Recipe of the Month: 3 Quick Easter Candies

Happy Easter everyone! 

This "recipe of the month" is all about your bunny-induced spring sugar fix!

Learn to make 3 EASY, QUICK Easter candies.  You don't need the stove, don't need the oven and don't even need to measure the ingredients!

If you wish to make all 3 of these you will need: 

2-3 bags of chocolate pieces (dark, white, or colored)
chow mein noodles
peanuts
jelly beans
candy/cookie sprinkles
 Special Equipment:  silicone candy mold - Easter shapes (You can find these online, at craft stores, and many grocery stores.)

 1. CHOCOLATE CANDY BIRD NESTS

 

Place the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave at 30 second increments until the chocolate melts and is smooth.

Be sure to stir the chocolate between each heating in the microwave.

Add the chow mein noodles to the chocolate and stir to coat.

The noodle chocolate mixture should look like this.

Spoon the mixture into small clumps on a cookie sheet.

Decorate each nest with 3 jelly beans, then refrigerate until the candy hardens.

2. CHOCOLATE PEANUT NESTS

Melt the chocolate as with the bird nests above, but this time add peanuts.

Stir the peanuts in until they are coated with chocolate.

Spoon the mixture onto a cookie pan and decorate with jelly beans. Allow to harden in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then serve!

3. CHOCOLATE "PEEP" BUNNIES WITH SPRINKLES

Fill an Easter-related-shape silicone candy mold with chocolate pieces.

Place the candy mold in the microwave and melt the chocolate at 30 second increments until smooth.

Stir the chocolate with a toothpick between each heating so that it is smooth. Tap the mold against the counter top so that the chocolate spreads evenly within the mold.

Cover the surface of the warm melted chocolate with decorative candy sprinkles.

Refrigerate the mold for 1 hour.  Once the chocolate is hard, carefully pop the candies out onto a baking sheet.

Display and serve your candies for a sweet, delicious Easter!

My Christmas Gift to You: Recipe for Peanut Brittle

  Merry Christmas, dear readers! (And a happy  Hanukkah, Kwanza, Solstice and "Festivus to the rest of us!") The onset of the holiday season, as well as a request made by a dear friend of mine from nursing school (Jerrica - this one's for you, girl!), have been the inspiration for my gift to  you all this year - my favorite candy recipe -
 PEANUT BRITTLE!

 You will need:

    A candy thermometer.
    A wooden spoon
    A 3 quart saucepan
    Either one half sheet pan, or 2 smaller cookie
    sheets.
    A cooling rack
    A stove
    Measuring cups & spoons

    Ingredients:

    2 cups granulated white sugar
    1 cup light corn syrup
    1/2 cup water
    1 cup (2 sticks) butter
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    As many dry roasted peanuts as you like (other nuts may be substituted as well)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in the 3 quart saucepan.

2  Cook on medium-low heat (setting 4-5 on an electric stove) and stir until the sugar dissolves.

3.  When syrup boils, blend in the butter. 

4.  Stir frequently after the mixture reaches the syrup stage (as marked on the candy thermometer). 

5.  Add nuts when the temperature reaches the soft crack stage (280 degrees F).

6.   Stir constantly until the temperature reaches the hard crack stage (305 degrees F).  Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda, mixing thoroughly.  Then, quickly pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet(s).

7.   Before the candy cools, spread it out as thinly as possible with the flat of the wooden spoon.

8.  Allow to cool completely. 

9.  When it is cool, loosen it from the cookie sheet by lifting up on one edge of the candy and/or slightly twisting the cookie sheet.  Then, crack into pieces and serve. 

Eat and enjoy!

The peanut brittle will last approximately 1 month in an airtight container, or even longer containerized in the refrigerator. 

BONUS TIPS:

    This recipe reminds me of chemistry class because you need to measure things out EXACTLY, and to read the candy thermometer PRECISELY.  This is very important!

 Do not try to walk away from this recipe to do or cook other things!  If you ignore it, you will burn it.

    Keep the candy moving - stir, stir, stir!  And stir deeply! Scrape the bottom of the pan with the wooden spoon.  Again, this is to avoid burning.

    Move quickly on steps 6 &7.  It is a good idea to measure out the baking soda ahead of time so that you can dump it into the mixture when the temperature is EXACTLY 305 degrees F.

    You do not need to grease the cookie sheets. There is enough butter in the recipe that it will not stick. I promise.

    To clean your pan, spoon and thermometer, simply run them under hot water until the candy dissolves off of them.  Or, you can find a lucky child to use the wooden spoon as an all-day sucker. 

Please take a moment to share this recipe with others.  Just click the social media links to the bottom or right of the post.

Please consider donating to the worthy causes linked to at the right of the post.  It only takes a click! 

Thank you for reading!  Read more soon! :)