Candy: What's Hot Now: Rolled Marzipan

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Rolled Marzipan Aug 2nd 2011, 10:02 (c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc. This Rolled Marzipan recipe produces a soft, supple marzipan that is perfect for covering cakes. Marzipan is an almond-flavored candy paste that can be used like chocolate plastic or fondant to produce smooth, beautifully covered cakes. This recipe yields about 3 pounds of marzipan, which is more than enough for one standard-sized 10-inch cake. Almond paste can be found in the baking section of many large grocery stores. You can also use this recipe to make your own almond paste. You will need a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for this recipe. Yield: about 3 lbs marzipan Ingredients: 1 lb almond paste 1 lb 12 oz (about 7 cups) powdered sugar 4 ounces (1/3 cup) light corn syrup 3 tbsp water food coloring, if desired Preparation: 1. Break the almond paste up into small chunks and put them in the bowl of the stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and turn the mixer onto the lowest speed. Mix the almond paste and the powdered sugar until the mixture is sandy and there are no large bits of almond paste left. This might take 5 or 10 minutes. Stop the mixer periodically to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. 2. Once the paste and the sugar are well-mixed and a sandy texture, stop the mixer and add the corn syrup, the water, and any food coloring you want to use. If you want to color your marzipan several different colors, you can always knead in the food coloring at a later point. Immediately turn the mixer back on and mix until the liquids are incorporated. 3. Once all of the ingredients are combined and the marzipan is a homogenous texture, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Form the marzipan into a ball and wrap it tightly in cling wrap. Refrigerate the marzipan for 24 hours to allow it to achieve the proper texture before use. 4. To roll out this marzipan, dust your work station with powdered sugar or cornstarch. Sprinkle the top of the marzipan with the starch, and use a rolling pin to roll the marzipan into a thin even circle about 1/8-inch thick. Marzipan is naturally a little softer than fondant, so if you leave it at room temperature for long periods or knead it excessively, you might find it needs to be refrigerated before it is firm enough to be rolled out. For help in covering cakes with fondant or marzipan, see this photo tutorial showing how to cover a cake with fondant. (Although the tutorial uses fondant, the instructions are the same for marzipan.) 5. Store Rolled Marzipan tightly wrapped in cling wrap in the refrigerator for up to a month. Click Here to View All Marzipan Candy Recipes

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Candy: What's Hot Now: Easy Pecan Roll

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Easy Pecan Roll Aug 2nd 2011, 10:02 (c) 2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc. This recipe for an Easy Pecan Roll makes eight delicious nougat-style logs, covered in creamy caramel and crunchy toasted pecans. Traditional recipes call for the nougat and caramel to be homemade, but this recipe makes use of prepared marshmallow cream and caramels to cut down on preparation time. The end result is a sweet treat that is bursting with pecan flavor. Ingredients: 2 cups marshmallow cream 3.5 cups powdered sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 pound soft caramels 2 tsp cream 2 cups toasted pecans, finely chopped Preparation: 1. In a large bowl, combine the marshmallow cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir with a stiff spoon until it becomes too difficult, then knead with your hands until all of the sugar is incorporated and you have a smooth, putty-textured ball. 2. Divide the candy into 8 equal parts, and roll them into thick logs about 1” in diameter. Place the logs on a baking sheet lined with foil or waxed paper, and freeze the logs until very firm, at least 1 hour. 3. Once the logs are very solid, place the unwrapped caramels in a large microwave-safe bowl with the cream. Microwave for one minute, then stir the caramels. If they have not all melted, or if it is still very stiff, microwave for an additional brief period. Stir until the caramel is smooth and homogenous. 4. Place the chopped pecans in a shallow bowl or pie tin. 5. Remove the logs from the refrigerator. Using a fork or dipping tools, dip one in the melted caramel until it is completely submerged. Remove it from the caramel, then place it on the chopped pecans, and roll it in the nuts until every surface is covered with nuts. Replace the log on the baking sheet and quickly repeat with remaining logs. If the caramel gets too thick, microwave it again briefly until it is smooth and liquid. 6. Once all of the logs have been coated in caramel and nuts, return them to the freezer for 30 minutes. Once they are firm, they can be cut into beautiful round slices. To serve, place the slices in small candy cups. Pecan Roll can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Be aware that if it gets too warm, the caramel will soften and may not hold its shape.

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Candy: What's Hot Now: Mint Twists

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Mint Twists Aug 2nd 2011, 10:02 Mint twists are a refreshing pulled taffy with a fun striped appearance. If you have never pulled taffy before, I recommend reading How to Pull Candy before beginning. I also recommend wearing two pairs of latex gloves while pulling, to prevent your hands from getting overheated or burned. Ingredients: 2 cups granulated sugar 1.5 cups light corn syrup 1 cup water 1/2 tsp peppermint extract 3-4 drops green good coloring Preparation: 1. Prepare two cookie sheets by spraying them with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. 2. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously, until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking without stirring until candy reaches 260 (hard-ball stage). 3. Remove from heat immediately and stir in mint extract. Pour half of the mixture into a prepared cookie sheet and place it in the preheated oven to stay warm. 4. Add green food coloring to the remaining candy. Pour the candy out onto a marble slab or heat-safe cutting board. Allow it to sit briefly until it forms a “skin.” 5. Using a bench scraper or heat-safe spatula, begin spreading the candy out and pushing it back together, working it across the board and allowing it to cool. 6. As soon as the candy is cool enough to handle, pull it in long strands, bring the strand together, and repeat, twisting and pulling, until it has a satin-like finish and is an opaque color. Pull into a long rope about 1” thick. Place back on the cookie sheet and remove the uncolored candy from the oven. 7. Repeat the procedure with the white candy, pulling until you have a long, pearly white rope about 1” thick. Twist the green and white strands together, barber-shop style, until they do not separate. (You may need to re-warm the green briefly in the oven. Watch it carefully so that it doesn’t melt). 8. Pull the twisted candy into long strips, 1/2-inch in diameter, and cut with oiled kitchen shears into pieces about 4 inches long. Allow to cool completely before wrapping individually in waxed paper.

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Candy: What's Hot Now: Reese's Minis & Hershey's Drop

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Reese's Minis & Hershey's Drop Aug 2nd 2011, 10:02 Hershey's debuted two variations on familiar favorites at the 2010 Sweets & Snacks Expo. In the Reese's line they showed Reese's Minis, dime-sized peanut butter cups that come already unwrapped. The new Hershey's chocolate product is Hershey's Drops, nickel-sized chocolate discs with a glazed finish to prevent melting. Reese's Minis Review The only word to describe the Reese's Minis is "adorable." The cups are tiny--the bottoms are about ½" wide, and at the top, the widest part, they're about ¾" wide. The petite look is great, but even better is the convenience factor of selling peanut butter cups unwrapped. Gone are the crimped outer foil wrapping and the paper layer that sticks to the chocolate. As someone who has had to unwrap dozens of unwieldy cups for baking projects, and then chop them into manageable sizes, this product seems like a no-brainer. The taste of the Reese's Minis is very similar to a regular Reese's peanut butter cup. A smooth, unremarkable milk chocolate houses a gritty peanut butter filling that actually packs quite a hit of salt. Because the size is so small, there is a greater chocolate to peanut butter ratio than in the larger cups, which is a disadvantage. But I really can't imagine that they could tweak the ratio any more and maintain the size, so it's a trade off I'm willing to make for a convenient, tasty product. Hershey's Drops Review (c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc. Hershey's also has a new miniature product, Heshey's Drops. These are chocolate discs about the size of a nickel, finished with a smooth, shiny glaze and stamped with the Hershey's name. The finish is not hard like a candy shell, so these are not just a larger M&M knockoff. It's closer to that of a Junior Mint, but very thin. I didn't notice its taste or texture at all, other than the fact that it did a great job of keeping the chocolate from melting or sticking together. And that chocolate? Pure Hershey's milk chocolate, through and through. I've always been underwhelmed with the taste of Hershey's and found it to have a sour aftertaste, so these were not a favorite. However, I think the idea of these Drops is great, so if you're a Hershey's fan, I imagine they'd be a hit. They're neater, they're easy to portion out, and they would be great for baking. There is also a cookies & cream version of the Drops that I wasn't able to try. I tasted samples of these products at the 2010 Sweets & Snacks Expo. They will be available in stores in December 2010. Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.

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Candy: What's Hot Now: Chocolate Toffee Bars

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Chocolate Toffee Bars Aug 1st 2011, 10:02 (c) 2007 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc. Chocolate Toffee Bars combine the best of both worlds: crunchy, sweet toffee and smooth, bittersweet chocolate. This recipe calls for 1 batch of Peanut Butter Toffee (recipe included below), however, you can substitute 1 pound of any other type of homemade or store-bought toffee that you have available. If you use another type of toffee, begin with step 7. Ingredients: 1 cup crunchy peanut butter 1 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup light corn syrup 1/3 cup water 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate 8 ounces (1-1/4 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips Preparation: 1. Prepare a 9x9 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray. 2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. 3. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow the mixture to boil for 2-3 minutes, then uncover the pan and insert a candy thermometer. Continue to cook the candy, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the mixture reaches 305 degrees. This process should take 15-20 minutes over medium heat. 4. As soon as the mixture reaches the proper temperature, remove it from the heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter. Pour the candy into the prepared pan, and spread in an even thickness. 5. Let the candy sit for a few minutes, and once it begins to set, score the top into very small squares with a sharp knife sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. 6. Allow the candy to cool fully at room temperature, then break it apart along the previously scored lines. 7. Using a food processor, crush the toffee into small chunks, or place the toffee squares in a bag and use a rolling pin to break the toffee into small pieces. 8. Melt the unsweetened and the semi-sweet chocolate together in the microwave, stirring after every minute to avoiding overheating the chocolate. Once the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, add the toffee pieces and stir until well-combined. 9. Pour the chocolate-toffee mixture into a 9x9 pan lined with aluminum foil, and allow it to set for about 10 minutes. Score the candy, then place it in the refrigerator to set completely. 10.Once the chocolate is set, cut the candy into squares along the scoring, and allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Candy: What's Hot Now: Honey Fondant

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Honey Fondant Aug 1st 2011, 10:02 (c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc. Honey Fondant is a smooth, creamy fondant filling that's perfect for making cream candies and dipping in chocolate. If you leave it plain the honey and the vanilla give it a lovely subtle flavor, but it also takes other flavors very well, so consider adding a spoonful or two of liqueurs or other extracts if you'd like. Ingredients: 1-1/3 cup heavy cream 2/3 cup milk 1/4 cup honey 2 tbps butter 4 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup marshmallow cream 2 tbsp vanilla extract Preparation: 1.Place a small ungreased baking sheet or 9x13 pan off to the side. 2. Place the cream, milk, honey, butter, and sugar in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and butter dissolve, then insert a candy thermometer. 3. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until the thermometer reads 245 degrees F/118 C. 4. Once at the proper temperature, remove the pan from the heat and pour the candy into the reserved 9x13 pan or baking sheet. Allow it to cool until the bottom of the pan no longer feels hot, about 30 minutes. 5. Once the candy is just warm to the touch, start to stir vigorously with a wooden spoon, moving it back and forth and in a figure 8 pattern to start "creaming" the fondant. When the fondant starts to turn opaque and get thicker, add the marshmallow cream and vanilla extract and continue stirring. 6. Keep working the fondant until it is very thick and stiff. This process may take 10-15 minutes, depending on the temperature of the fondant and the room. Keep stirring until the fondant is very stiff and opaque, not glossy, and you can easily form it into a ball that keeps its shape. If necessary, knead it at the end to get a smooth texture. 7. Your Honey Fondant is now finished and can be used right away. This fondant is great when rolled into balls and dipped in chocolate. You can also knead in toasted chopped nuts or dried fruit. If you're not using Honey Fondant right away, wrap it well in cling wrap and store it at room temperature for several days, or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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Candy: What's Hot Now: How to Make Marshmallows

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How to Make Marshmallows Aug 1st 2011, 10:02 Turn Out the Marshmallows (c) 2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc. Once the marshmallow has set, dust your workstation with a generous layer of the sugar/starch mixture you used to prepare the pan. Lift the marshmallow from the pan using the foil as handles, and flip it facedown on the prepared surface. Peel the foil off the top of the marshmallow, and dust the top of the candy with more sugar/starch.

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