Holiday Candy “A gift made with love”

When I was growing up, I could not wait till the holidays because my mom would start making her Holiday Candy, and she made the best homemade candy. She would package her homemade goodies and distribute to friends and family. Everyone loved getting a nice tin/box with the goodies inside, I still love getting this gift from my mom, it has now became a family tradition to distribute homemade candy at Christmas time to friends and family.

I would like to share some of the recipes that have been hand down from generations and some others that I have adapted from Homemade Gourmet, Martha Stewart and Eagle Brand Milk. Enjoy the holidays and let the ones you love know that you love them with a box of homemade candy this year. “Old fashion candy like Grandma used to make”.

Cute little Christmas Tins and Boxes can be found at most Craft Stores; place the homemade candy on wax paper inside the tin. You can make it more special by adding ribbons and bows. Now you have a great Christmas gift that is homemade from your kitchen. A great way to say “I love you”

Cherry Mash Candy (Family recipe) 🙂 Favorite

1 14oz package strawberry frosting mix (powder)
1 lb package confectioners’ sugar
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1/4 cup butter (soften)
2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 sqaure paraffin
8 oz salted chopped peanuts

Combine dry frosting mix, confectioners sugar, condensed milk, vanilla, cherries and butter in bowl; mix well. Shape into patties or balls. Melt chocolate chips with paraffin in saucepan, mixing well. Dip balls into chocolate; then roll into peanuts, coating well. Chill in refrigerator.

Mounds Candy (Family recipe)🙂 Favorite
1/4 cup Sugar
1/3 cup white corn syrup
1 tbsp water

Put in small boiler and bring to a boil. Cook until soft boil stage.
Add 2 cups coconut stir until well coated. Then place 1 tsp of the mixture on a sprayed cookie sheet, repeat until all the mixture is gone. Refrigerate until hard. On low heat melt 7 oz of chocolate chips, dip coconut balls into chocolate mixture and return back to the cookie sheet and let it cool.

For variation you can add whole almond to the coconut mixture before it cools and then follow the same process.

Fudge Turtles (Adapted from Homemade Gourmet) 🙂 Favorite

1 lb pecan halves
15 carmamels unwrapped and cut in half
1 Homemade Gourmet Five Minute Fudge Mix with pecan packet
7 large marshmallows
1/3 cup evaporated milk
4 tbsp butter (soften)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 11x 17×1 baking sheet, place 3 pecan halves as a 3-point star in intervals 2 inches apart. Squeeze caramel halves flat with your fingers and lay on top of each trio of pecan halves. Bake for 5 minutes or until caramels are soft. Do not allow them to melt, remove turtles from the oven and cool.
2. Remove pecan package from Five minute fudge mix; set aside to be used later in step 4. In a 5 quart microwave bowl,combine fudge mix, marshmallows, and evaporated milk; stir with heavy spoon.
a. Microwave uncovered on high for 2 minutes; marshmallows will be large and puffy. Stir for 30 seconds to blend thoroughly.
b. Microwave uncovered on high for another 2 minutes; marshmallows will be smaller. Stir for 30 seconds to blend thoroughly.
c. Microwave uncovered on high for 1 minute; fudge should be bubbly. Stir for 30 seconds to blend thoroughly. * If not bubbly, microwave in 1 minute increments until bubbly
3. CAUTION, mixture will be extremely hot. Add butter and beat with a heavy spoon for 30 seconds until butter and fudge is creamy.
4. Spoon fudge on top of each caramel until caramel is covered. If desired, sprinkle pecan pieces on top of each turtle. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Remove fudge turtles from baking sheet, and store in airtight container.
Yields 30

Peppermint Bark ( Family recipe )

Ingredients
Makes 2 lbs of candy
2 pounds white chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
12 large candy canes
1/2 teaspoon peppermint oil

Directions
Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet with parchment, and set aside.
In the top of a double boiler, melt white chocolate, stirring constantly.
Crush candy canes into little pieces.
Stir pieces of candy canes and peppermint oil into the melted chocolate. Remove from heat, and pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet; spread evenly. Chill until firm, 25 to 30 minutes. Break into pieces, and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

** For Variation try almond bark or dark chocolate

Peppermint Sticks (Adapted from Martha Stewart) 🙂 Favorite

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
4 drops red food coloring
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Directions
Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside. Place sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cover; bring to a boil. Remove lid, and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup registers 305 degrees (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and carefully stir in lemon juice, extract, and food coloring.
Pour hot syrup onto prepared baking sheet, being careful not to touch syrup. Using a metal spatula coated with cooking spray, fold edges toward the middle (this will help cool the syrup). When it is cool enough to handle but still quite warm, using plastic gloves, stretch and pull candy, folding it over onto itself before pulling again, until it is opaque and just starting to firm up, about 10 minutes.
Immediately pull off pieces to form long pencil-thin ropes. Working quickly, cut into 7-inch lengths with a pair of kitchen scissors. Continue pulling until all candy is used or is no longer pliable.
Temper chocolate: Heat 2/3 of chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water until chocolate registers 118 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat, and add the remaining chocolate; stir with a rubber spatula (avoid using a wooden spoon, which can impart other flavors) until it cools to 84 degrees. Remove any unmelted pieces, and discard. Return bowl to pan, and stir until chocolate reaches 88 to 90 degrees.
Dip top 3 inches of each peppermint stick in the chocolate, if desired. Allow excess to drip off; set on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let harden. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Festive Snowballs (Adapted from Eagle Brand Milk)

Servings:
Makes 3 to 4 dozen balls

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup maraschino cherries, quartered
30 marshmallows cut in quarters
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 cups graham or vanilla wafer crumbs
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut

Directions:

Combine EAGLE BRAND®, vanilla, maraschino cherries, marshmallows, nuts and graham wafer crumbs; mix well.

Place coconut in shallow bowl. With damp fingers, roll marshmallow mixture into 3/4-inch balls and roll in coconut. Place onto wax paper lined cookie sheets. Chill 4 hours or until set. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Rocky Road Candy (Adapted from Eagle Brand Milk) 🙂 Favorite

Servings:
Makes 3 1/2 dozen pieces

Ingredients:

2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 (10 1/2-ounce) package miniature marshmallows

Directions:

In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips and butter with EAGLE BRAND®; remove from heat.

In large bowl, combine peanuts and marshmallows; stir in chocolate mixture. Spread in waxed paper-lined 13×9-inch baking pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm.

Remove from pan; peel off paper and cut into squares. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature.

Peppermint Patties (Adapted from Eagle Brand Milk) 🙂 Favorite

Servings:
Makes about 8 dozen

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
Green or red food coloring (optional)
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
Additional confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 pounds chocolate-flavored candy coating*, melted

Directions:

In large bowl, combine EAGLE BRAND®, extract and food coloring (optional). Add 6 cups confectioners’ sugar; beat on low speed until smooth and well blended. Turn mixture onto surface sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.

Knead lightly to form smooth ball. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on wax-paper-lined baking sheets. Flatten each ball into a 1½-inch patty.

Let dry 1 hour or longer; turn over and let dry at least 1 hour. With fork, dip each patty into warm candy coating (draw fork lightly across rim of pan to remove excess coating). Invert onto wax-paper-lined baking sheets; let stand until firm. Store covered at room temperature or in refrigerator.

Fudge (Adapted from Homemade Gourmet)
Recipe Yields: 16
Recipe Serving Size: 1 piece
Servings Per Recipe: 16 servings

Ingredients
1 Homemade Gourmet® Five Minute Fudge Mix with chocolate chip packet
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 cup miniature marshmallow or 6 large marshmallows

Directions
1. Lightly spray an 8×8 baking pan* with butter flavored cooking spray; set aside. Remove chocolate chips packet from mix; set aside.

2. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine fudge mix; stir until well blended. Add butter and microwave on high for 4 minutes. CAUTION: Mixture will be hot and bubbly.

3. Add chocolate chips, marshmallows, and pecans to fudge mixture; stir 1 minute until well blended and marshmallows are melted. Fudge mixture will stiffen while stirring.

4. Spread fudge mixture evenly in prepared baking pan; cool for 20 minutes at room temperature. Chill in refrigerator 20 minutes until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

* Use a smaller dimension pan for thicker fudge; 5×8 loaf pan.

Coconut Truffles (Adapted from Homemade Gourmet)
Recipe Yields: 16
Recipe Serving Size: 2 truffles
Servings Per Recipe: 16 servings

Ingredients
8 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 14-ounce package flaked coconut
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 stick butter, softened (use butter for best results)
1 24-ounce package chocolate almond bark
1 Homemade Gourmet® Basic Cheesecake Mix

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine cheesecake mix, 6 cups powdered sugar, coconut, condensed milk, and butter. Using stand mixer or heavy duty spoon, combine ingredients until well blended. Dough will be thick and firm.

2. Dust a large serving platter with powdered sugar, roll truffle dough into 1 inch balls (if dough is too sticky to roll into balls easily, add powdered sugar in ½ cup increments and work into dough). Place balls on prepared platter. Repeat until all truffle dough is used. Freeze for 30 minutes or until truffle balls are firm.

3. Break almond bark into large pieces and place in small deep microwave safe bowl. Melt bark on high for 45 seconds; stir. Microwave on high in 15 second increments until bark is completely melted.

4. Lay out a long sheet of wax paper on countertop. Remove truffles from freezer. Insert toothpick in truffle, dip into melted bark until coated, tap the side of the bowl to remove excess bark. Place coated truffle on wax paper and twist toothpick to release truffle; using a small spoon, dab small amount of melted bark on truffle to cover toothpick hole. Repeat with remaining truffles. Allow truffles to dry at room temperature until bark has hardened, about 30 minutes. Store coated truffles in airtight container.