Friday, April 22, 2011

Great Treats For Your Easter Basket - Part 2

Mouthwatering Homemade Caramels Recipe


Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Grease a 12x15 inch pan.


In a medium-size pot, combine sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, whipping cream, and butter. Monitor the heat of the mixture with a candy thermometer while stirring. When the thermometer reaches 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) remove the pot from the heat.

Stir in vanilla. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and let the mixture cool completely. When cooled cut the Caramels into small squares and wrap them in wax paper or candy wrappers for storage.

**Important note:  If they cook too long you will no longer have chewy caramels, but more of a "Werther's" type hard candy that gets chewy when you suck on it.  So, don't throw it out.  It is delicish either way!!!!!


Mouthwatering Homemade Caramels Tutorial







Great Treats For Your Easter Basket - Part 1

If you have seen my The31WomanCrafts blog, you know that I have made some cute pails for Easter and I needed something equally as wonderful to fill them with.  So, here are a few recipes (look for part 2 of this blog for more)  that I think will fill the bill.

Chocolate Covered Easter Egg Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar

Your Choice of 3 Add-Ins:
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of nutella
1 cup of coconut
1/4 tsp mint extract
1/4 tsp almond extract and 1/2 chopped maraschino cherries

Coating Ingredients:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tb coconut oil or shortening

In a small glass bowl, microwave the butter and cream cheese for 45 seconds.  In a large bowl, mix together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla.  Add 1/2 of the sugar and slowly mix in to the butter mixture.  Add the remaining sugar and continue to mix  until you have a workable dough.

Divide the dough into three parts.  You can leave one part plain and add one of the above Add-Ins to the other two parts or flavor all three parts.  Mix each part well.

Roll each type of dough into egg shapes using a teaspoon to shape (see video below).

Freeze for at least 1 hour.

In a glass bowl, add the chocolate chips and microwave for 1 minutes on about 60% power.  Stir well.  Continue to microwave for 30 second intervals on 60% power until melted, stirring well between each heating.  If the chocolate clumps up, add 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil or shortening and stir.  Continue adding oil until the chocolate smoothes out, but do not add more than 2 tablespoons.

Dip the chilled eggs into the chocolate using a fork.  Shake off excess chocolate and gently place on wax paper to harden.

Optional:
If using nuts or coconut in the filling, you may want to sprinkle the top of the eggs with a small amount of coconut or nuts while still wet.  To decorate the other eggs, you can use a small amount of white chocolate tinted with food coloring and decorate the tops of the eggs: green for mint, orange for peanut butter, etc. (see video below)

Chocolate Covered Easter Egg Demonstration