Toffee...the Old-Fashioned Way

My all-time favorite Holiday treat!

My all-time favorite candy is toffee. Or English Toffee, as some call it...or butter-brickle, butter-toffee or Heath, SKOR bar....etc.  There are certainly a lot of names for it but they are generally the same: delicious, buttery goodness!

So many folks love that buttery candy flavor with that perfect crunch to it! I don't blame them. There's nothing NOT to like about it! It's butter & sugar...with chocolate! YES!!!

I remember my first 'toffee' experience. It was with a Heath bar. I think I was 11 or 12 years old. (Mid 1970's) A friend told me I should try it. We were in a little mini-market and we each bought something and took it outside. We sat on the curbside with our feet in the gutter. There were three of us. I remember opening the Heath bar package and sliding out the two pieces of candy. I remember taking my first bite. I remember after it was gone...wishing there was more in there! I fell in love that day & have never strayed!

Fast forward about 10 years. (Mid '80's) I was now married with children, and my husband & I were visiting one of my Aunts in her home. It was somewhere between Thanksgiving & Christmas. She offered us a tray with a variety of homemade goodies...my eyes locked onto the brown candy with a layer of chocolate...could it be my long-lost love? Dare I hope?! She didn't have to offer twice. I snatched a piece of the dark, odd-shaped confection she was calling 'toffee'. I popped it in my mouth. Was I going to be disappointed again? I had tried many so-called 'toffees' over the years, but they were never quite right. Would today be different? It was! It was perfection!...in candy form, of course!

I don't actually remember the next few moments or how I asked, but I remember leaving with that recipe in my hand & I don't think I've ever been more pleased with myself! I can't describe what I felt, but maybe it should have clued me in to the fact that I love candy-making & I love finding candy recipes that satisfy!

Fast forward to the present. It's been over a quarter of a century since I got that recipe from my Aunt and I've been making it ever since! The same recipe, the same way! I make it every Holiday season for my family to enjoy, and have even sold a few boxes here and there. I must say that this was & still is my personal, all-time greatest find and most favorite candy recipe ever! Today I would like to share it with you!

Ingredients:

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup crushed almonds, raw/unsalted

STEP 1: Combine butter & sugar in heavy saucepan, on medium heat.

STEP 2: Allow butter to melt, whisking occasionally.

STEP 3: Once the butter finishes melting, whisk completely,
fully incorporating the  butter & sugar, without the buttery separation
 as seen in the previous photo of step 2.

The toffee will start out pale in color and continue to darken as it reaches the proper temperature.

....and darker still. Notice the little pockets of super dark
brown spots? They almost look like syrup? It's getting closer!

Finally done!

I check my toffee using an old-fashioned method. I use a cup of cold water, and drop some of the hot liquid into it. I fish it out with a fork and immediately taste it. If it's soft, it's going to be soft after it's poured and has set. If it's chewy, it will be chewy when it's poured and has set. If it's brittle and crunchy, it will be brittle and crunchy when it's poured and has set. So you get the picture, right? The cold water will instantly set your sample dripping of candy, making it possible for you to know exactly whether or not it's ready to turn off the heat and pour it into your pan! I love this method, and have used it exclusively for my candy testing. Of course, you can use a candy thermometer if you like. (300* -310*)

STEP 4: I prepared a large cookie sheet ahead by coating it with butter,
so the candy doesn't stick. I quickly pour the hot candy into the pan,
going back and forth as I pour, in order to spread the candy out
before it sets. I scrape the pan with a heat resistant rubber spatula
to get out all the last bits of candy, then I use the spatula to spread
out the candy, easing it into the corners, etc. 

I also had placed the almonds in a ziploc bag for crushing,
when the candy was cooking....



I crush the almonds with my rolling pin, while they're in the baggie...
careful not to crack your counter!



STEP 5: A couple of minutes after the candy has been poured,
sprinkle the chocolate chips over the surface area.



Here's a closeup of the chips as they start to melt....

 

STEP 6: After about 3 minutes, use a rubber spatula and spread
the melted chips around until completely melted...

....Spread the chocolate over the entire surface....

...sprinkle on the crushed almonds.. All done!
 Allow the chocolate time to set up, then break into pieces.
Store in an airtight container.

Homemade Butterfinger Candy

Homemade Butterfinger takes just a
few simple ingredients!

In my never-ending quest for candy recipes, I was delighted to come across this one for Butterfinger,  & knew I had to try it! (Another Pinterest find!)  It only takes a few ingredients and was actually pretty easy. I didn't use the same chocolate as the original recipe because I prefer a mix of my own.... but basically it's the same recipe.



Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups candy corns (16 oz. bag)

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup semi-sweet morsels

1 cup milk chocolate morsels

STEP 1: Melt candy corn in a glass bowl at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until completely melted.

STEP 2: Add in peanut butter. Mix thoroughly.



The candy centers, as they cool.

  STEP 3: Pour into a prepared 8"x8" pan, lined with foil and sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray, like Pam.



Cut into longer bars or just into bite-sized pieces.

STEP 4: Allow to cool to room temperature. Once cool, cut into bars or bite-size pieces. Refrigerate in a ziplock bag for 2 hours, or until cold and firm.

STEP 5: Microwave 1/2 cup semi-sweet & 1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels in a glass bowl, for 30-second intervals, until melted. Stirring after each 30 second interval.

STEP 6: Prepare your dipping area: Place a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Get out your candy centers that were placed in the refrigerator. Bring your bowl of hot, melted morsels to your dipping area, along with 2 dinner forks. (Yes, dinner forks!)



Just dipped Butterfinger candies...not quite dry!

STEP 7: Working quickly, drop your first candy center into the bowl of melted chocolate. Using a fork, flip the candy over to coat other side. If any candy is still exposed, use your fork to push some chocolate over the exposed areas. Obviously, any area not covered with chocolate now, won’t be covered later. I use two forks now, and once I have lifted the candy up with my right fork, I gently tap that fork on the side of the bowl to help any dripping chocolate to fall back into the bowl, and I then go to place the candy on the parchment or waxed-paper covered tray, using my left fork to help to slide it off, trying not to damage the chocolates’ surface too much. (To view photos of this method, click here.)

*This is not a professional approach to candy dipping, by any means. There are candy-dipping ‘forks’ and other useful utensils available at most craft stores. For technique, you may want to peruse some websites that have step-by-step photos or even a video. I use this method because the Internet was not around when I first started making candy! I gleaned what I could from every book, article and recipe and came up with this method, which works for me.



All finished & ready to eat!

STEP 8: Continue working until all candies are coated with chocolate. If your candy centers start to seem a bit soft, just place them back in the refrigerator, or only take a few out at a time. Again, remember to work quickly since your chocolate is easiest to work with when warm and will become harder and harder to work with as it cools down. If your chocolate does become too hard to work with, simply reheat at 30 second intervals. One or two 30-second zaps should be all that’s necessary. Once your chocolate supply seems too shallow in your bowl, use the remaining morsels, melt in microwave & continue to coat the remaining candies.

STEP 9: Let cool in refrigerator, or if you’re in a hurry, the freezer works great! Once your chocolate has set, remove from tray and place in an air-tight container. I like to place small pieces of waxed paper between each candy. I then place them back in the refrigerator. 

ENJOY!

Interested in other Homemade candy recipes? Click here to try Twix or Peppermint Patties.

Campfire Cones

Campfire Cones: Fresh from the fire and too hot to handle!

Our entire immediate family just recently went camping together. We went to the California Redwoods alongside the Eel River. It was so beautiful. It was a perfect combination of dense forest, quiet & peaceful natural surroundings, mixed in with hot sunshine, cool & refreshing river water and good food! I enjoyed myself immensely.

Some danish Laurel made the day before
we went camping... to take along!

One of the main things our family does when we get together is eat! (Who doesn't, right!?) My oldest daughter has a food blog, if that's any indication of how seriously we take our food. (You can visit her @ www.californialaurel.blogspot.com)  She usually takes over in the kitchen which means we can't just 'BBQ some hot dogs'! Meals are usually serious affairs with the final results being scrumptious goodies we all rave about...until the next awesome tidbit she presents for our palate.

Laurel shopped for all the main food items we would consume while camping, while the rest of us were to bring along the "extra goodies".... brownies, popcorn, hot chocolate & marshmallows, cookies, candy, S'mores stuff, etc. I had seen this great idea on Pinterest last year, and thought we should try it. Since there was chocolate involved, it was a hit!

Ingredients:

Sugar cones

Marshmallows

Favorite candy assortment

You'll also need foil for the final step.

It's pretty simple:

Take a sugar cone and drop a mini marshmallow into the bottom. (Prevents possible burns if theres a hole or crack in the cone.) Next just layer broken bits of any assortment of your favorite candies, maybe more marshmallows, etc. We had a combination of Rolos, plain Hershey bars (left over from S'mores) Peppermint Patties, Mini Snickers bars, and topped it off with a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. We then covered it in foil, sealing all the edges so we didn't lose any delicious-ness into the fire! We placed the cones top-up in the campfire or the grill grate, until all the chocolate melted and became a huge, gooey mess. (Yum!) That's it. Remove the foil and enjoy! Be careful. It's HOT!

'Acorn' Treats!

The finished 'acorns'..with a few peanut butter smears!

Fall is so full of fun & interesting crafting ideas for children... it's hard to decide which to do!      (Pinterest)  We opted for a quick, easy, edible idea that was also educational! (We went outdoors & rummaged around for different leaves, trying to choose a variety of shapes & colors....and of course, we found oak! Ps..these leaves were saved for yet another fall project!)

So we tied in the oak with the acorn, and had lots of fun producing our own little 'acorns'! The only problem we encountered was that I had to ask my grandsons to stop eating them so I could have more than one finished 'acorn' in the bowl at a time! (Pictures!!) 

What you'll need:

Nutter-Butter Peanut Butter Cookies, round - 1 pkg

Hershey Kisses, Milk or Dark Chocolate - 1 bag

Chocolate Chips - Appx. 20 - 30




STEP 1: Grammy shows them what to do: Twist the cookie as you pull apart, ending up with two pieces.

 




'Peanut butter & chocolate' is an irresistible combination!

 

 


STEP 2: Using the cream filling as glue, just squish on a Hershey Kiss.

  


STEP 3: Using a tiny bit of the cream filling, add a chocolate chip to the top.


That's it! We're done!    Yum!!

Looks pretty in the bowl...

Don't mind if I do!...






Breakfast Croissants

Quick & easy treat for the whole family.

Around our house, breakfast is a favorite. We love breakfast food..biscuits with sausage gravy, orange-cranberry pancakes, fried potatoes, breakfast burritos, waffles....You get my point, right? We LOVE breakfast food. I didn't even start on breakfast breads... donuts, coffee cake, danish...and so on. Speaking of danish, my daughter Laurel just made some awesome danish a few days ago and posted the recipe on her blog: CaliforniaLaurel.blogspot.com. You can view the recipe and pictures here.

Of course, we have breakfast for dinner as often as possible. We even go out for breakfast late at night. (I know we aren't the only people who do this or Denneys wouldn't have a 24 hour breakfast menu!)

So with all that said, here it is Valentines Day. I had to run to the store early this morning because we had no sugar for our coffee! So I thought of grabbing some type of fresh-baked donut or something for my husband to get this special day started off right. (He's a great fan of all things 'pastry') Then I remembered our croissant trick...buy a roll of crescent rolls and add a few goodies and...Wa-LA! Fresh, hot, delicious pastry...for a fraction of the cost! Here are the details:

STEP 1: Buy crescent rolls. Mine were $1.98 on sale.






On the left, raspberry jam. On the right, Nutella.

          
             STEP 2: Before rolling, add yummy stuff.





These are the only savory croissants I made.  They have
brown-sugar ham & cheddar cheese.

  



These actually got more yummy stuff on top before
 the went into the oven.

  
            STEP 3: Bake according to package directions.


      STEP 4: Once out of the oven, add more yummy stuff.




The lemon drizzle on the left, and the plain drizzle on the right,.. just
to give me something to help the almonds stick.

 



On the ham & cheese I sprinkled a few bits of shredded cheese. On the
'cinnabon' I had smeared butter & cream cheese inside. The I had sprinkled
the inside as well as the outside with cinnamon & sugar.

 

    STEP 5: Eat. (At this point, they can't help it... they're yummy!!)




These actually didn't need this since there were only a few different flavors,
but I like to scribble across my parchment what flavor they are..just in case.

                            

Yummy White-Chocolate Dipped Oreos

This is one of those recipes that are so easy, but turn out so yummy! I usually buy these around Christmas time, then one year we decided to try and make our own. They turned out great and we've been making them ever since. My daughter, Abby, actually made this batch and decorated them for her Valentine....

All you need is a bag of Oreos and a 12 ounce bag of white chocolate chips.


Heat the white-chocolate chips in the microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.




Use a second fork to help slide the cookie onto the tray.



A finished tray of dipped Oreos.



Abby had fun decorating with a few different motifs.



Homemade Root Beer

Homemade Root Beer tastes great with vanilla bean ice cream!

A nice cool Root Beer float is always a favorite of my husbands....and then I came across this recipe and I thought, "Why not?"....

 I'm not really a big fan of root beer so I didn't feel qualified to do the 'taste-test', but there were plenty of others in the house who tried it out. There are only 3 ingredients and it takes only a few minutes! This would be a great recipe to do with kids, since it's so easy, quick and has pretty reliable results.

3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups hot water
1 liter cold seltzer water
1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp Root Beer concentrate (sold in the spice section along with extracts and other flavorings) 

STEP 1: Dissolve the sugar into the hot water. (I just put my water in my glass measuring cup and placed it in the microwave for 2 minutes.)

STEP 2: Add the Root Beer concentrate and let cool.



STEP 3: Combine the cooled root beer mixture with the cold seltzer water. Serve immediately.

Homemade Twix Candy

My husband, Kevin, is a great fan of Twix candy bars, so when I originally found this recipe several years ago, I was excited to try it! I had never seen one of these ‘copy-cat’ books up until this time, and had no idea they even existed! What are the odds that the first one I pick up has a Twix recipe?! (Apparently pretty good!) Hooray!

I thought it might be harder than it sounded in the book, or maybe just wouldn’t turn out at all. But I thought, “Hey! Someone made it, somewhere. And if they can do it, so can I!” Needless to say, the recipe turned out, and I have been making it ever since!

Twix Candy

35 Caramels (I usually just buy a 14 oz bag of Kraft caramels, which have about 50)

¼ cup water

1 box Nabisco Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies

2-12oz bags Milk Chocolate Morsels (I use ½ semi-sweet morsels)

Step 1: Combine unwrapped caramels with water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until caramels have melted and the two ingredients are fully combined.

Step 2: Place cookies side-by-side on a parchment or waxed-paper lined cookie sheet.

Step 3: Drop a small dab of the melted caramel onto each cookie. If you have lots left over, go back and drop a second dab of caramel on each. Place tray in refrigerator for about 45 minutes, or until caramel has set up quite firm.

Step 4: Melt chocolate chips in microwavable bowl for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and smooth. DON’T cook for longer than 30 seconds at a time!

Step 5: Remove about 1/3 of the cookies at a time, leaving the rest in the refrigerator to stay cool. This makes it so much easier to coat with chocolate. If the caramel starts getting soft again, place cookies back in refrigerator for a few minutes.

Step 6: Working quickly, drop your first cookie caramel side down into the bowl of melted chocolate. Using a fork, flip the cookie over to coat other side. If any cookie is still exposed, use your fork to push some chocolate over the exposed areas. Obviously, any area not covered with chocolate now, won’t be covered later. I use two forks now, and once I have lifted the cookie up with my right fork, I gently tap that fork on the side of the bowl to help any dripping chocolate to fall back into the bowl, and I then go to place the cookie on the parchment or waxed-paper covered tray, using my left fork to help to slide it off, trying not to damage the chocolates’ surface too much.

This is not a professional approach to candy dipping, by any means. There are candy-dipping ‘forks’ and other useful utensils available at most craft stores. For technique, you may want to peruse some websites that have step-by-step photos or even a video. I use this method because the Internet was not around when I first started making candy! I gleaned what I could from every book, article and recipe and came up with this method, which works for me.

Step 7: Continue working until all cookies are coated with chocolate. If your caramel seems a bit soft, just place your tray back in the refrigerator, or only take a few out at a time. Again, remember to work quickly since your chocolate is easiest to work with when warm and will become harder and harder to work with as it cools down. If your chocolate does become too hard to work with, simply reheat at 30 second intervals. One or two 30-second zaps should be all that’s necessary.

Step 8: Let cool in refrigerator, or if you’re in a hurry, the freezer works great! Once your chocolate has set, remove from tray and place in an air-tight container. I like to place small pieces of waxed paper between each cookie. I then place them back in the refrigerator. I honestly don’t know how long they will keep in the refrigerator or the freezer since ours have never lasted more than two days. If you find out…let me know.