Archive for the ‘Candy’ Category

Christmas (or anytime) Candy (no bake)

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

I’ve been raiding my mother’s (Ruthlace) recipe book.  There are several reasons for this: I love to cook,  she has so many wonderful recipes, and people are always looking for good, tried-and-true recipes.  I’m not sure where she got this recipe, but I’ve made it and it’s wonderful and delicious.  It’s a great recipe to make with children because there’s no cooking involved (except for melting the chocolate/paraffin coating mixture),  and it makes such a great presentation. It looks MUCH harder than it is.  Here’s the easy (and delicious) recipe for candy.  Easy Christmas Candy

Christmas (or anytime) Candy

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milkChocolate candy balls

1 box confectioners sugar

1 stick margarine or butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Mix together well.  Roll into balls (marble-size).  Place in the refrigerator to harden for an hour.  Stick a toothpick in each ball.  In a double boiler melt the following:

1 cup chocolate (baking chocolate - semi-sweet is good but you could also use dark chocolate or white chocolate)

1 cup paraffin (equal parts to the chocolate). 

Dip each candy ball in the chocolate mixture, hold in the air for a moment to dry and place on wax paper and remove the toothpick.  Once you’ve dipped all the candy balls, you can use a small spoon to add a drop of the chocolate mixture to cover the hole made by the toothpick.  They’re ready to eat immediately.

Snickers-licious Cake

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

Our church recently had our annual Fall Festival. Part of the Fall Festival is an auction. Each year one of the ladies of the church bakes a homemade blackberry cobbler that has become almost legendary in our community. At the auction it goes for $500 or more. Last year I contributed a German chocolate cake and a White Chocolate cake to the auction. I don’t recall what they brought - probably around $40 or $50. My cooking isn’t lengendary . . . yet. -)

This year I came up with a semi-original recipe for a Snickers cake. My niece gave me a recipe for a Snickers cake, and that’s where I started with this cake, but I made many changes.  My “Snickers-licious cake” was put in the silent auction part of the Fall Festival, and it brought $50.  Not bad for a newbie.  Here’s the recipe.

Snickers-licious Cake

 “A taste of real Snickers candy bars in every bite” 

1 box German chocolate cake mix

1 12-oz. jar hot fudge ice cream topping

1 12-oz. jar caramel ice cream topping

1 cup peanuts, chopped

1 pound package Snickers candy bars

Mix cake according to directions on box.  Pour ½ of batter into a 9 x 12 cake pan that has been sprayed with Pam, and bake for approx. 10-15 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Immediately spread ½ jar of hot fudge topping on top of hot cake (If the hot fudge topping is too thick, heat it in the microwave until it spreads easily). Sprinkle the peanuts evenly on top of the hot fudge topping.  Then drizzle on ½ jar caramel topping.  Pour remaining batter on top of it all and bake until done.  Don’t overcook.

 Spread the remaining ½ jar hot fudge topping on top of warm cake.  Chop the Snickers candy into small pieces and sprinkle evenly over top of cake.  The candy pieces should cover the top of the cake.  Drizzle the remaining caramel topping on top.  Pop the cake back into the still-warm oven for about 30 seconds to semi-melt the candy bar pieces into the other toppings.