Cups O' Deliciousness :) And Totally Random Life Convergences :)

I thought I would let you guys see a little of what I was up to yesterday :) A very sweet friend and neighbor of mine has some raspberry canes growing in her backyard - and since they are pretty hard to find in the stores anywhere, I asked her if I might be able to buy some from her.  She came up with the awesome idea of bartering for candy :) Hey... I can do that!!! :)

Funny story how she came to be a fan of my chocolate... and one of those "wow- small world!" moments :) A friend and coworker of my husband's, when he worked at the Cottontree Inn in Bountiful a while back, called me up out of the blue 2 Christmases ago.  He remembered the candy that I brought into work for my husband and the crew 2 Christmases before THAT (4 Christmases ago... if you lost me ;)) and wanted to know if he could order some for his friends and coworkers.  Wow... is what went through my mind ... We hadn't talked or anything for over a year so I was a bit surprised to say the least- and so totally flattered!! I made him 4 tins of candy and he even drove from Provo to come and pick them up! (Provo is over an hour south of us here in Layton).

Move ahead a few months, when a newlywed couple moves in 2 houses down from us.  We meet them at church, and they are 2 of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. He was recruited immediately to Scouts- teaching my youngest son, and she was called to Young Womens teaching my oldest daughter :) So already we had interactions with them- then one spring day when I was out sweeping my driveway, who should come walking up the street but hubby's old coworker :) who happens to be Mr. Newlywed's best friend from High School... and they were one of the recipients of my candy at Christmas! Once she found that out, she has been a loyal customer ever since! And the last little wow moment was we found out that their anniversary just so happens to be my birthday ;)) I mean come on... was there an alignment of stars there or what???

So yesterday was the first day it was below 80 degrees- and we do not have air conditioning... so the warm days, as you can imagine, aren't very conducive to candy making ;) But since I knew a storm (and a cool one at that) was coming in, I figured it would be a great time to make some goodies and get those raspberry bushes ready for this summer! I make a bunch of different varieties of candy with raspberries and strawberries during the summer- like these I made last year :) (for before mentioned cutie pie neighbors for their anniversary... on my birthday ;))

Romance on a platter... n'est-ce pas? (Isn't it? in french... sorry) And see those cute little berries at the bottom?  Bride and Groom Berries- and the Bride berry had sparkling sugar on it for some extra bling (since you can't see it here :)) I thought they were pretty cute! And the strawberries in the middle is how I dip my berries... first in white, then dip in dark, then drizzle with white... it's a totally mind blowing experience... seriously!

... and now that I will be growing them myself :) it's not only cheaper, but fresher- and you know fresh always taste better!!!

Now I made a variety of caramel, coconut, and nut combinations, fruity "s'more" combinations, and some fudge cups.  I am not quite sure why I didn't realize til I was done that I hadn't done any of my usuals... peanut butter cups (of which many of my customers will tell you are better than Reeses Peanut Butter Cups...) or pretzels... but if today stays as cool and breezy I may just do those later :)
Here's a sampling of what we did yesterday :)

4 Different Fudge Cups... Fudge... dipped in chocolate :) Could you get any better than that??? ;) (am I channeling Chandler from Friends here?... maybe... wow... I feel old right now...)

(and yes, I made this on a collage website :) actually a few websites... but it was fun :))(One link takes you to photovisi.com where I did the collage, and the other takes you to picmonkey.com where I did the editing... feel free to check them out :))

6 Different Smore Cups- (well 4 kinds, just 2 different chocolates :)) What are S'More cups you ask??? Well... they are homemade marshmallows in a variety of flavors (all made with real fruit pieces and juice :)), with a yummy Graham Cracker/Nilla Wafer/ Cookie base, and either hand-dipped in chocolate (white or my combination of dark and milk... dalk? mirk? don't think so...) or put in a cute little cup of said chocolate - like you see here :)

The banana and raspberry cups are available in both dark and white chocolate.

We also did all kinds of combinations of nuts, caramel and coconut...
And here is an example of the caramel recipe here...  made with the homemade sweetened condensed milk recipe here ... just look at that caramel stretch... it's beautiful isn't it?? Almost brings a tear to my eye ;)

Here are a few pictures-  toasted coconut... nuts... caramel... coconut marshmallow- in every combination possible- with almonds, peanuts, cashews and macadamia nuts... and even a little peanut butter marshmallow for good measure... this is just a sampling... we made about 10 lbs worth :)

 see? My smiley obsession has passed on to my pictures... I really do need help don't I???

So... if you feel the need to contact me and place an order? Don't fight the urge ;) Just click on the little link there, or there's a link at the top of the blog :) I would if it were me!

And to all of you a very happy weekend! Sweet Dreamz!
Renee 

The candy man... uh woman.. :) CAN!

Contrary to somewhat popular belief, candy making really isn't that scary... Yes, it is a little more temperamental than other baking and cooking, but once you get the hang of it, it really can be a lot of fun! :) I have been making candy for quite a while- and though it was just at Christmas time for friends and neighbors at first, now it's hard to find a time of year that isn't made better with some handmade sweets! 

Now, yes I did notice that the last few posts have been "recipe-less" and what better time to remember to share some of my favorite recipes- than in a candy post!

This last Christmas, as usual, I was searching for a new recipe to add to my "repertoire", if you will, and toffee and caramel have always been those things that I just haven't been able to find JUST the right recipe for.  Sure, they were ok... but well... just not perfect.  Then I landed on this easy recipe for Caramels from the Sassy Classy Blog and it just seemed to be exactly what I was looking for- super yummy, super easy, and of course, totally impressive :) And I will now share it with you!!!

  

Microwave... yes I said Microwave Caramels

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Light Karo Syrup (not dark- it doesn't set right)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk* I will try to share a recipe for homemade sweetened condensed milk soon... so much cheaper than buying and just as good!
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Buttered 8x8 baking dish

Melt butter in large microwave bowl. Stir in syrup, both sugars and the sweetened condensed milk. Mix well until dissolved. Microwave on high 3-1/2 minutes. Stir down and scrape sides of bowl. Microwave on high another 3-1/2 minutes. (this will be soft-ball stage). Stir in vanilla and nuts (if you are using them). Pour into buttered and foiled dish and refrigerate until set. (you could totally add a few sprinkles of sea salt if you like salted caramel :)) When it is set, you can pull up the foil to bring it out of the dish to cut- it makes it alot easier :) . If desired, you may cut into 1/2 inch squares (or larger... or smaller) and wrap each in wax paper. I will admit that a lot of my candies only incorporate caramel- so I haven't ever wrapped it in waxed paper, but please feel free to do so! They are delicious on their own!

Now tell me that isn't super easy... no candy thermometer needed! I think that is the one thing that keeps people from making candy- the thermometer is daunting... but also not many people just have one lying around.  This recipe uses things you probably have in your pantry! Now go try it! Go ahead... I'll wait!

As long as we are going with easy- I might as well tell you about another super impressive but super simple candy recipe that comes from the microwave- This one is from my absolute favorite food blog of all time... Our Best Bites :) Maybe you've heard of it, maybe you haven't, but trust me, if you haven't... go check it out! You will no doubt be as smitten as I am! Their recipes are awesome! One of my hands down favorites so far is their "Cinnamon Bun Caramel Corn". Now I have added a few notes (look for the **)- not that I think mine is better, I am just reminding myself what I did and liked... but you decide for yourself if you want to follow my directions or not.  Either way, you really have to try it. Seriously... I am so not kidding...

Cinnamon Bun Caramel Corn with Pecans and White Chocolate
Recipe only slightly adapted from  Our Best Bites

12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C unpopped kernels)*

1 C roughly chopped pecans

1 C brown sugar

3/4 t cinnamon ** I have used up to 1 tsp Saigon Cinnamon... yummy

1/4 C Karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)

1 stick real butter (1/2 C) **shhhhhh I have used margarine... and it is still ok, but best with butter :) It never quite fully crisps up as well with margarine though- just in case you don't have any butter on hand...

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

**OPTIONAL 1/4 tsp pure orange extract  If you like orange rolls... try it. :) It's not a strong orange flavor, but people will sit there and wonder just what that delicious flavor is ... it just adds another dimension of flavor :)

3 squares white almond bark

*You can use air popped or microwave popcorrn-  personally I use the Whirley Pop pot... which I LOOOVE and highly recommend if you have never tried it :) but you can do whatever you choose! I have also mixed butter microwave popcorn half and half with the Whirley Pop popcorn, and that is equally delicious... the buttery popcorn really seems to enhance the richness :) but you don't get too much salt or butter because it is mixed with the plain.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in one of those huge foil turkey pans from the dollar store, and put it in the oven just to stay warm while making the caramel. Just because that's what all the other caramel corn recipes I have made tell me to do... not because it really even makes a difference... it's just me :) You could just put it in a large bowl, or the pan and keep it on the counter... no big deal...

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a 2 quart at LEAST microwave safe bowl. Mix well. Seriously... don't skip this step... not sure why but this DOES make a difference! Chop butter into chunks and put in the bowl with the brown sugar mix. Pour corn syrup over the top of all of it. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and then stir to combine. Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.

Remove from microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. Mixture will foam and rise... ALOT so this is why you need a bigger bowl than you think...  Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and pecans and stir very well so everything is well coated.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. I personally thought the popcorn wasn’t quite as crisp as I like it after it cooled and have baked it 10 to 15 minutes longer... (Like all candy, it is affected by humidity, so cooking times will vary slightly depending on the weather. Please feel free to take it out at whatever stage you prefer.  Some people like their caramel corn still a little gooey- to each their own :) Both ways are still yummy!)

Remove from oven and spread out on a large piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil.

Melt almond bark according to package instructions. Please, please... PLEASE do not skip this step!!! Just trust me... even if you are not a fan of white chocolate or white almond bark- (like me :)) It is absolutely to die for!!! Drizzle over popcorn mixture with a fork. When almond bark is hardened and popcorn is cool, break into chunks and enjoy!

I totally dare you (in fact, I triple dog dare you ;)) to close your eyes and have some- you will swear that white chocolate with the popcorn tastes just like cinnamon bun frosting :) SOOOO good- it is totally addictive!!!Just ask my family :)

I promise I will share more candy recipes later- but I hope you try these and enjoy them!!!

Sweet Dreamz!

Renee :)