Good Food Every Day

HALLOWEEN DARK CHOCOLATE FUDGE
Prep Time 20 mins Chilling time 8 hrs.

INGREDIENTS

14 ounces (300ml) condensed milk
16 ounces (450g) dark chocolate bars, broken into pieces or chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yellow and orange m&m candies

INSTRUCTIONS

Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment paper.
In a saucepan, combine condensed milk, dark chocolate pieces, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Cook over medium heat, mixing frequently until the chocolate is fully melted.
Pour the mixture into the pan. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
Top with yellow and orange candies by pressing slightly into the fudge with your fingers.
Put in the fridge to harden for at least 3 hours, or place inside the freezer for 1 hour.
Remove fudge from pan, slice, and serve.

RECIPE TIPS

Watch closely and stir frequently when combining the chocolate and other ingredients so it doesn’t burn.
Don’t forget to line the pan with parchment paper. This will help make it easy to remove from the pan before cutting.
Use a warm, serrated knife to cut the fudge into bite-sized pieces.
Make sure the fudge has hardened well before cutting to get neatly cut pieces.
Feel free to use a 9x9inch square pan. Fudge will have slightly less height but will work just as well.

No Fail Jell-O Divinity
Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Total Time 35 minutes Servings 36

Ingredients

3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
2 egg whites room temperature
3 tbsp Jello powder flavor of your choice
1 tsp vanilla extract or other flavor I use clear vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts optional (I almost always use pecans)

Instructions

Line 2 large baking sheets with waxed paper. Butter two large spoons and set aside.
In a 3 quart saucepan, bring the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.
Once at a boil, stop stirring and cook to 250F - hard ball stage. To do this, clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot. This candy thermometer will beep when the correct temperature is reached. No fail 🙂
While the mixture is coming up to temperature, whisk egg whites on high speed in a heavy duty mixer until very stiff peaks form.
Whisk in the Jell-O until well blended.
Once the syrup has reached 250F, remove from heat.
Turn the mixer to medium-high and carefully and slowly pour the syrup into the egg white and Jell-O mixture. Like, so slowly, that this should take a good 2 minutes to pour it all in.
Add the vanilla extract.
Now it's time to let the mixer go to work. Continue beating until the mixture loses it's shine and holds it's shape when dropped from a spoon. You'll notice that it starts to look more and more sticky. This takes between 4 and 6 minutes usually.
It's absolutely okay to stop the mixer and test the mixture. If you drop the candy and it looks like a puddle on your waxed paper, continue beating for another minute or two and try again. When it holds it shape you are good to go.
At this time, mix in the nuts.
Spoon out a heaping teaspoon or tablespoon of the mixture out a time and use the other spoon to scrape the candy off the spoon. MAKE SURE that your spoons are buttered or the candy will stick. You do NOT need to butter them more than once.
Once all the candies have been dropped, let cool on the waxed paper.
Let the candies set out for at least 4 hours, preferable overnight before storing in an airtight container. These candies also do quite well sitting out in the open - no stickiness 🙂

Rock Candy
Prep Time 30 minutes

Tools & Materials

Clothespin or long clip
String & pencil, wooden skewers, or swizzle sticks
Wooden spoon
Small saucepan
Wax Paper
Paperclip or washer (if using string)
4 – 6 clean, narrow glasses (must be glass)
2 cups water
4 cups granulated sugar + extra for dipping string or sticks
Food coloring
Natural flavoring (this is optional, but you can try peppermint, strawberry, cherry, orange or any flavor you like)

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Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles
Prep Time 45 minutes Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
5 ounces bittersweet dark chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional coatings for truffles:

toasted pecans, chopped (or other nuts)
flaked coconut (try it toasted)
cocoa powder

Instructions

Using a mixer, slowly add powdered sugar to cream cheese mixing well after each addition.
Add melted chocolate and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill mixture in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Shape into 1-inch balls. Return to refrigerator to chill more if mixture gets too soft to form balls.
Roll in coatings.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Eggnog Fudge
Yield 1 1/2 pounds

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 cup refrigerated eggnog
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup chopped red candied cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to Make It

Step 1
Line an 8"X4" loaf pan with aluminum foil; butter foil, and set aside.

Step 2
Combine first 4 ingredients in a 4-quart heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Wash down crystals from sides of pan, using a pastry brush dipped in hot water. Insert a candy thermometer into eggnog mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thermometer registers 238°. Remove from heat and cool, undisturbed, until temperature drops to 190° (15 to 18 minutes).

Step 3
Stir in pecans and remaining 3 ingredients; beat with a wooden spoon until fudge thickens and just begins to lose its gloss (5 to 8 minutes). Pour candy into prepared pan. Cool completely; cut into squares.

Gingerbread Fudge
Active Time 15 Mins Total Time 2 Hours 15 Mins Yield Makes 16 pieces

Ingredients

1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
3/4 cup (6 oz.) unsalted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 Dash ground nutmeg
11 ounces white chocolate baking chips (such as Ghirardelli)
1 (7-oz.) jar marshmallow creme
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely crushed gingersnap cookies (about 2 oz.)
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

How to Make It

Step 1
Line a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, allowing 1 to 2 inches to hang over side of dish.

Step 2
Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, molasses, butter, evaporated milk, ginger, cinnamon, salt, allspice, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg in a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reaches soft-ball stage (between 234°F and 237°F), about 11 to 12 minutes.

Step 3
Add white chocolate, marshmallow creme, and vanilla; cook, stirring rapidly completely melted and all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Remove from heat, and immediately pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle with gingersnap crumbs and crystallized ginger.

Step 4
Cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and store in refrigerator. To serve, cut fudge into 1-inch pieces.

Cream Cheese Mints

1/4 (8 oz. Pkg.) cream cheese
1-2/3 cups powdered sugar
Flavoring (mint)
Food coloring

Combine ingredients thoroughly. Different flavorings and colorings may be used to suit your purpose. Press into molds and pop out. Or roll into small balls. May be kept in the freezer until ready to use.

Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Truffles).
COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 2 HOURS
YIELD: 12-18 BRIGADEIROS

INGREDIENTS

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Good quality chocolate sprinkles (or toasted pistachios, almonds, coconut or colored sprinkles)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small sauce pot combine the sweetened condensed milk, bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder and salt. Place the pot over medium high heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and shiny and starts to pull away from bottom and side of sauce pot. The mixture is going to get thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until melted and smooth. Pour mixture into glass bowl, cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
Once chilled place the sprinkles (or whatever you are using) in a shallow bowl. Rub some softened butter over hands and scoop out rounded teaspoon of the chocolate mixture and roll into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll each ball in the chocolate sprinkles (or whatever you are using). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Store tightly covered at room temperature up to 2 days or in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Christmas Crack

Ingredients
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup (2-sticks) butter
1 sleeve of club crackers
12 ounces chocolate chips

Instructions
In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar in the butter and bring them to a boil. Boil for three minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Cover the foil with a layer of club crackers.
Pour the buttery/sugary mix over the crackers, making sure they are all saturated. Put pan in the oven for 10 minutes.
Take pan out and sprinkle chocolate chips over the crackers. Let sit until chips soften. Spread the chips with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Freeze for two hours.
Remove the pan from the fridge and peel off the aluminum foil. Crack it up into pieces, whatever size you’d like. Store in a container and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat.

Addictive Pretzel Candy Fudge
Serves: 8 Prep Time: 10 Min Cook Time: 10 Min Cooking Method: Microwave

Ingredients

2 c mashed pretzels (sticks or penny rods)
1 c peanuts
2 Tbsp peanut butter
12 oz white chocolate morsels
10 oz peanut butter morsels

Directions

1 Put mashed pretzels in an oven on warm. Melt the peanut butter morsels & white chocolate morsels together. (You can this on 50% power in the microwave for about 5 minutes, stirring at least once.)
2 When melted, mix in peanut butter, peanuts & the mashed pretzels.
3 Spread onto a WELL-greased 8x8 pan. (you can line the pan with parchment paper sprayed with Pam.)
4 Allow fudge to harden, about 2 hours. Cut in chunks. They are not meant to look perfect.




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