Active time: 15 minutes Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups pitted dates (preferably medjool)
- ¼ cup raw cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, plus more to coat your hands
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cacao nibs / crushed freeze-dried raspberries / matcha powder / coconut flakes… or a mix of two or more, for coating
Directions:
- Add dates, cacao powder, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt to a food processor. Blend for 3 to 5 minutes or until dough is smooth. (If using a blender, scrape down the sides with a spatula and blend again, repeating until ingredients are combined.) If necessary, add 1 tablespoon water while processing to help dough come together.
- Lightly coat your hands with coconut oil. Break off a bite-size piece of dough and roll it between your palms into a ball. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Roll each ball in coating. Store truffles in the refrigerator for up to four weeks
Nutrition score per truffle: 133 calories; 6 g fat; 3.6 g saturated fat; 21 g carbs; 1 g protein; 3 g fiber; 24 mg sodium
Tip: For soft and creamy truffles, eat them immediately. For a firmer texture, chill them in refrigerator for a half hour or more.
Recipe from: shape.com
No-Fail Chocolate Fudge
Makes about 2 lb
Time Needed: 20 minutes (+ 1 to 2 hours in refrigerator)
Ingredients:
- ¾ cups finely chopped high-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup walnuts, roasted
Directions:
- Line an 8 inch square or round cake pan with parchment paper
- Place 2 cups water in a medium pan over medium heat. Combine the chocolate and butter in a bowl that fits over the pan or in the top portion of a double boiler, and melt the m together until smooth. Add the condensed milk and walnuts and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth the top, cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before slicing.
Store in a zip-top plastic bag or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for 1 week in the refrigerator or two months in the freezer.
Chocolate- Covered Mint Patties
Makes about 80 mints
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1/3 cup light (white) corn syrup
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 lb confectioner’s (icing) sugar
- 12 oz dark chocolate candy coatings
Directions:
- In a medium mixing bowl, blend the butter, corn syrup, peppermint extract and salt with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar, first mixing with the wooden spoon and then kneading by hand until the mixture is smooth and well blended and no longer sticks to the hands. Shape the mixture into a ball or a mound.
- Pinch off small pieces of the mint fondant and shape into balls ¾ inch in diameter. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the balls with the palm of the hand or with a flat spatula. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Cover a large countertop area with waxed paper. In the top pan of a double boiler over hot but not boiling water, melt the candy coating, stirring until smooth. Using a fork or a specially designed dipping tool, dip the mints into the melted chocolate until coated. Drop the mints onto the waxed paper. Let stand until the chocolate is firm. Store in an airtight container, separating each layer with waxed paper. These mints may be refrigerated or frozen if desired.
Recipe from: 300 Best Homemade Candy Recipes
DIY Crème Eggs
Serves 12
Prep: 5 minutes Total: 30 minutes + setting
Ingredients:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- Yellow food coloring
- 4 oz chocolate candy melts, melted
- 1 oz white chocolate candy melts, melted
Directions:
- With mixer on medium speed, beat butter, cream, vanilla and pinch salt until smooth. Beat in sugar 1 cup at a time on low until smooth, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Knead frosting and shape into disk. Remove ¼ of frosting and knead in enough yellow food coloring to mimic color of egg yolks. Form yellow frosting into 12 ½ inch balls.
- Shape white frosting into twelve 1 inch balls; flatten each into a disk in palm of hand. Place 1 “yolk” in center and gently form a white around “yolk,” taking care to push air out and smooth seam without crushing “yolk.” Form into oblong egg shape. Place on waxed paper. Continue with remaining “yolks.”
- Transfer eggs to wire rack set over large sheet waxed paper. Drizzle with chocolate candy melts, brushing to smooth evenly over frosting. Let stand until set. Pipe white chocolate melts over chocolate candy melts to create patterns. Let stand until set. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe from: April 2017 Good Housekeeping
Sunny-Side-Up Meringues
Serves 6
Prep: 10 minutes Total: 3 hours
Ingredients:
- 3 large egg whites
- ¼ tsp cream of tarter
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup Tangy Lemon Curd (Recipe included) or prepared lemon curd
Directions:
- Position one rack in middle of oven; preheat oven to 225F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In medium bowl with mixer on medium, beat egg whites with pinch salt until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat on medium-high until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1 tbsp at a time until peaks are stiff and glossy. Beat in vanilla.
- Spoon meringue into piping bag fitted with star tip, or into resealable plastic bag with one corner cut off. Pipe six 3 inch disks onto baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Pipe around edges of disks to form ¾ inch high sides. Bake 1 hour.
- Turn oven off. Leave meringues in oven 1 ½ hours with oven door closed. Remove from oven; cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. To serve, fill each with about 1 ½ tbsp lemon curd.
Tangy Lemon Curd:
- From 3 medium lemons, grate 1 tbsp zest and squeeze 2/3 cup juice.
- In heavy 2 quart saucepan on medium, heat 1 cup sugar; 6 tbsp butter, cut up; 1 tbsp cornstarch; ¼ tsp salt; and lemon juice and lemon zest to boiling. Boil 1 min.
- In small bowl, lightly beat 5 large egg yolks. Into yolks, beat small amount of lemon mixture. Off heat, whisk egg mixture back into lemon mixture in saucepan. Return to medium-low heat; cook stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Pour lemon curd into bowl; cover surface area with plastic rwap and refrigerate 3 hours or until well chilled. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week. Makes about 1 2/3 cups.