candy — pleasure in simple things

Tag: candy

apple pie fudge

September

Recently, while in Mystic, CT, I bought some ‘flavor of the day’ fudge which happened to be the flavor of apple pie. “Interesting.” I thought. I figured fudge is like cheesecake. You start with a basic recipe and then alter it according to taste. I can honestly say I never thought of making apple pie fudge, but it sure sounded very seasonal. It tasted seasonal as well – very much like an apple pie!

About a week after I had tasted the apple pie fudge, I decided to try making some myself. I knew mine would taste just as good based on seasoning alone. I only use Penzy’s brand seasonings because no other brand is as flavorful! (So, if you decide to make my recipe and you don’t use Penzy’s, you may have to adjust the seasoning!)

So, I looked at as many fudge recipes as I could and adjusted by adding apple pie spices and some apples. I decided fresh apples would be too hard so opted for the apples from canned apple pie filling.

I was planning on making a gingersnap base, but without any artificial color, the fudge was very light in color and that made me decide to put the gingersnaps on top instead to add a little variety in color.

I think my apple pie fudge came out better than the inspiration fudge! Try it yourself or be inspired to come up with your own flavor!

Apple Pie Fudge

3 cups sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
½ cup canned apple pie filling
3 cups white chocolate – chips or broken into small pieces
18 gingersnap cookies, crushed into small pieces with a rolling pin

Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

Measure out ½ cup of apple pie filling. Cut the apples into small pieces and remove most of the ‘liquid.’ Put into a heatproof bowl with the chocolate and set aside.

Heat butter, cream, sugar and spices in a large pan over medium heat while stirring often.

Bring mixture to a rolling boil and continue to cook, while stirring constantly, for 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour immediately over chocolate chips and apple pieces. Stir until chocolate is melted.

Pour into the baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the gingersnap pieces over the top and press down lightly to set into mixture.

Refrigerate overnight. Cut into small pieces to serve. Tastes best when eaten at room temperature. Store with a lid in fridge.

Thanks for stopping by. Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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chicks in a puddle

March

Even though Easter usually has no shortage of candy available, it is still fun to add a candy favor to each Easter place setting. You have seen me make edible candy nests in the past (or candy turkeys at Thanksgiving), but today I am making ‘chicks in a puddle.’

You can easily replicate these in minutes as a super simple DIY. Only 3 items are required to pull it off – candy chicks, white chocolate baking pieces, and a little blue food coloring.

My ‘chicks in a puddle’ are simply candy chicks sitting in a ‘puddle’ of white chocolate that has been tinted blue!

To create your own, melt some white chocolate chips, from the baking section of the grocery store, in a double boiler. When melted and smooth, add a little food coloring to the chocolate – to tint it a light blue color – and mix thoroughly. With a teaspoon, spoon the chocolate in small ovals onto wax paper or parchment to create ‘puddles.’ While the chocolate is still warm, press a candy chick into each ‘puddle.’ Place the ‘puddles’ into the fridge for a minute or two to speed up the setting.

This can be a fun activity with the children or grandchildren!

That’s it! Aren’t they cute little additions to the dinner plates?

I hope you are inspired to create some chicks in a puddle for your Easter table! A great tie-in for a child’s Easter basket is the book Puddle by Hyewon Yum!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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green tea holiday bark

December

I mentioned in a previous post that I found a great recipe book for trying some new food gifts this year. Today, on Friday field trip, I am taking you into my kitchen to check out the first one I chose to make. The recipe I tried is candy bark from the new recipe book Holiday Cookies: Showstopping Recipes to Sweeten the Season by Elisabet der Nederlanden. (For more on this book, click here.)

I couldn’t wait to make this! I have friends that love green tea and I was sure the bark would look festive with green from the tea and red from freeze dried berries.

As it turned out, the recipe did not disappoint! It looks super festive and tastes great. I do have a few tips if you decide to make this for giving.

First, green tea powder can be super expensive – shop wisely! I found some at HomeGoods in the food section for a great price! You can also probably find it as a teabag. Just be sure to check the label on whatever you purchase and be sure green tea is the only ingredient. I found the freeze dried berries at a great price at Target in the section where trail mix and nuts are sold.

As far as preparation – do not let the dark chocolate layer get too cold before layering the green tea mixture on top! What I found out is that the green tea layer does not adhere to the chocolate if it is too cold – as soon as the chocolate is firm, spread the green tea layer on top. Also, work quickly to add the ingredients to the green tea layer because it sets up quickly!

This candy was so easy to put together and so quick to make! Now, it just needs a cute package for gifting!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are inspired to make a food gift of your own. I have a couple more new recipes I want to try before Christmas!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on green tea holiday bark | food & festivities, gift ideas, holiday, inspiration

my ‘punny’ valentine diy

February

The valentine season is not complete for me without at least one ‘punny’ candy gift!

I am sharing one from this year on today’s Friday field trip!

Here is my package candy topper for some gummy eggs! The candy came from Ikea’s candy bins…they have some cute, pun-worthy selections!

I created my topper, sizing the image 1200 x 1800 pixels. Then, I printed it four times on a sheet of 8 ½” x 11” card stock. Next, I attached the topper to a plastic bag of candy. For fun, I packaged some up in a mini frying pan…so cute, right?

I hope I have inspired you to create a ‘punny’ candy topper or tag of your own!

If you’d like my egg topper image, just shoot me an email and I will email it to you. This candy also works well with ‘don’t yolk with me’ or anything about being ‘egg-static!’

For more detailed assembly instructions for toppers or some additional ideas for puns, you may like:

To use with candy chalk, click here (printable included).
To use with candy lips, click here (printable included).
To use with candy olives, click here.
To use with candy sharks, click here (printable included).

Have a wonderful weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like a good pun! xo Jackie

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thanksgiving treats

October

Using a few confections, it is easy to create some cute candy turkeys to use Thanksgiving Day at place settings or as an after dinner activity for the little ones.

When my children were very young, I put together these candy turkeys to bring to my family’s Thanksgiving feast at my sister’s home.

Even though the kids are now well beyond grammar school age, candy turkeys have become something of a tradition at our Thanksgiving celebration. (As much a tradition as my brother-in-law playing “Alice’s Restaurant” as background music!)

So, at my sister’s at Thanksgiving, not only does she supply more varieties of pies than people, but also the ingredients for making candy turkeys.

Using a few candy ingredients and some melted chocolate as the ‘glue,’ the turkeys are easy to put together. (My sister has sometimes successfully substituted prepared canned frosting.)

Don’t pass up this wonderful opportunity to embrace playing with your food!

Note: for instructions to make the acorn ornament to use as a napkin ring, click here.

Thanks so much for stopping by…

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

5 comments » | diy, food & festivities, holiday

valentine coconut lime truffles

February

There is a certain amount of class in going ‘against the grain’…like wearing white in winter.

To me, this element of surprise adds a certain elegance…the same holds true in creating food…

This is the feeling that is captured in the coconut lime truffles made from white chocolate that I am creating for Valentine’s Day giving. Although my Valentine’s Day confections may look like little snowballs, the flavor is more reminiscient of a tropical locale. The white chocolate is a refreshing departure from the typical Valentine’s Day choice.

A photo of a Valentine coconut lime truffle… sure to steal a heart :)

If you haven’t made candy before, don’t despair…even a novice candy maker can have excellent results with truffles…no candy thermometer is needed, and there is plenty of room for creativity. Try substituting your own favorite flavors and coatings. If you don’t like coconut, you can try crushed gingersnaps as a coating – I have tried them also and the flavor combination with the lime is great.

Valentine Coconut Lime Truffles Recipe (makes 12, 1 1/4″ truffles)

7 oz. of good white chocolate (Ghiradelli or Lindt)
2 Tablespoons of heavy cream
2 Tablespoons of fresh lime juice
1 cup flaked, sweetened coconut (spread onto a plate for easy clean up)

Melt the chocolate, very slowly, in a double boiler. Remove from heat and whisk in cream and lime juice. Put into fridge until firm enough to roll into balls (about 2 hours). Roll into 12 balls – then rolling each into coconut to cover. Store in the fridge, but be sure to let sit a little before serving so they will melt in your mouth :)

Funny that I buy 4 oz. bars of chocolate and my recipe calls for 7 oz. ;)

What better way to a heart than a homemade truffle? Enjoy.

Thanks so much for visiting. Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. I am sharing this recipe at Pinch of Joy, Blissful Whites Wednesday, The Well Crafted Home, and The Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush.

4 comments » | food & festivities, holiday

easy candy table favors

September

friday field trip

Don’t you LOVE that section in Target where everything is a dollar? I can’t walk into the store without stopping to look at everything in that section…I always end up picking up something I have to have! It is only a dollar, after all! This trip, I was on a mission to find an item in the dollar section that I can use as a favor to hold candy. When the college kids are home, it is always fun to include a favor on the table for family dinners. Candy is a natural with the kids (of all ages) and at this time of year it seems a little more legitimate! There were quite a few possibilities when I started rummaging through the shelves. (You can check out a few more of the options on my facebook page www.facebook.com/insimplethings .)

But, when I came across these zippered burlap ‘pencil cases’, I knew they were perfect! Plenty of room for candy and very seasonal!

Here is what I did to dress up my $1. find!

First, I decided I wanted to add the word ‘boo’ in black letters. A personalization or the word ‘treat’ were also options I considered. I also toyed with the idea of glow-in-the-dark paint, but decided I liked the stronger contrast of the black against the burlap. I simply stenciled the three letters onto the bag using cardboard stencils and black acrylic paint. (Slipping a piece of cardboard in the case to protect the other side in the event paint should bleed through.)

I cut a length of ribbon and tied it to the zipper pull. I chose a black grosgrain with white polka dots.

And, that’s it!! Great favor for a dollar, don’t you think? And, plenty of room to fill with candy! (Oh…I did buy rubber spiders at Target also…they were 4 for a $1! Love the white polka dots on this one!)