Bourbon Balls for Derby Day

We had no real vested interested in the Kentucky Derby held this evening, certainly no money on any horse, but it's always fun to watch and to live vicariously through the partiers who are there in person.

 I made a batch of Bourbon Balls to help celebrate. They are traditionally a Christmas treat, but because they are so delicious, and since bourbon is the best known Kentucky beverage, why not enjoy them on Derby Day...chewy, sweet, and with just a little bite from good Kentucky bourbon. I used some good Wild Turkey American Honey.

The base of bourbon balls is almost always crushed vanilla wafers. I didn't really use a recipe and it's not rocket science, so just estimate until you get a mixture that holds together when you squeeze it in your hands. You can roll them in powdered sugar like I did, or crushed nuts, cocoa, or dip them in melted chocolate. We have a nut allergy in our home, so I substitute additional vanilla wafers for the chopped nuts.

 Bourbon Balls 

makes about 20

 3 cups crushed vanilla wafers (I just poured the entire box into the food processor -- you can substitute one cup finely chopped nuts -- pecans or walnuts -- for one cup of cookie crumbs)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 T. cocoa

2 T. light Karo syrup

5 T. bourbon (more if needed to get the right consistency)

After processing the cookies, add powdered sugar and cocoa to cookies in bowl of food processor. Pulse a few times. Add Karo syrup and pulse a few times. Drizzle in bourbon and pulse until mixture sticks together. Form into balls about the size of cherries. Roll in powdered sugar like I did, or crushed nuts, cocoa,or melted chocolate.




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Orange Cream Bonbons

The last Easter candy went into its little cellophane baggies today. C'est fini. I had a hard time deciding what to make today for my last hurrah, and then I remembered I had seen some orange cream somewhere. Or thought I did because when I went back to what I thought was the source, it was actually not orange cream. So I improvised. The lovely thing about these candy creams is they are essentially all the same make up -- sugar, fat, and flavor.

Orange zest and vanilla provided the flavor, butter and a bit of cream the fat, and powdered sugar the sugar. Simple. And really super tasty. The great thing about these is they are not limited to the Easter season.

Orange Cream Bonbons

makes 12 - 18 depending on size of balls

1/4 cup softened butter

1 lb powdered sugar

the zest of one large orange

1 t. vanilla extract

1 1/2 T. heavy cream, or half & half

2 cups or more melted milk or dark chocolate

In a mixing bowl, mix butter and orange zest for a couple minutes on low to get them really good and mixed up. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix. Then add cream. Let mixer run until mixture forms into tiny little balls -- resembling white Nerds. Stop the mixer. (If you get a frosting consistency add more powdered sugar until it forms the little balls -- if it's too much like powdered sugar, add more cream -- just a little at a time)

Using about a scant tablespoon of mixture, form into balls with your hands, rolling between the palms (I'm guessing the size of a small super bouncy ball). Place balls on waxed paper and refrigerate for an hour or so until completely chilled.

Melt half of the chocolate in a small teacup or bowl. Using a toothpick, skewer one ball at a time and dip into the melted chocolate, allowing the extra chocolate to run off. Place on clean waxed paper and chill until chocolate is firm.

If desired, place in candy wrappers and bag in cellophane.

Chocolate Coconut Cream Cups

I have been pretty pleased overall with my candy creations this week. Depending on how the children like them, I'd say I could do this every year. It's rather nice to know exactly what is in the treats in our Easter baskets.

On the third day of candy making, I made some Chocolate Coconut Cream Cups. These are a coconut lover's dream -- just like a peanut butter cup, but with coconut and coconut oil and butter and... mmmmm.

The key to these little babies is creating a thin layer of chocolate on the top, bottom and sides, because you want to save room in the middle for the coconut cream. I can't guarantee I did that on each one, because we are talking homemade and, thus, less quality control, but I think I managed o.k. Time will tell.

I really sort of made this recipe up, but it's not rocket science -- sugar, coconut, fat, chocolate. I used half coconut oil and half butter for the fat, but you could probably use all coconut oil and dark chocolate for a (mostly) dairy-free treat (some dark chocolates have a small bit of milk in them). I made 12 dark chocolate coconut cream cups and 12 milk chocolate coconut cream cups, for a little variety.

Chocolate Coconut Cream Cups

makes 24

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

2 T. powdered sugar

2 T. melted coconut oil

2 T. melted butter

1/4 t. coconut extract

2-3 cups melted chocolate (it's hard to tell how much chocolate you have when you are using melts)

candy sprinkles (completely optional)
paper or foil mini muffin cup liners

Fill a mini muffin tin with mini muffin liners.

Mix together melted oil and butter with coconut, sugar, and extract, until combined. Cool until it becomes creamy and semi-sold (you can pick up a bit with your fingers and mold it).

Melt about one quarter of your chocolate. I found it easiest to use Wilton disposable bags, using the microwave on medium power.

Fill the bottoms of the paper cups with a small bit of chocolate. I found the best method to be squeezing a ring around the bottom and then tapping the pan until it filled in, so that you (hopefully) have a thinner layer on the bottom in the center (so you can pack in more coconut cream!). Chill until almost solid.

Take a scant teaspoon of coconut mixture and mold into a sort of ball shape. Place on top of chocolate and flatten a little.

Melt another quarter of the chocolate. Squeeze (or spoon) on top of coconut mixture and tap pan until it flows over the coconut, using a small spatula or infant spoon if necessary to spread over coconut completely. Sprinkle on a few candy sprinkles if desired. Chill until solid, and bag in cellophane.

Just a little quality control check (I can't give my children candy I don't know is good)

Toasted Coconut Nests

My second day of making Easter candy went better than the first. It turns out it really is a patience issue (whaddya know) and as long as I can keep things moving I feel successful. Of course, this is really just an issue in my head as neither candy turned out better than the other -- I just enjoyed doing the second more since it didn't involve waiting for chocolate to drip off.

These treats are one of my favorites and have been since I was a little girl. Russell Stover coconut nests were always in my Easter basket. I realize coconut is one of those love/hate things...but I love it, and so do three-fourths of my kids (I'll keep another yummy treat hidden until after Easter morning and let the one coconut hater trade his in -- hmmm, more for me). And these homemade coconut nests are really much better than even Russell Stover's -- surprised me! I think the key is letting that coconut get nice and toasty in the oven. It crunches so much better when it's toasty.

Again, I used my nut-free melting chocolates, but you can use milk chocolate chips and/or vanilla candy chips or bark. You really don't need a recipe here, just toast some coconut and mix it into some melted chocolate.

I toasted a whole bag of sweetened coconut -- 12 oz in the oven on 350 degrees F.

this is not the whole bag -- this is half, as I forgot to take a picture before I made the white nests

I let it bake for a total of 16 minutes, but I stirred it every four minutes to keep it from getting too dark in one place. Be sure to set your timer, or you'll forget. My pan and oven tends to toast it around the edges first, so I keep stirring it up to get the untoasted stuff toward the edges.

Because I wanted to make both white and milk chocolate nests, I used roughly half the coconut in the first batch -- the white. I didn't measure, just poured about a cup of melts into a bowl and melted them in the micro -- 30 seconds at a time, stirred, and 30 more seconds until it was melted and creamy. It didn't take long, especially with the white. Then I dumped a couple of handfuls of toasted and cooled coconut into the chocolate. Stirred and added more if necessary until the mixture was wet but not soupy.

Then I placed a wax paper square into a custard cup -- you can use a ramekin, a small tea cup, anything that will hold the shape of a nest -- and scooped a couple tablespoonfuls in. Using a teaspoon, I pressed the coconut mixture down into the bowl and made an impression in the center -- not perfect, just nest-shaped. I used some smaller jellybeans for the eggs, I think they were Lifesaver brand.

Repeat with all the mixture and then chill the nests until they are firm. Bag in cellophane and chill until it's time to fill the baskets.

A 12 oz bag of coconut, about a cup of white melts and a cup and a half of milk chocolate melts made about 12 nests.

Cream Easter Eggs

This year I have decided to make my own Easter candy. I am not certain what possessed me, other than my great fear of witnessing anaphylaxis in my 15-year-old son (just a little thing). We have been free from accidental ingestion for 13 years, so I don't want to start now. I used to be able to find a few types of Easter chocolates in stores that did not have the warning: "May contain peanuts/tree nuts" or "Processed on shared equipment with peanuts and tree nuts," but it's almost impossible any more.

When I decided to make my own candy I thought, "how hard can it be?" and really it's not hard, just a lot more time-consuming than checking out at the grocery store. I started by ordering some nut-free chocolates from the Vermont Nut Free Chocolate online store. I bought the melts in milk, dark and white chocolate. I've only had a couple nibbles, but it's pretty darned tasty. (Note: even if you don't order from a nut-free shop, it's much easier to find baking chocolates that don't carry dire warnings than ready-made treats.)

Then, I ordered a couple of candy molds from Sur la Table,  to make solid chocolates, along with some foil wrappers. I picked up some cellophane bags at Joann's to bag the eggs (you can also find candy molds and foils at Joann's and other craft stores). And even with all that ordering, I still don't think I have matched what I usually spend on candy at the store.

I found a couple of recipes for eggs and started with this cream style egg from La Table de Nana. I can't say mine are very beautiful, but one had an accident and Doug cut it open to check it out. He declared it "very yummy," so I guess I started in a good place. Like Nana, I colored a bit of the filling and created a Cadbury style egg, although the filling is not runny like a Cadbury. They would, obviously, taste the same without the "yolk" as it's just for novelty's sake.

The recipe was simple to make and I even got a pretty good shape on my eggs, but it always falls apart for me at the dipping. I think I might have a patience issue (just maybe). I can't stand waiting for the chocolate to drip off, so I end up with chocolate puddles. I found out that a sharp non-serrated knife takes care of puddles in a jiffy (a hot knife is even better).

I made one change to the recipe, and it was entirely an accident. The recipe calls for melting the butter and I did not, which would explain why it was rather hard to get mixed up (and why a good quarter cup of powdered sugar went on the floor below the mixer). I do believe it was a fortuitous mistake, however, as I think the mixture would have been rather difficult to form into eggs had I not started with room temp butter. You can melt yours if you like. I also added a bit of Crisco to my chocolate as I think it makes it shinier and easier to keep liquid.

Cream Easter Eggs

makes about 2 dozen

1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar
1 stick butter (melted or not, your choice)
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. corn syrup
1 T. vanilla
1/2 lb semi sweet chocolate, melted

1 to 2 T. Crisco

Place butter, condensed milk and corn syrup in mixing bowl. Add about half the powdered sugar and mix slowly until combined. Add remaining powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until combined -- it will be thick.

Grab a bit in your fingers and if it is too soft to hold its shape, refrigerate for a while.

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If you want a bit of yellow "yolk" in your eggs, scoop out a couple tablespoons and color it yellow. 

I used a cookie dough scoop for quality control on my portions -- so they would all be about the same size.

Scoop out some cream and make a well in the middle. 

Add a little bead of yellow and fold the white over it. Form into an egg -- I found it easier to put the "bottom" on the table and mold the top, then pick up the bottom and round it out. Place on waxed paper and when you get a tray-full, refrigerate until firm.

Melt chocolate with Crisco in the microwave or over a double boiler. Take chilled eggs and dip them into the chocolate. I found the best method was to stick a long toothpick into the fat end of the egg and dip, using another toothpick to hold the other end up. When you lay the egg down on the clean waxed paper, turn the skewer until it comes free. take a butter knife and touch up the end where the skewer came out.

Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Wrap in cellophane and chill until ready to dole out.

It would be enjoyable to make these with a friend and split the batch -- 2 dozen eggs is a lot for one family. But my kids might disagree.

Cookie Dough Truffles

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Annie's truffles were a big hit for Valentine's Day. I'm like Annie, and I would rather eat the cookies, but apparently there are folks who think cookie dough is better than cookies -- like all my kids. I'm sending the rest to the office with Doug. The sooner they are gone, the better (there could be overeating, you know).

The recipe made a lot. I didn't count them, but it was a lot. Make sure you have someplace to share them. I wrapped mine in some gold foil candy wrappers and they looked very special.

The only change I made was to add a couple of tablespoons of shortening to the melted chocolate -- it makes it much easier to dip. Start the process several hours before you plan to dip -- the dough needs chilling several times along the way. I was still dipping on Friday night at 9:30 because I didn't read ahead!

Cookie Dough Truffles

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ c. light brown sugar, packed
2¼ c. all-purpose flour
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla extract
½ c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
1½ lb. semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 T. shortening
Mini chocolate chips (for garnish)

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up enough to form balls.

Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into 1-1½ inch balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Cover loosely, transfer the pan to the freezer and chill for 1-2 hours.

When ready to dip the truffles, melt the chopped chocolate and shortening in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Dip each chilled truffle, one at a time, coating in chocolate and shaking gently to remove the excess. (If at any point during dipping, the cookie dough balls become too soft, return to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.) Transfer to a wax-paper lined surface. If using mini chocolate chips for garnish, sprinkle on top quickly after dipping each truffle before the chocolate sets. Once all the truffles have been dipped, store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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Source:adapted from Annie's Eats

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Chocolate, Pretzel, Peanut Butter Thingies

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I'm in the mood for something sweet, how 'bout you?

College boy was home last weekend and I was trying to think of something sweet that I could send back with him. Since I had sent those Nieman Marcus Chocolate Chippers the week before, I was thinking that these Chocolate, Pretzel, Peanut Butter Thingies would be nice. What do you think of that name? I saw them at Stephanie's Kitchen, and she calls then Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites, which is no better than Thingies, if you ask me. So, Thingies they are.

There is one major difference between Stephanie's Bites and my Thingies -- peanut butter. Because of my son's allergies, I don't ever cook with it. So I subbed Sunflower Butter with perfect results. I've talked about Sunflower Butter before -- I get it at Trader Joe's and it's made just for people with nut allergies, so there's none of that "made in a facility with peanuts and tree nuts." It's perfectly safe.

About the recipe -- I thought the sunbutter part of the little Thingie was very sweet -- too sweet, so I would cut down on the sugar next time. If you're willing to keep them in the refrigerator, which I did, I think they would be great with some natural peanut butter, with no sugar at all. As long as you refrigerate the natural peanut butter, it stays hard. I am posting the recipe just as I found it, however, and you can adjust as you like. There's no science involved here -- just wing it.

Chocolate, Pretzel, Peanut Butter Thingies
makes about 45 sandwiches

1 c. peanut butter
2 T. softened butter or margarine
1/2 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
waffle-shaped pretzels
1 bag good quality chocolate (I used Hershey's milk chips)

Using a mixer, combine peanut butter and softened butter and beat until smooth. Add the sugars and stir to combine. At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you’re ready to go (I did not roll these into balls -- I just plopped a scoop onto each pretzel -- I guess they would be prettier if I had, but what the heck). If not, add more sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll. Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling. Roll each portion into a small ball and set on a cookie sheet. Roll all the balls and then sandwich them between two whole pretzels. When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about half an hour (I skipped the freezing step, too. I was in a hurry -- no harm, no foul.).

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate. When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely. Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.

Easy print version

Source: Stephanie's Kitchen

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Somebody stop me...

before I make myself sick!

Why do I love these honey-flavored corn syrup confections? They rank right up there with jelly beans and ribbon candy in my book. So, is it the flavor of nostalgia that I love, or corn syrup? Well, I can tell you that a handful of candy corn and a cup of coffee is almost as good as a nap -- so get a bag, or two, or three. And as Emeril always says, "Go make a friend."

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Caramel Puff Corn

Some of my favorite recipes come from cookbooks that are compilations of people's favorite recipes -- real people. You know, those cookbooks you get from churches and school and community groups.

About ten years ago I put one together for our Catholic school. My kids were young -- it was before we home schooled -- and I gathered recipes from many of the parents and put it together in a cookbook for the teachers and staff. It turned out really nice and we were able to use it for a fundraiser. The great thing is, though, I still use all of these great recipes.

Today's recipe is one of them. This is Caramel Corn from heaven. It's made with puff corn, not real popped corn, so it's not only easier to make, but it's easier on your teeth and gums.

The recipe calls for cooking the sugar mixture for just a short while, then you coat the puff corn and bake it for a while. That takes the guess-work out of getting the syrup to just the right temperature. And it turns out perfect every time.

The end result tastes like the county fair, and Halloween, and fall afternoons.... it's just wonderful. Make some -- you'll be happy, happy, happy. I store mine in a empty ice cream bucket or popcorn tin. It will be good for a while -- if it lasts.

Caramel Puff Corn

10 oz. bag hull-less plain corn puffs
1 cup butter
½ cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 t. baking soda

Combine butter, corn syrup and brown sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
Boil for one minute. Take off heat and add baking soda; stir until foamy.
Pour over the corn puffs and stir.
Bake on baking sheet for 45 minutes at 250 degrees F, stirring every 15 minutes.
Dumps puffs onto wax paper. Let cool.
Break apart clumps into bite-size pieces.
Store in an air tight container.

The sugar, butter, and corn syrup.

The sugar, butter, and syrup at a boil.

Pour the syrup over the puff corns and stir. Then bake.

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Nips

Where have these been all my life? I can't believe I've just recently experienced their yumminess. If you have never tasted these lovelies, I will tell you that they start out hard, but soon turn into a chewy, creamy candy, with a white creamy center. Mocha and Dulce de Leche are tied for the top spot. But, I have not yet tried Coffee or Butter Rum. I think I'll have to experience some more before I decide on a winner.

NOTE: In the litigious world we live in, I cannot believe that the manufacturer of Nips does not have a disclaimer stating they cannot be held liable for damaged dental work (Read: do not chew!).