Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
- 2 cup sugar
- ½-1 cup shelled, skinned peanuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Heat sugar in heavy skillet until it becomes a thin light brown syrup, stirring constantly
- Pour over peanuts
- Spread on a buttered pan in a single layer
- Mark into squares while still warm
- When cool, break into pieces
Notes
Brazil nuts, pecans, or walnuts may be used
Butter Toffee (microwave)
Ingredients
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 oz milk chocolate broken into pieces, try chocolate chips
Instructions
- Sprinkle almonds in a 9″ circle on Teflon cookie sheet.
- Rub the top 2 ” of a large mixing bowl with butter, Place butter in bowl.
- Pour sugar directly on butter (avoiding sides of bowl as much as possible).
- Add salt and water. DO NOT STIR.
- Cook approximately 7-8 minutes.
- Candy is done when it is the color of Heath bar, or brown sugar.
- Pour hot candy over nuts.
- Top with chocolate, spreading to frost when melted.
- When cool, break into serving pieces.
Chocolate Bark
In a word, chocolate.
Ingredients
- 16 ounce bag of chocolate chips – semi-sweet or milk, white; any kind will do.
Instructions
- Pour chips into a microwave-proof bowl and zap on medium, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted.
- Stir in two cups of chopped nuts, raisins, crushed Oreo cookies, cinnamon red-hots or broken mini-pretzels.
- Spread mixture onto two cookie sheets you’ve lined with wax paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Break into pieces and store in an air-tight container in the fridge until you’re ready to impress colleagues with your homemade chocolate bark.
Sally’s Reeses Peanut butter cups
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter melted*
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs about 8 full sheets
- 1 cup confectioners’ powdered esugar
- ¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter (not natural style)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a 8×8 or 9×9 square baking pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, and powdered sugar together until combined. Stir in ¾ cup of peanut butter. Spread into prepared baking pan.
- In a small bowl, microwave 2 Tbs of peanut butter with the chocolate chips until melted. Stir until smooth. Spread over peanut butter layer.
- Chill until completely firm, at least 3 hours. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting. Bars stay fresh stored in the refrigerator. Serve chilled. (Setting them out for a few hours at room temperature for serving is OK.) Bars may be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Notes
*Unsalted butter may be used instead – add 1/4 teaspoon salt with the peanut butter in step 2.
Sugarplum Drops
Servings: 30 drops
Ingredients
- ½ C raisins
- ½ C dried apricots
- ½ C dried dates
- ¾ C dried cranberries
- ¾ C pecans
- 1 C blanched almonds
- ¼ C orange juice no pulp
- ½ C granulated or confectioners sugar optional
Instructions
- Combine the dried fruit and nuts in a food processor and pulse until you get a coarse mixture, about 1 minute.
- Add the orange juice and pulse again to mix
- Roll the mixture into 1” balls (then roll in sugar for sweet coating). Refrigerate.
Notes
December 2007
Dark Chocolate Truffles
Servings: 30 pieces
Ingredients
- 2 cup (60% Cacao) Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/3 cup (Unsweetened) Cocoa
- 1/3 cup (heavy) whipping cream
- 6 tablespoon (unsalted) butter cut into small pieces
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the chocolate chips. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and pour into a shallow bowl.
- Cool, cover, and refrigerate the mixture until firm, at least 2 hours.
- Using a melon baller or small spoon, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the cocoa. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- Note: The Unsweetened Cocoa can be replaced with 3/4 cup of chopped almonds or pecans.
Notes
June 2013