Cream Fondant for Dipping Chocolates

Submitted by Deloris Gehmlich from Candymaking by Ruth. A. Kendrick and pauline H. Atkinson


Ingredients:
1 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. light corn syrup
4 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. Mazetta (or marshmallow cream)
Flavoring and/or nuts

Directions:
1. Set aside a 9-by-13 in. ungreased baking pan. In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, combine cream, milk, corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Place over medium-high heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. If any sugar crystals are present, wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush.

2. Clip on candy thermometer. Cook syrup to 234 degrees F. or soft-ball stage. Remove from heat and, without stirring or scraping, pout into baking pan. Without excess movement, place in refrigerator or other cool area.

3. When bottom of pan no longer feels warm, begin stirring fondant with a wooden spoon. You don't have to stir rapidly, just keep the mass moving. If desired, after 15 minutes of stirring add 1/2 c. mazetta or marshmallow cream. If you intend to flavor the entire batch one flavor, you can add it any time after the mazetta is added. Stir until fondant becomes very thick and loses its gloss. At this point it has set up.

4. If it is too stiff to handle, break off small pieces and work them in your hands like modeling clay. This should cause it to soften. You could also wrap fondant in plastic wrap and cover it with a warm damp tea towel for 15 minutes. If it doesn't soften, it may be overcooked. Follow directions for recooking.

5. If you have stirred the fondant for more than 1 hour and it hasn't set up, try letting it rest for a few minutes without stirring. This will sometimes cause the fondant to begin the desired crystallization process. If resting doesn't work, it may be undercooked. Follow directions for recooking.

Cream Fondant Flavor Variations
Each is enough to flavor an entire batch. If you are flavoring one batch many flavors, reduce accordingly.
Vanilla or vanilla nut: 1 T. vanilla and 1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts.
Black walnut: 1 T. vanilla, 1/4 t. black walnut extract, and 1 c. walnuts.
Cherry creams: 2 t. almond extract and 1 t. rum extract.
Cherry nut: 2 t. almond extract, 1 t. run extract, 1/2 c. chopped candied cherries, and 1 c. chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
Mint creams: 1/2 t. oil of peppermint or 2 t. peppermint extract.
Lemon creams: 1 T. lemon extract, small amount yellow coloring, and 1/4 t. citric acid.
Orange creams: 1 T. orange extract, small amount of orang coloring, and 1/4 t. citric acid.
Raspberry or Strawberry creams: 2 T. raspberry or strawberry extract, 1/4 t. lemon extract, small amount pink or red coloring, and 1/4 t. citric acid.

Homemade Girl Scout Samoas

Submitted by Bethany Paradise


Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup superfine sugar (or granulated)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
Dipping Caramel (recipe follows)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (available at health food stores)
12 ounces of chocolate chips (dark chocolate =samoa, milk chocolate =deLite)


Directions:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in egg and beat until well incorporated, scraping down the bowl, if necessary. Add in vanilla. Beat until smooth. With mixer on low, add in salt and flour. Mix until completely incorporated and dough is uniform. Pull dough together and shape into a cylinder with a diameter of about 2 1/2 inches. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze for at least 25 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough into 1/8 inch disks and place on baking sheets, about an inch apart. Once you have made 30 cookies, wrap up the cookie dough, freeze, and save for another time. Use a tiny circle shaped cookie cutter or a large round cake decorating tip to cut a hole in the center of each disk. Refrigerate for an additional 10 minutes. Bake for 8 minutes, or until crisp. Let cool completely.
3. Add coconut into the caramel. Warm the caramel in the microwave for about 10 seconds if necessary. Take cooled cookies and gently dip them completely in the caramel. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Freeze until set, about 5 minutes.
4. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring well after each interval, until fully melted. Place the caramel coated cookies in the chocolate. Use a fork to pull them out of the chocolate and place them on a parchment line cookie sheet. Use the chocolate still on the fork to drizzle stripes over the top of the cookies. Refrigerate until set.

Dipping Caramel
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar)
4 tablespoons corn syrup
6 tablespoons water
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (DO NOT use plain whipping cream)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


Directions:
1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan with high sides, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt. Whisk until combined, and set over medium-low heat. Swirl the pan every now and then to help distribute the heat. Use can use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush the sugar crystals down the sides of the saucepan. When the sugar dissolves completely, raise the heat to medium. When it comes to a boil, watch very carefully for the bubbles to become more viscous (this means that the water has evaporated and that it is ready to go through the candy stages). As it is bubbling away, you want it to turn an amber color. When it does, remove the heat and, working quickly, use the spoon to scoop up a small amount of the candy and drop it into the small glass of water. If the blob turns hard like lollipop, then it is ready. If the blob is still soft, put the pan back on the heat. Keep testing until the candy is hard. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk in butter, 6 tablespoons of cream, and vanilla (Careful here, as the mixture should bubble violently for about 10 seconds). If the caramel isn’t smooth right away, return the pan to low heat and whisk until smooth.


Original recipe from blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen.

Five-Minute Fudge

Submitted by Kaye Sivori


Ingredients:
3/4 c. evaporated milk
1 2/3 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. marshmallows (about 16 medium)
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
1. Combine milk, sugar, and salt in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil for 4 to 5 minutes (start timing as soon as mixture starts bubbling around edge of pan). Stir constantly. Add marshmallows, chocolate, and vanilla. Stir vigorously for 1 minutes or until marshmallows are completely melted.
2. Pour into buttered 8-inch square pan. Stir in 1/2 c. nuts. Let set before cutting into squares.

Georgia Cookie Candy

Submitted by Mary Beth Cheney
Original recipe by Paula Deen

Ingredients:
1 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 c. crunchy peanut butter
3 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (1 1/2 packages)
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips (with butter to keep it soft)

Directions:
1. Line 13-by-9 inch pan with foil.
2. Combine butter, peanut butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs in food processor. Process until mixture forms a ball. Press into pan using hands or a spatula.
3. Melt chocolate chips in double boiler over simmering water or in a microwave-safe glass dish in the microwave for 1 minute on high (100%). Stir. If chocolate has not completely melted, microwave for 10 more seconds and stir again. Spread evenly over cookie layer with spatula. Chill for several hours. When ready to serve, allow candy to come to room temp before cutting into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Oreo Cream Balls

Submitted by Lezlie Zollinger
Ingredients:
8 oz. Oreo cookies (1/2 package)
8 oz. cream cheese
Melted chocolate (she recommends using candy melts so you can skip tempering the chocolate)

Directions:
1. Process cookies and cream cheese in a blender or food processor until well-blended.
2. Chill at least 10 minutes, and no longer than 20.
3. Roll into 1/2" balls. Chill again. Melt chocolate while filling is being chilled. Dip balls into chocolate.

Optional: Crush peppermint candies and sprinkle on top of finished chocolates for a Christmassy look.