Honey Comb Candy

 

I got really into candy making a few months back. Out of all the recipes I tried, my favorite recipe to make was honey comb. Its looks really impressive but it is super simple to make. You can make it plain or dip it into melted chocolate. I have also added chopped nuts to create a honey comb nut brittle (although if you add nuts you do deflate the honey comb a bit). Anyway you make it, it is a real crowd pleaser. At least my work friends think so. I found this particular recipe while searching through Pinterest. The only addition I made was a pinch of salt. You can find the recipe here. 

Ingredients: 

1 Cup White Granulated Sugar 

1/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup 

2 Tablespoon Honey 

1/2 Cup Water 

2 Teaspoon Baking Soda 

Pinch of coarse salt (optional)

Preparation: Line and 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper In a large pot on the stove top, over medium-high heat, add the sugar in an even layer to the bottom of the pan. Pour the corn syrup and honey over the sugar and then pour the water to moisten all the sugar. Do not Stir! Cook mixture until the temperature reaches 300-degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. Remove the pot from the stove and whisk in the baking soda for a few seconds, until mixture stops foaming up. Pour mixture immediately into prepared pan. Let honeycomb set for at least an hour, or until completely hardened, before breaking into pieces (I used my hands). Option: Coat honeycomb candy in chocolate. Store candy in an airtight container. Candy stays fresh and crunchy for 3-4 days.

The Secret Recipe Club - Chinese 5 Spice Peanut Brittle

It's The Secret Recipe Club time again!!  This month we got a great blog Tami's Kitchen Table Talk.....this was really nice and exciting since Tami is also our Group D Hostess!  As I looked through her blog I found so many different recipes that I wanted to make but when I saw this recipe for Chinese 5 Spice Peanut Brittle I knew I HAD to make it.  Nanci and I have been talking about finding a good recipe for peanut brittle so it was a no brainer when I came across Tami's recipe.  I really love addition of Chinese 5 Spice into the peanut brittle.  Chinese 5 Spice is a combination of Szechuan peppercorns, Star Anise, Fennel, Cinnamon and Cloves. I'm a huge fan of Sweet and Savory so I couldn't wait to try it.  Also this brittle is made solely in the microwave, what could be easier than that?  I was right, it was easy and super delicious.  Everyone who tried it LOVED it.  I'm very excited to find this recipe and I'm already trying to concoct other ways to make "brittle" using this method.  Maybe pistachio brittle or curried almond brittle the combinations are endless.  Thank you Tami for letting us make something from your blog, it was a lot of fun and very yummy!

Ingredients:

½ C. light corn syrup

1 C. white sugar
1 C. dry roasted peanuts
¾ tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp baking soda

Preparation:

Make sure to measure all ingredients carefully. Very light grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Do not be tempted to oil the pan with a heavy hand because that will result in oily brittle.  I used the Reynolds Wrap Release Foil and it worked perfectly.  In a large glass bowl that will fit into the microwave, stir together the corn syrup, sugar, peanuts and 5 spice powder until thoroughly mixed together.  Microwave on high for 6 minutes.  Stir in the butter and microwave for an additional 30 seconds.  Remove from microwave and gently stir in baking soda until the mixture is light and foamy.  Now you need to work quickly!!  Using a rubber spatula that has been sprayed with cooking spray, scrape the mixture out onto the greased baking sheet. Smooth out to a thin layer and allow to cool for at least 1 hour.  Once cool, break the brittle into pieces and store in a well-sealed container.

Here's a variation we made with cashews and pistachios!  So delicious

Candied Walnuts

These are the easiest to make and OMG they are delish!!!. The trick to getting a shiny hard candy coating on the nuts is time and patience. You need to stand over the nuts and sugar and stir and stir until the sugar melts and turns amber. Everything must be melted and smooth. This was my first attempt at making these and they came out amazing. I used them in the strawberry mango salad that was posted a few days ago.

Ingredients:

2 cups of walnuts
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon butter
pinch of salt

Preparation:

Place walnuts in a dry non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Toast walnuts (when you can smell them, they are done). Add sugar and lower heat to medium. Stir nuts and sugar constantly. When sugar begins to melt, add the butter and salt. Continue to stir as the sugar melts. Sugar must be completely melted and free from granules. When the sugar turns an amber color and coats the nuts, remove from the heat and transfer to a greased foil lined pan and spread out into a single layer (A silpat works best to prevent nuts from sticking). Allow to cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

Peanut Butter Clusters

This is the easiest, throw together no bake, cookie/candy and it is absolutely decadent and delicious. If you like peanut butter this is for YOU!

Ingredients:

1 package of peanut butter chips
1 cup of potato sticks
1 cup of roasted peanuts
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted for drizzling

Preparation:

Put peanut butter chips in a medium size glass bowl and melt in the microwave in 30 second increments stirring in between until melted and smooth. Add potato sticks and peanuts and stir to coat completely. Drop peanut butter mixture by spoonful onto a cookie sheet lined with parchments paper or another non-stick surface (I used a silpat liner). Place in the freezer to harden. Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments stirring inbetween until chcolate is completely melted and smooth. Place melted chocolate in a small piping bag (a zip lock plastic bag would work too). Snip off a tiny piece at the end of the pastry bag and pipe zig zag lines of chocolate on each peanut butter cluster. If necessary place clusters back in the freezer for chcolate to harden.

Chocolate Bark

I love this recipe. It started when my kids went trick or treating a few years back and came home with ridiculous amounts of Halloween candy. I took all of the Hershey and Crunch bars and melted them in the microwave and threw in whatever snacks I had lying around in the kitchen and made bark out of it. It was a huge hit and my friends and family raved about this candy. Who knew that was all I had to do to make something so yummy. So now I bring this treat to family gatherings and I get requests to bring it to scrapbooking events that Ellen and I host for our friends. The great thing about this treat is that you can use any kind of chocolate you have in your house and you can add anything into it that you want (m&ms, dried fruit, reese's pieces, etc)

Thanks Ellen for taking this amazing picture. I can't believe how professional it looks!!

Ingredients:

1 bag of milk chocolate chips
1 bag of semi sweet chips
1/2 bag of mini marshmallows'
1-2 cups pretzel pieces
1-2 cups chopped almonds

Preparation:

Melt chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl until melted and smooth (microwave one minute at a time until it is fully melted). Pour in marshmallows, almonds and pretzel pieces and stir to coat. Pour mixture onto a silpat or waxed or parchment paper and refrigerate until set. Break into pieces and serve.