Christmas Chocolates

I made chocolates for Christmas presents this year, and am finally posting the recipes. I guess I was inspired by our tour through Bluebird Candy Company this summer because I decided to make the real deal--meaning, I did everything the hard way and it took a really long time! And the million dollar question is; was it worth it? Ummmm...yes...and no! Yes, because they were really yummy and I was excited that I had learned how to make these candies. No, because it was a lot of work. I'll probably make these again, but maybe just two to three batches next time. But it will be hard to decide which ones. Maybe I will just have to make a batch every once in a while but give something else out for Christmas. I guess I don't really know my future plans. But at least I'm getting the recipes posted so that when I do make them again, I won't have to do the research a second time.

And luckily, these are all gluten free! I didn't even know, at the time, that we needed them to be. At least, they are gluten free as long as you use gluten free ingredients. It turns out that my chocolate was: I used Guittard baking chips for the coatings, and their website says they are gluten free (yay!). However, in the peanut butter truffles I used Kirkland Signature's organic peanut butter which is manufactured in a facility that also manufactures wheat, which means there are cross-contamination issues, which means we cannot use it any more. Bummer! I've been using that kind for a long time and I like it.

Okay, moving on. Among others, I relied heavily on THIS recipe. I also found a lot of valuable information from THIS website. It was my online teacher and I think I read just about everything on that site. It was kind of a fun read, too. I created recipes that were sort of an amalgam of the different recipes that I read. I also purchased some special equipment because I was serious, this time. I bought an 18 by 18 inch marble slab from a local countertop maker (he had some extras lying around) and I also bought a digital thermometer. This equipment was essential to make these recipes.

For most of these chocolates, I made cream centers. Some recipes call it fondant. It's actually very similar to my Grandpa's old fashioned fudge recipe, so if you spread it out and cut it into squares, would it then be called "fudge"? I read a lot and learned a lot during this candy making experience, and I also had a lot of questions that I never found answers for. Such as; what is the difference between fondant and fudge? Why do some recipes say not to stir at certain times and some say to stir at times when the other recipe says not to stir, but otherwise the recipes are practically the same? It turns out that candy making is a science, but I am definitely not a scientist. I read a lot of recipes and made educated guesses as to the best way to do things. Everything turned out pretty good, so I suppose I guessed all right.

Below is the basic recipe that I used for the cream centers. For each flavor, the variations are listed above the photograph of each.

Cream Centers (or Fondant or Fudge)

3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup cream
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter

One thing that is very important in making many types of candy is to prevent sugar granules from getting into the cooked syrup. If they do, the whole batch will become grainy and will need to be re-cooked. It is easy for grains of sugar to creep up the sides of the pot while cooking the syrup, and the whole washing down the sides during cooking thing has never worked very well for me. So the way that I chose to do the first part of this recipe is intended to prevent the batch from getting "sugared".

I found that if I don't stir the uncooked syrup in the pot, then sugar crystals hardly every end up on the sides. So, in a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, cream, corn syrup, and salt until smooth, and let rest for around ten minutes. This allows the ingredients to begin melding.

Get a large pot (the pot must be large enough that the bubbling syrup will not boil over the top) and smear a tablespoon of the butter around on the sides of the pot. This is another trick I came up with to prevent the sugar crystals from attaching to the sides of the pan. Place the pot on the hot plate and attach the candy thermometer, being sure it will be covered by the syrup, but not touching the bottom of the pot. I purchased a digital thermometer this year because I have never achieved good results with the cheap glass ones. I don't think they are very accurate and an accurate temperature reading is very important.

Pour the sugar mixture into the pot, as pictured below, and put the last tablespoon of butter on top. Yes, I even took step-by-step pictures! They are of two different batches because I didn't get all the pictures I wanted with one batch. They're not the greatest, but oh, well--they get the message across.



Turn the heat to medium or medium-low. This is where I set my stove temperature. (I have no shame about showing everyone the dirty stove knob. Maybe I should.)



If you plan to stir the syrup with the same utensil you used to mix and pour, be sure to first wash it clean to remove any sugar crystals. Do not stir until the syrup begins to boil. When it starts to boil, stir it gently to move the syrup around, but do not scrape the sides or splash onto the sides. Boil the syrup until it reaches soft ball stage. This temperature is different depending on your altitude. We are close to 5000 feet here and 230 degrees (F) is soft ball stage at this altitude. At sea level soft ball stage is about 240 degrees (F). (This information was in my thermometer instructions.)



As soon as the temperature reaches soft ball stage, wipe the marble slab with a clean, wet rag (I'm not sure why this needs to be done, but Mrs.Sherwood P. Snyder said to). Remove the pan from the stove and pour the syrup onto the marble slab. Most recipes say do not scrape the pan and do not let the last dribbles out. This is so that if there are sugar crystals on the sides of the pan, they will not get into the candy that you pour out. However, I found that by following my methods outlined above, there were no sugar crystals, so I could scrape away. However, if you are concerned, then don't scrape out the last bits. At this point, put flavorings on top of the candy, right in the middle. Allow the syrup to cool on the slab until it is barely warm when touched with the back of the hand.

Isn't this awesome? This sized batch of candy fit perfectly on the 18 inch slab!



As soon as the syrup is cooled (it should be barely warm when touched with the back of the hand), use a scraper to scrape the syrup up and pull it over.



Continue scraping and pulling across.



The candy will be thick, but soft and glossy.



This step can take a long time. With my first batch, after about twenty-five minutes, I thought I had done something wrong, and it wasn't going to work. However, it did work, but it took more like thirty minutes. It was a great upper body workout.



Continue the scraping and pulling and at some point, the candy will begin to lose it's shine. Hopefully you can see the change in the picture below.



Once it begins to lose it's shine, the candy will quickly become creamy and more stiff.







Continue to work it until it can be scooped into a ball and kneaded like dough. Some of my batches became crumbly at this point, but when I scraped them together, pressed them into a ball and kneaded them, they came together into a soft, pliable mass, and had a beautiful, creamy, melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Put the ball of candy into a Ziploc bag, push out all of the air, and zip it shut. Store the fondant in a cool dark place (I put mine in the basement storage room) to mellow. The fondant can be used right away, but it is better if allowed to sit for one to several days. After that, dip away!

To prepare the fondant for dipping, knead it a little bit to soften and then pat it down into a disk that is about an inch thick. Then, using the scraper, slice off a section about an inch in, so that you have a long "row". Then dice the "row" into one inch sections so that you have little one inch squares (or make them whatever size you want). Sprinkle some cornstarch onto the workspace and use it to coat your hands as you roll each of the squares into balls, making sure they are completely coated (lightly) with cornstarch. This keeps them from sticking. Do this before prepping your chocolate and then as you melt and temper your chocolate, the centers will harden a little on the outside, making them easier to work with when dipping.

Pictured below is a raspberry cream. This was my first batch and you can see that I didn't do the greatest tempering job because there is a little "bloom" on the chocolate.



Raspberry Cream

1-3 teaspoons raspberry extract
1-3 drops red food coloring, if desired

(Actually, I wasn't sure how much extract to use and I just guessed. Now I don't remember how much I did use, but I think they would have been better if I had used more. I recommend putting some in and tasting and adding more if needed.)

Put the extract and food coloring (if using) in the middle of the candy that has been poured onto the marble slab. Continue as instructed, above.

I coated these with semi sweet chocolate with white chocolate detail.



Orange Cream

Zest of five to six oranges

Add the orange zest to the bowl with the sugar, cream, corn syrup, and salt, and mix. Continue as instructed, above.



I coated these with semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate detail.



Coconut Cream

1-3 teaspoons coconut extract
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup toasted unsweetened coconut flakes

Put the extract (again, begin with a small amount and add more to taste) in the middle of the candy that has been poured onto the marble slab. Continue as instructed above.

When the candy begins to lose it's shine, you can add the shredded coconut and work it in. Or you can add it after the fondant is creamed; just knead it in.

For my coconut cream, I used canned coconut milk in lieu of the whipping cream, thinking that would add to the flavor. However, it resulted in a very stiff candy which was very difficult to work. I was really surprised this happened and I don't know why it did. I boiled it to the same temperature as all the others and did everything the same. So I don't recommend using coconut milk!



I coated these with semi-sweet chocolate and sprinkled with the toasted coconut flakes.



Mint Chocolate Cream

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1-3 teaspoons mint extract
1/3 cup crushed candy cane

Add the unsweetened chocolate to the sugar mix at the same time as you add the butter; after pouring the mixture into the pot. Continue as instructed above.

Put the extract (again, begin with a small amount and add more to taste) in the middle of the candy that has been poured onto the marble slab. Continue as instructed above.

I coated these with white chocolate, sprinkled with crushed candy cane.



Maple Nut Cream

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1-3 teaspoons maple extract
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

Instead of the three cups of granulated sugar listed for the base recipe, use the two cups brown and one cup white. Continue as instructed above.

Put the extract (again, begin with a small amount and add more to taste) in the middle of the candy that has been poured onto the marble slab. Continue as instructed above.

When the candy begins to lose it's shine, you can add the toasted walnuts and work them in. Or you can add them after the fondant is creamed; just knead them in.

Maple cream can be made with real maple syrup, which I think sounds divine, but too pricey for me.



I coated these with milk chocolate.



Soft Caramels

After making cream centers, caramels are super easy!

(Unfortunately, it turns out that I neglected to write down my recipe for the caramels. Bummer, because it was fabulous. So I guess I'll just write down what I think I used. There are a million caramel recipes out there and I'm sure they're all pretty good.)

First, line a 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment or wax paper.

1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts (optional)

When making caramels, the same issues regarding sugar crystals exist as with the cream centers, so I use my special sugar crystal prevention process to ensure sugar crystal problem elimination. (Did that make any sense?)

In a medium bowl, combine the sugars, corn syrup, and whipping cream until smooth. Allow to rest for about ten minutes. While resting, butter the sides of a medium/large pan and attach the candy thermometer so that the tip will be in the syrup but not touching the bottom of the pan.

After resting, pour the sugar mixture into the pot and cut the butter into chunks on top. Turn the heat up to medium or medium-low. If you plan to stir the syrup with the same utensil you used to mix and pour, be sure to first wash it clean to remove any sugar crystals. After the syrup comes to a boil, stir gently until it reaches soft-ball stage (230 degrees [F] for our altitude). When it reaches soft-ball stage, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the hot syrup into the prepared pan. I scraped the last of it out, and had no sugaring problems, but if you are concerned, do not scrape out the last bit. Sprinkle your chopped nuts on top and gently press them into the candy. You could also stir the nuts in with the vanilla, but since the little boys in this family are not so fond of nuts, I added them on top after the candy was in the pan so that I could add them to only half of the pan and leave the other half nut-free.

Allow the caramel at least several hours to cool and set up, preferably, twenty four hours. Then lift the caramel out of the pan by holding onto the edges of the parchment or wax paper. Using a scraper (a pizza cutter would probably also work well) cut the caramel into squares or rectangles. At this point you can either dip them in chocolate or wrap them in wax paper.

This recipe makes very soft, chewy, caramel. If you prefer a harder caramel, cook it to a higher temperature.



I coated these with milk chocolate.



Peanut Butter Truffles



For these, I used the same recipe I used last year (click HERE). It is super easy and I think it's the greatest.



One of Brandon's favorite chocolates (and mine) is See's Candy's rum nougat. It is a soft, rum flavored nougat with dried cherries, raisins, and walnuts. I wanted to try to replicate it. Since I knew nothing about making nougat, I had to do a lot of research. I read a ton of recipes and watched a ton of nougat-making videos, and managed to come up with something that Brandon and I thought was pretty good. I don't think it's exactly like See's (theirs is better, for sure) but I liked it a lot. I'm not sure what others thought--no one that we gave chocolates to mentioned it, so maybe it really wasn't that good!



Anyway, here's the recipe:

Fruity Rum Nougat

2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites, beaten until soft peaks form
1-3 teaspoons rum extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries (or dried cherries--I used cranberries because I had them on hand)
1/3 cup chopped raisins

A stand mixer is essential in making this recipe, unless you have someone to help you, in which case you need a hand mixer.

Before beginning, line an 8 by 8 inch square pan with parchment paper.

(Again, use my special sugar crystal prevention process to ensure sugar crystal problem elimination.) In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, corn syrup, whipping cream, and salt. Mix until smooth and allow to rest for ten minutes. While resting, butter the sides of a medium/large pan and attach the candy thermometer so that the tip will be in the syrup but not touching the bottom of the pan.

After resting, pour the sugar mixture into the pot. Turn the heat up to medium or medium-low. If you plan to stir the syrup with the same utensil you used to mix and pour, be sure to first wash it clean to remove any sugar crystals. (While the syrup is cooking is a great time to beat the egg whites in the stand mixer--or in a medium/large mixing bowl with a hand mixer if you have someone to help you when it is time to pour the syrup--until stiff peaks form.) After the syrup comes to a boil, stir gently until it reaches firm-ball stage (240 degrees [F] for our altitude). Actually, I don't remember to what temperature I boiled the syrup (aaagh!). I may have boiled it to 250. Well, next time I make this, I will first try 240 and if that doesn't work, I'll come back and correct this recipe. Nougat is cooked to a higher temperature than the cream centers, however, for this recipe, I wanted a soft, chewy nougat, so I didn't want to cook it too high.

After the syrup reaches the correct temperature (let's hope it's 240), remove the pan from the heat and pour the flavorings on top. (I also don't remember exactly how much flavorings I used. So again, begin with small amounts and add more later if the flavor is not as intense as you want it.)

This is the tricky part. You must either have a stand mixer (use the paddle attachment--not the dough hook and not the wisk) or a hand mixer and a helper. Your egg whites should be beaten and ready in the stand mixer bowl or in the mixing bowl with your helper manning the hand mixer. With the mixer running on a medium speed, pour the hot syrup slowly into the egg whites. After all of the syrup is poured, beat on a high speed for about a minute, scraping the sides down a couple of times. At this point, taste, and add more flavorings, if needed. Add the nuts and fruit and beat until combined.

Scoop/pour the candy into the parchment lined pan, and spread it out, smoothing the top. Put another piece of parchment paper on top and place the base of another square pan on top of the parchment to compact the candy. (Another 8 by 8 inch pan would be perfect, if you have one. I had another square baking dish that was close to that size, just a little smaller, and it worked just fine.) Store the candy this way for at least several hours but preferably about twenty four hours, in a cool, dry place. After the candy has set, remove the top pan, and lift the candy out of the pan and place on a flat surface. Peel off the parchment paper and cut into squares or triangles (I did triangles just to have a fun shape and to differentiate from the caramels) and serve as is or dip in chocolate coating.

I dipped half in semi-sweet chocolate and half in milk chocolate. I preferred the milk chocolate, so that's what I will use next time.



Well, Valentines Day is nearly here--maybe I will have a to make a batch or two this week!