English Toffee

Why spend a fortune on "gourmet" toffee when you can make a better one yourself?

4 Sticks unsalted butter (1 pound)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. Water
1 cup slivered almonds

12 oz. package good quality chocolate chips (your preference of how dark)

1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts

Cover a large jellyroll pan or 1/2 sheet pan with foil. Spray foil with non-stick spray. Put pan on a cooling rack.

Place butter and salt in heavy pan and let butter melt. Add sugar and mix well with wooden spoon. Place candy thermometer into mixture.

Continue cooking and stirring until mixture reaches 250 degrees. Add water and mix well.

Add Almonds and continue to stir. Watch thermometer well and keep checking as mixture begins to darken. Mixture should reach a caramel color and 310-320 on the thermometer at the same time. Remove from heat and our into foil lined pan. Spread out as much as you are able, wait 2 or 3 minutes and sprinkle with chocolate chips. As soon as chips begin to melt, spread them on top of toffee and then sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Place pan of toffee in a cool, dry area to continue to harden. At least 8 hours. Break with the edge of a knife or your hands, and keep in a covered container.

Toffee Crunch Popcorn

You can change this up by using dark corn syrup and roasted peanuts (instant Cracker Jack), or Lyle's Golden Syrup with either pecans or cashews.  Yummy!

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup clear corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
popcorn - popped (don't be silly)
raw or salted almonds

Heat and cook first 4 ingredients about 3 minutes. Add baking soda. Pour over popcorn & almonds and mix well.

See's Fudge

I use this as a filling for homemade chocolates - my Chocolate Snowballs.

1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups nuts -- chopped
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
4 cups sugar
1 Can evaporated milk
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Place butter, nuts and chocolate chips in large bowl and set aside. Cook sugar, and milk till soft ball stage. Add marshmallows and stir till melted. Pour into bowl of butter mixture. Stir till mixed well. Pour into greased pan and keep chilled.

Reese Bars

These taste just like the real thing - and are probably more fattening!

1 pound powdered sugar
7 ounces graham cracker crumbs -- 1/2 box
1 cup butter -- softened
1 cup peanut butter
12 ounces chocolate chips

Mix together margarine and peanut butter. Add sugar and crumbs. Pat mixture in 9x13" pan. Roll top (using a straight sided water glass) to flatten and compress. Melt chips and spread over. Chill and cut in squares. (A mixture of milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chips is the best for flavor.)

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Popcorn Balls

My mother first made these during WWII as a fundraiser for her high school.  They are pretty popular in our family and when my niece was deployed during the first Gulf War, Mom and I made 200 and sent them to her shipmates.  (along with lots of other treats).

The best thing about them is that they don't dry out, but stay nice and chewy for days.


2 cups corn syrup, light
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vinegar
dash salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water

1 cup popcorn -- un-popped

Boil vinegar, syrup, sugar, butter, and salt till hard ball stage. (222 degrees max.) Remove from heat and add baking soda mixed with water. Stir rapidly. Pour over popped corn, mixing thoroughly. Form into balls with damp hands.

Penuche (Brown Sugar Fudge)

This isn't very good, don't bother making it....just kidding!


1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup nuts -- chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla

Grease 8x8 inch pan. Melt butter; stir in brown sugar and bring to boil. Lower heat and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add milk; increase heat to medium. Return to boil. Remove from heat. Cool to room temp. and beat in powdered sugar and vanilla. Add nuts. Pour into pan.

Old Fashioned Fudge

My mother used to make this fudge at least once a month - on Sundays - and we would eat it in front of the TV watching the "Sunday Night Movie".  We always had it with popcorn and Kool Aid - a perfect Sunday dinner!

It is a bit tricky to  make.  I would suggest using a thermometer...

3 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup nuts -- chopped

Mix togethr in pan sugar and cocoa. Slowly add the milk and water. Add butter. Cook to softball stage. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool to lukewarm. Beat until creamy and loses its gloss. Add nuts. Pour onto waxed paper.

Nut Brittle

This is about the easiest recipe ever and you can't ruin it unless you burn the sugar!

1 cup nuts -- raw (any nut works fine as long as it's raw)
1/2 cup clear corn syrup.
1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon salt

Coat a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Mix baking soda, salt and water in cup and set aside. Place sugar and syrup in skillet. (DO NOT USE NON-STICK COOKWARE). Cook over medium heat stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until mixture is melted and bubbling. Add nuts and continue cooking ans stirring for approx. 10 more minutes, until mixture is a light caramel color. Turn off heat and add soda/water mixture. Pour onto cookie sheet. Let cool and break into pieces.

Famous Fudge

This is the fudge I always make.

Funny story.  Emily and I were making this in my new house.  I decided to use the timer on my stove for the first time to measure 4 minutes.  Unknowingly, I put in 4 hours.  I kept stirring and stirring, trying to keep a 4 year old entertained, (time always goes extremely slow when you have a kid to entertain) and it finally dawned on me that the mixture I was stirring was thick as TAR!  threw it out and got out more ingredients...

1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans -- chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt in a medium, heavy duty saucepan. Bring to a full roiling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir in marshmallows, chocolate chips, nuts and vanilla. Stir vigoursly for 1 minute until marshmallows are melted. Pour into foil lined 8 inch square pan; chill for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan, remove foil, cut into squares.

For milk chocolate fudge, substitute 2 cups milk chocolate chips.

Divinity

One Christmas a million years ago, I burnt out my hand mixer making this.  That is the year Santa brought me my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.

2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup, light
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon other optional flavoring

Put first four ingredients in pan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until boiling. Insert candy thermometer & cook (not stirring) until 252 degrees. While sugar mixture is cooking, beat egg whites in deep bowl until stiff peaks form. When sugar is done, slowly pour into egg whites, beating on high speed constantly. then add flavors or any food coloring. Continue beating till candy holds its shape and begins to lose its gloss. Add nuts. Spread onto waxed paper. Let cool then cut with wet knife. Store air tight.


NOTES : You can add 1/2 cup chopped nuts at the end if desired.

Chocolate Snowballs

I used to make these candies as Christmas gifts for years.  they are a bit of work, but everyone will love them.

1 batch See's Fudge -- use 1 cup butter
4 pounds white chocolate -- chips

Use recipe for See's Fudge, cutting buter down to one cup. Refrigerate overnight and then shape fudge into small balls and freeze. Melt vanilla chips over low heat in fondue pot set on dessert. (Can also use microwave.) DO NOT get the chocolate too hot, it must be melted but very thick and just warm. Transfer balls from freezer no more than 20 at a time as they must stay firm. One at a time quickly dip the ball into the chocolate covering completely and remove with a bent fork. Put on waxed paper. Keep snowballs in a cool place or refrigerate.


NOTES : 6 bags are usually enough of the chips.

Caramels

This is my wonderful sister-in-law Lynn's recipe.  Every time I make them, I think about her. (And how hers always turned out so much better than mine...)

1 cup butter
1 pound brown sugar
dash salt
1 cup corn syrup, light
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter, stir in sugar and salt; then add syrup. Continue cooking over medium heat. Add milk. Stir constantly over medium heat till firm ball stage. (245-250 degrees) (12-15 minutes). Add vanilla and pour into buttered pan. Let cool. Can add chopped nuts after vanilla if desired.