Pumpkin Fudge Two Ways

I like making fudges because you can cram a lot of extra goodies into them and they still tend to turn out pretty well. Some candies are a bit more finnicky--I'm looking in your direction, marshmallows--and you have to be careful about making substitutions or additions or the whole texture will be thrown off. Not so with most "no-fail" fudges made with marshmallow cream and chips--as long as you keep your additions within reason, they can absorb lots of extra flavors and ingredients and still turn out fan-fudgin'-fantastic.

Since it's officially pumpkin season, here are two of my favorite pumpkin fudge recipes. First up is the classic: Pumpkin Praline Fudge. I added the "praline" to reference the brown sugar and pecan flavors in the fudge, but in all honesty it mostly tastes like straight-up pumpkin pie. You can add more spices if you want, or try using candied nuts, or bits of chopped ginger, instead of regular nuts. I've also made a video showing how to make this pumpkin fudge, for those who like a little drool-o-vision before cooking.

Next is an even easier recipe: Pumpkin Butterscotch Fudge. This one is quite sweet, thanks to the butterscotch chips, but these chips contribute more than just sugar; they add the unmistakable taste of sweet, caramel butterscotch. I've added a little sour cream to try and balance the sweetness, and nuts would be another good addition.

Get the recipes: Pumpkin Praline Fudge
Pumpkin Praline Fudge Video
Pumpkin Butterscotch Fudge

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Pumpkin Fudge Photos c2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Candy Molds

Candy molds are used to form sugar candy and chocolates into decorative shapes. Molds can be seasonal (Christmas trees, Halloween pumpkins, etc) or all-purpose (bonbon shapes, simple round or square designs). The most basic type of candy mold is pictured here: the sugar or chocolate candy is poured into the mold, allowed to harden, and then popped out once set, creating a flat candy with a molded design on the front side. Other molds can produce solid 3-D candy designs, or hollow candies perfect for filling with other confections. Some are simple silicone, plastic or metal sheets, while others are hinged or snapped together.

High-quality candy molds will last for years if cared for properly. Always wash your molds by hand, using gentle soap and water, and be sure to wash them soon after removing the candy.

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Brown Sugar Toffee

One of the best parts of this job is that no one tells me what to do. (The VERY best part of this job is that I get paid to make and eat candy, obviously, but I don't want to rub it in too much.) People sometimes ask me where I get ideas from, or how I decide what candies I want to make next, and the answer is pretty simple: I make whatever sounds good to me. Of course I try to make sure there's a variety of recipe types, and fun ingredients, and not too much repetition, but at the end of the day, my taste buds pretty much set the agenda, and for the past 5 years that's worked out surprisingly well.

But living in my own little candy world can have its drawbacks, and sometimes I wonder if the things that appeal to me appeal to anyone else. (Besides my husband. He loves everything I make. But then again, he once ate a moldy truffle and didn't even notice the fuzzy green mold, so he's not exactly a discerning palate.) So, a few times a year, I poll the readers and ask what kinds of recipes they want to see. Most recently, I asked my About Candy facebook friends what I should make next. I was a little surprised by the results-- I expected my beloved chocolate to sweep the polls, but "Brown Sugar Toffee" was the overwhelming favorite. Who knew?!

Of course I bow to the people's demands, so may I present a brand-new recipe for Brown Sugar Toffee!

Toffee using all-brown sugar is actually much harder to make than regular granulated sugar toffee, because of the moisture and impurities in some brown sugars. I think this recipe does a great job of balancing the darker flavor and crunchier texture of brown sugar with traditional toffee ingredients like butter and toasted nuts. The photograph shows plain toffee, but this is also a great recipe to cover in chocolate, because the deep brown sugar taste goes well with either a sweeter chocolate, like milk or white, or a semi-sweet variety.

Naturally, next week we're back to my candy dictatorship, but for now we can revel in the democratic process at work. And hey, I'm a benevolent candy dictator, so I always welcome suggestions via the comments, over email, or--best of all--on the facebook page. Your wish is my command!

Get the recipe: Brown Sugar Toffee

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Brown Sugar Toffee Photo c2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Witch Hats Candy

(c) 2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Witch Hats are an easy Halloween candy. Hershey’s kisses and chocolate-covered cookies are transformed into cute witch hats the whole family can enjoy. Instead of the fudge-striped shortbread cookies, you can use extra-large peppermint patties candy if you prefer. Be sure that the decorating icing you get is not gel icing. The gel icings won’t set properly and won’t be visible on the chocolate hats.

Ingredients:

• 30 Hershey's kisses
• 30 chocolate-striped shortbread cookies
• Assorted tubes of decorative icings

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil. Arrange the cookies, striped-side down on the baking sheets.

2. Unwrap the kisses. Pipe a circle of icing on the underside of a kiss, and attach it to the top of a cookie over the hole. Repeat with remaining kisses and cookies.

3. Now that your hats are assembled, you can decorate them with the icing. You can make ribbons and bows, or get more creative with strips, dots, or different patterns and shapes.

4. Once decorated, refrigerate the hats to set the icing for 15 minutes, then serve.

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Cashew White Chocolate Toffee

Cashew White Chocolate Toffee has a deep, dark burnt sugar taste that complements the salty cashews and sweet white chocolate. The brown sugar and the high cooking temperature give the toffee a smoky, rich flavor that's much deeper than traditional toffees. The nuts add crunch and savor, and the white chocolate ties it all together with a rich sweetness. I never thought I would find myself preferring white chocolate to dark, but I really don't think any other kind of chocolate would work as well with this candy.

Get the recipe: Cashew White Chocolate Toffee

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Cashew White Chocolate Toffee Photo c2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Brown Sugar Toffee

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Brown Sugar Toffee has a deep, rich, caramelized taste from the brown sugar in the recipe. A generous helping of nuts adds toasted flavor and crunch. If you like a little chocolate with your toffee, check out the chocolate variation at the bottom of the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups toasted nuts, like pecans or almonds
• 1-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Candy thermometer

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking sheet or 9 x 13 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Coarsely chop the toasted nuts, then scatter them in an even layer all over the foil-covered pan.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water, cubed butter, corn syrup, and salt, and place the pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and butter dissolve, then wipe down the sides with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Insert your candy thermometer.

4. Cook the candy, without stirring, until the thermometer reads 285 degrees F (140 C).

5. Once at 285, immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla extract and the baking soda. Stir until the baking soda causes the toffee to foam up and become a lighter, opaque color.

6. Pour the toffee in an even layer over the nuts on the prepared pan. Try not to spread it too much with a spatula, as the more you work it, the more you'll eliminate the air bubbles that give it a light and crispy texture.

7. Let the toffee cool completely at room temperature, for at least 1 hour. Once cool and set, break it into small pieces by hand. Store Brown Sugar Toffee in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you live in a humid environment, it might get soft and sticky after a few days.

Chocolate variation: If you want to add chocolate to your toffee, have 1 cup of chopped chocolate prepared. Once you have poured the toffee onto the nuts in the pan, let it set for 1 minute, then sprinkle the top of the hot toffee with the chopped chocolate. Allow it to sit for another minute, while the heat of the toffee melts the chocolate, then use a spatula to carefully spread the chocolate into an even layer over the entire surface. If you'd like, you can sprinkle the top of the chocolate with more chopped nuts. Let the toffee and chocolate cool and harden completely before breaking it into pieces as described above.

Click Here to View All Toffee Recipes!

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Chocolate Roses

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Chocolate Roses are gorgeous, delicious lifelike flowers made out of a modeling material called chocolate plastic. Use this chocolate plastic recipe to create the chocolate plastic for the roses. Don’t miss the tutorial with step-by-step illustrations showing how to make chocolate roses!

This recipe yields about six full-sized 3” roses, but the quantity can be adjusted by the size of the roses you make.

Ingredients:

• One-half pound of white, milk, or dark chocolate plastic

Preparation:

1. Begin by kneading your chocolate plastic until it is smooth and supple. If you are using white chocolate plastic, knead it in powdered sugar, and if you are using milk or dark chocolate plastic, knead it in unsweetened cocoa powder. If the plastic is too hard to knead, microwave it in five-second intervals just until it becomes pliable. Do not microwave it too long, or it will be too soft to work with.

2. Dust your work surface and a rolling pin with powdered sugar or cocoa powder, and roll the chocolate plastic out into a very thin layer, less than 1/8” thick. If you are working with a large amount of chocolate plastic, you might want to divide it in half and roll it out in batches.

3. Use a small round cutter to cut circles from the plastic. For one full-sized rose, you will need nine circles, and for rosebuds, you will need 4-5. The size of the circle cutter determines the size of your finished rose. A 1.5” cutter will yield a full-sized rose that is approximately 3” wide.

4. Begin by forming the center of your rose: take one of the cut circles and roll it into a cylinder. Leave a small hole at the top of the cylinder, and a larger hole at the bottom.

5. Take another circle, and use your fingers to flatten one end of it until it is paper-thin. This will be the top of the petal, and it helps give the rose a more delicate look. Wrap your petal around the cylinder, making the top of the petal level with the top of the cylinder, pressing it at the bottom to adhere the chocolate plastic.

6.Thin out the edge of another circle to add a second petal to your blossoming rose. The trick to getting a lifelike rose is to slip the second petal underneath the edge of the first one. Add a third petal whose edge starts just under the second one to complete the first layer of petals. If you want to make a rosebud, your flower is now complete. To make a full rose, continue to the next step.

7. Use the remaining five petals to add a second layer to the rose, thinning the top edges as before, and sliding the edge of each new petal under the previous one as with the first layer. Curl the outer petals back slightly to make your rose bloom. Pinch off any extra plastic at the base of the flower, and re-roll it with the plastic scraps to create more roses.

8. Allow the roses to sit at room temperature and dry for 24 hours. Once set, they can be stored in an airtight container indefinitely.

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