Christmas Baking- Final Day 5

How is your Christmas baking going? Today is the final day for my Christmas baking post. I had to go out with a classic, Butter Toffee. My mom's traditional recipe uses pecans. I made a batch of this, but also experimented on a second batch with smoked almonds and some dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. I am loving the saltiness of the smoked almonds in everything right now. You can choose which option tickles your fancy more but I am certain that you will be happy with either one in the end. :)

Butter Toffee

Ingredients:
1 LB butter (yes- 1 full pound. Don't worry the calories don't count when you boil it)
6 TBS hot water
2 cups sugar
2 TBS light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (either pecans or smoked almonds)
12 oz package chocolate chips (I used milk for one batch and 1/2 dark, 1/2 semi-sweet for another batch)


Line a cookie sheet with half of the chopped nuts.

In heavy pan combine butter, water, sugar, corn syrup, salt and butter. I would not suggest using a nice non-stick pan. I use a big old heavy pan for candy. Cook over medium to medium high heat on stove, stirring occasionally till butter has melted. Using a candy thermometer, cook until temperature reaches the soft crack stage, approximately 275 degrees. The candy should turn to a golden color, and you should barely begin to smell a slight "burnt" smell but not so much that it actually is burning. You'll know when it gets to that point.

Not quite there yet but starting to turn golden

Remove from heat, and pour mixture over the chopped nuts.

While the candy is still hot, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.

Wait for about 5 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then spread the chocolate with a spatula. Top with remaining nuts.

Refrigerate until completely cooled, approximately 30 min. Break into pieces with a butter knife.

Enjoy!

Christmas Baking- Day 3

Penny Wenny's Original Peppermint Pretzel Bark

Now I don't meant to toot my own horn, but I think I created a little piece of heaven today. Seriously. My mom and sister inspired me with the idea without even knowing it. We all went and saw Tron the other night (courtesy of my generous big brother) and my sister Amanda passed around some of her yummy homemade Christmas candies for us to chomp on during the action. One bag had butter toffee (recipe from PW coming soon), another had both chocolate pretzel bark, and white chocolate peppermint bark. My mom commented to my sister after the flick that her bark had broken so she just held the two pieces together as she ate. We kinda laughed at her because they weren't meant to go together; they were two different candies that just happened to be in the same bag. But here's the kicker- they are SO meant to go together! I did a little baking experiment today and my theory proved to be correct. The contrast of salty with peppermint, white chocolate with dark chocolate= recipe for success. I think these will become an annual tradition for us from here on out. They are super easy to make and look fabulous also. Disfruta!

Ingredients:

1 cup crushed pretzels (I used the mini twists)

(1) 12 oz bag semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 bag Ghiradelli bittersweet 60% cacao chips

16 oz white chocolate (I was lucky enough to have some white chocolate from Switzerland so I mixed that with a bag of Ghiradelli's white chips)

1-3 TBSP milk as needed

(1) 6 oz package candy canes, crushed

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Melt dark and semi-sweet chocolate in a glass bowl over a pan of very low simmering water.

Once smooth, mix in crushed pretzels.

Pour mixture over lined cookie sheet, and spread out with a spatula.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until completely hardened.

Melt white chocolate the same way as the dark chocolate, adding milk as needed to reach a smooth consistency. Stir in half the candy canes.

Pull chilled pretzel bark out and pour white chocolate mixture over the top. Using a spatula, quickly spread the mixture gently, not pushing too hard so that the dark chocolate doesn't mix in with the white. Sprinkle remaining candy canes over the top and refrigerate again until hard, approximately 30 min.

With a sharp knife, cut bark into pieces. Enjoy right away, or if you have the will power not to eat the whole batch, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to polish it off.

Christmas Baking- Day 2

Ready for some more sugar to add to your rush?

Giada's Smoked Almond Turtles

This recipe is the perfect combination of flavors with the saltiness of the smoked almonds, sweetness of the caramel and rich intense flavor of the dark chocolate. I am in love with these turtles. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Ingredients:

1 cup coarsely chopped smoked almonds

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 stick unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1 TBSP water

3/4 cup Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao)

Spray (2) mini muffin tins with cooking spray, and distribute the almonds evenly amongst the cups. Set aside.

***I love to make these in the muffin tins, but I also like to make them in a more traditional turtle way. You can prepare the turtles the same way but on a wax paper lined cookie sheet instead. ***

In a heavy saucepan combine cream, butter, sugar and water. Stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook without stirring until the candy reaches 240 degrees (approx. 5-7 minutes).

Remove pot from the heat, allow to cool 30 seconds. Using a long handled metal soon, carefully spoon the caramel over the nuts.

DO NOT SCRAPE CARAMEL FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN (I learned this lesson the hard way). Allow the caramel to harden at room temperature for 1 hour.

Melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl over a saucepan of an inch or so of water on the lowest heat. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Spoon the chocolate over the caramel and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Use a thin spatula or butter knife to remove the turtles from the muffin tins. Let the turtles soften at room temperature, and ENJOY!

Coming soon- Sandball Cookies