ESPRESSO ESPRESSO ESPRESSO (CARAMELS)

These are espresso caramels and they are my favorite candy that I've ever made in my entire life.

The first recipe I used was an espresso caramel recipe and it didn't set up correctly- I had a gooey delicious mess that I had no idea what to do with. I decided that I would reboil it and try to get it to the hard ball stage...of course that didn't work because of candy laws and the way candy works, so I ended up with espresso toffee. It actually ended up not being hard-break-your-teeth toffee, it was actually really good, melt-in-your-mouth toffee. But it still frustrated me because it wasn't what I wanted.

I then tried the apple cider caramels recipe from the previous post and instead replaced the apple cider with espresso and it worked out fantastically! I put about 1/3 cup of finely ground espresso into a coffee press and added maybe 3/4 cup of boiling water to it, let it stand for a few minutes and pressed out about 1/3 cup of espresso. There were grounds that got out but they actually make the caramels look prettier and give them a stronger taste. I'm sure you could use instant espresso or coffee instead as well.

With the amount of espresso and bits of grounds that are in these caramels, they taste strongly like espresso but still with sweet notes of caramel. They kind of taste like a strong caramel frappuccino maybe? They're delicious, try them! Now I might try subbing other liquids into that recipe...

Apple Cider Caramels and Pumpkin Pie Fudge

I recently started a Cuisine Club at my school so the other principal members and I decided to bring some Thanksgiving themed food to our first general body meeting on Tuesday. I decided on pumpkin pie fudge because another member stole apple pie and then caramels. I've been wanting to make these Apple Cider Caramels ever since I saw the recipe for them from the Sugarpunk blog a few years ago but I was too intimidated...and now it is time, because I've decided to trust my $5 candy thermometer from wal-mart and build a good relationship with it. So I'm in a candy phase now.

Candy candy I love you a lot
but I am afraid you will make my teeth rot

There's a little poem I just made up about candy.

Anyway, the caramels are RIDICULOUS! Ridiculously good.Well I'm actually not really a fan of caramel apples but that's what they taste like. EXACTLY. A little too apple-y for me though, but again, I'm not a caramel apple person. They're perfect for Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas or just for eating...and the directions are so clear that they're actually easy! I swear!

The fudge was okay ... I'm not sure if I'm overly critical of what I make or what but it just tasted okay to me. It had pumpkin and spice flavor and felt like fudge but I feel like something was off. Also, on medium heat the fudge scorched the bottom of my pot and I don't think it was supposed to do that... but if you're a big pumpkin pie fan then you should try it! It's not bad, it's just not for me. What I will be making that is pumpkin-y are these pumpkin squares that I tried at a potluck recently that were the most amazing pumpkin thing I've ever had in my life. ever. Will find the recipe and make it soon.

Apple Cider Caramels

Prepare an 8x8 inch pan that is lined with two oiled pieces of parchment paper.

2 c apple cider
Reduce to 1/3 cup, set aside.

2/3 c cream
6 tbsp butter
2 cinnamon sticks
Heat to boil, set aside, then rewarm right before adding it later

1 1/2 c sugar
1/4 c corn syrup
1/4 water
Cook to medium amber

Add cream, butter and reduced apple cider all at once, stirring constantly (it will foam up – use a good size pot).

Cook to 250 degrees, using medium heat – it should take around 5 minutes

Pour into your prepared pan. (I didn't have fleur de sal so I sprinkled a little salt and more cinnamon on top of the caramel for extra flavor) Cover and let sit (or refrigerate) until solid.

When ready, used a well oiled sharp knife to cut caramels.

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 generous cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
9 oz white chocolate, chopped
7 oz jar marshmallow cream (fluff)
1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 234 degrees.

Remove pan from heat; stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased aluminum foil-lined 8-inch square pan. Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool cut fudge into squares. Fudge will last a week or two in an air tight container

My First Candy Ever

Candy is scary and can result in disastrous, terrible messes. Toffee is delicious, addicting and amazing but it is a candy. A candy thermometer is a good investment which will yield you abundant amounts of wonderful, delicious candies for you to share with your friends and get cavities from.

My candy thermometer is from wal-mart and it cost about $3 which is why I didn't trust it until yesterday, when I tested it in some boiling water and then decided to give toffee a go. Its amazing how expensive toffee is when this toffee was literally butter and sugar, with some chocolate chips and almonds on top. So don't be scared! The ingredients aren't scary (other than the calorie count maybe...) and the method isn't scary! You can do it!

Easy Toffee
adapted from Allrecipes.com

• 2 cups butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds

1. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper or grease it.
   
2. In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the butter is melted. Whisk constantly until it come to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture becomes a dark amber color, and the temperature has reached 300 degrees F.
   
3. As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet. Rap the sheet on the counter to get rid of the bubbles and to spread it out. Wait a minute or so for it to set up a little, then sprinkle the chocolate over the top, and let it set for a minute or two to soften. Spread the chocolate into a thin even layer once it is melted. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate, and press in slightly.
   
4. Place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.