Updated - December 20, 2006

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Go to: Gramma Lowe's Crafts & Holiday Index Complete Recipe Index Food Days Calendar Cooking Helps & Hints Main Dish Recipes Soup and Casserole Recipes Side Dish Recipes Dessert Recipes - Cakes and Misc. Dessert Recipes - Pudding, Gelatin, Pudding-Cake, Cobbler, Pandowdy Dessert Recipes - Pies Candy Recipes Cookie Recipes -- Cookie-Press (Spritz) Cookie Recipes -- Bar & Drop Cookie Recipes -- Formed & Rolled Cookie Recipes -- No-Bake Breads, Appetizers, & Misc. Recipes Recipes using Apples Recipes using Chocolate Chips Recipes using Chocolate Recipes using Cornflakes Recipes for fudges Recipes using Nuts Recipes using Pecans Recipes using Potatoes Recipes using Pumpkin Recipes using Raisins Valentine's Day Food St. Patrick's Day Food Easter Food & Fun Mothers' Day Food Halloween Fun Food Index Thanksgiving Fun Food Index

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CANDY CONTENTS

    Ant on a Log
    Caramel Crunch Popcorn
    Chocolate Marshmallow Cats
    Chocolate Spiders
    Foolproof Fudge
    Fudge Truffles
    Halloween Pretzels
    Marshmallow Candy Easter Eggs
    Marshmallow Fudge
    Marshmallow Pumpkins
    Minted Nuts
    Mother Goose (Crystallized) Popcorn
    No-Cook Cream Cheese Fudge
    Peanut Butter Fudge
    Peanut Butter Rocky Road Fudge (easy)
    Rice Krispies® Treats
    Salt Water Taffy
    Sour Cream Fudge
    S'Mores Fudge
    Taffy

Fudge Truffles

18 whole graham crackers
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 teaspoons shredded coconut

Make graham crackers into crumbs. Add powdered sugar and cocoa. Mix until blended. Add milk and vanilla, mix until a ball forms. Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in coconut or chopped nuts, if desired. Store in airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

1-1/3 cups milk chocolate chips
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/3 cups miniature marshmallows
2 graham crackers -- broken into small pieces

Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil; grease foil. Cook the chips and the condensed milk in bowl in microwave until melted and smooth. Stir frequently. Let cool 2 minutes, then stir in vanilla and 1 cup of the marshmallows. Pour into lined pan. Stick graham cracker pieces and remaining marshmallows into fudge. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Invert pan, peel off foil, invert fudge and cut in 1" squares.

1 pound chocolate 'Candy Melts', also known as chocolate coating, will be enough to cover 8 to 10 cats
24 regular-size marshmallows
Licorice shoestring candy
24 pieces of candy corn
16 silver dragée candies or cinnamon red hots or other small round candies for eyes

Melt chocolate in microwave or top of double boiler (be very careful not to get any water in the chocolate).
While chocolate is melting, prepare the various parts of the cats. Use kitchen shears or paring knife to cut 8 whole marshmallows in quarters (or smaller bits) to make 2 feet for each cat. (You can leave them off if you prefer.) Set feet aside on a piece of waxed paper placed on a flat tray or cookie sheet.
Set out the following: 8 licorice shoestring tails, each about 3 inches long (I made tails with chocolate-piped out of a plastic bag with a small hole in the corner onto a waxed paper covered tray, then let harden.) 32 licorice whiskers, each about 1 inch long. Cut 8 pieces of candy corn in half crosswise and save the triangle- shaped tips to make 8 noses. Set out 16 whole candy corns for ears and 16 of the small round candies for the eyes.
Dip all the marshmallow 'feet' in the melted chocolate using a toothpick stuck into the marshmallow piece. Place on waxed paper to dry. Dip 8 marshmallows and set on waxed paper, place candy corn ears on the top. Wait until the chocolate is almost set to put on the eyes, nose and whiskers. If it sets too soon, use a little melted chocolate to attach the features.
Dip the remaining 8 marshmallows, place on waxed paper and move two feet into position on each body. When chocolate is almost set, poke the tail in the back and position the head on the top of the body. If the head slides, wait just a bit longer before placing it on to let the chocolate dry a little more.
Store in a cool, dry place. In hot weather, store in the refrigerator.

Wilton Candy Melts® White, Orange, Green and Light Cocoa
Pumpkins icing decorations
Decorating tips #3, 7, 69
Pretzel rods
Tootsie Rolls®-miniature size

Melt candy in separate containers according to package directions. Pour orange and white melted candy into separate pie pans. Roll pretzels in melted candy to coat. You might need to help spread the candy on the pretzel with the back of a spoon-this also gives it texture. Place on waxed paper to set.
To make pumpkins: using melted light cocoa candy in parchment (or waxed paper) triangles and tip #3, pipe facial features. Using melted green candy and tip #69, add leaves to top. Roll Tootsie Rolls on table to make them smaller in diameter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces. (If the candy is too hard to roll easily, soften in microwave a couple of seconds). Attach stem to top before the leaves set.
To make ghosts: Using white melted candy and tip #7 in parchment triangles, attach pumpkin decorations then pipe arms. Using melted green and light cocoa candy and tip #3, pipe facial features. Let set. Stand pretzels in basket of candy corn.

With a knife, scrape a flat spot on the bottoms of 12 chocolate-covered malt balls. Next, melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave. Set four pretzel rods on a wire cooling rack to keep them from rolling and drizzle on melted chocolate.
Before chocolate sets, press three malt balls, flat sides down, on each pretzel to create an ant's body. For the legs, dip the ends of six crunchy chow mein noodles into the chocolate and stick them in place. Use more chocolate to attach candy dot eyes and snipped-licorice antennae.

Minted Nuts

1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
3 teaspoons light corn syrup
6 regular sized marshmallows
3 drops mint flavoring
2-1/2 cups walnut or pecan halves

Boil sugar, salt, water and corn syrup together, stirring often, to 236° on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and add marshmallows, stir until melted. Add mint flavoring and walnut or pecan halves. Stir gently until creamy. Turn out onto waxed paper and separate nuts.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup crunchy (or creamy) peanut butter

In large pan, boil sugar, milk, and salt for 10 minutes; add butter. Continue boiling until mixture reaches soft ball stage. Remove from heat; add vanilla and peanut butter. Beat until mixture starts to set. Pour quickly (it sets fast) into buttered 9" square pan. Cut into squares.

Peanut Butter Rocky Road Fudge
For a peanut-free version of this candy, simply substitute 1 cup of crisped rice cereal for the crunchy peanut butter.

1 (12 ounce) package chocolate chips
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir in the peanut butter until blended.
Remove from heat and fold in the marshmallows.
Spread the mixture into a 9 by 13 inch greased baking dish. Cover and chill until the candy firms up (about 10 to 15 minutes).
Cut into 1-1/2 inch squares.

Mother Goose (Crystallized)Popcorn

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3-4 drops food coloring
8-9 cups popped popcorn (1/2 cup unpopped)

Pop popcorn.
In a saucepan, combine sugar water, and butter over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook without stirring until it reaches a hard ball stage (about 255°). Remove from heat, add vanilla and food coloring to make desired color, mix well. Pour over popcorn, mixing until candy mixture thoroughly coats popcorn. Pour out onto foil to cool. Break apart.

Caramel Crunch Popcorn

8 cups freshly popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped)
1-1/2 cups nuts (I like either whole almonds or pecan halves best)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine popcorn and nuts. Place on a large (no smaller than 11x17x2") cookie sheet.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine in heavy saucepan, sugars, butter, and syrup. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes to 245-250 degrees. Remove from heat, add soda and vanilla. Stir well, until creamy. Pour over popped corn and stir to coat.
Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes, stir, then bake 10 minutes more.
Transfer to foil, spread thin. Let cool completely. Break up and store airtight.

Rice Krispies® Treats

Makes 24 2-inch squares
3 tablespoons margarine
1 package (10 oz. -- about 40 marshmallows) regular marshmallows OR 4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies
cooking spray

1. Melt margarine in a large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add Rice Krispies®. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cut into 2 inch squares.
4. Microwave instructions: In microwave safe bowl, heat margarine and marshmallows at HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. February Calendar

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   Marshmallow Candy

   2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
   1/2 cup cold water
   1 cup sugar
   1 cup light corn syrup
   1/3 cup water
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   1 stiffly beaten egg white
   Molding compound–also known as Candy Melts, or molding chocolate

   Before you start–test your candy thermometer. To do this, place it in a pan with enough water to cover the bulb. Bring the water to a boil and let the water boil for several minutes. Read the temperature at eye level; if you look down, the temperature will appear to be lower than it actually is. Note the temperature at which the water boils. It will probably be between 200 - 212F (95-100C). Now you will need to adjust the temperature for the recipe–if it boiled at 210 subtract 2 degrees from the needed temperature and so on.

   Make your flour molds before you start cooking the candy. To do this, spoon flour into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pans to a depth of about 1 inch. Level it gently with a fork–you do not want to pack it down at all. Then with either a real egg or a plastic one, make the indentions in the flour by firmly pushing the egg into the flour to about 3/4 inch deep. I used a plastic egg in the picture and put a piece of tape for a handle–whatever works best for you. Make enough molds for 80 to 95 eggs. After you are finished making the eggs, you can use the flour as normal--it doesn't bother or hurt the flour.

   

   Now, soften gelatin in the 1/2 cup cold water. Set aside while you cook the syrup.

   In a 2 quart, heavy saucepan, cook and stir the sugar, syrup and 1/3 cup water until dissolved and starting to boil. Cook without stirring to softball (240)–remember to have checked your thermometer. I usually do a cold water test also, just to be sure of myself! Remove from heat and add softened gelatin and vanilla. Cool 10 minutes. While it is cooling, beat egg white to stiff peaks. When the 10 minutes are up, slowly pour the syrup into stiff egg white while mixing on low speed, don't scrape the pan. Then beat on high speed to very soft peaks. Spoon into flour molds. Let stand for about 1 hour, then remove from flour and dust off excess flour. (I turn each egg over in the flour first, because the tops are sticky and will really stick to your fingers). Place them on a wax paper covered cookie sheet.

   

   Melt molding chocolate by either putting in the top of a double boiler over hot but NOT BOILING water, being very careful not to get any water in chocolate (it will harden it) or melt in the microwave-carefully at low power. Watch either carefully, when it is melted, it will still look formed–see picture–but when stirred, you can see it is melted.

   

   Now you are ready to dip the marshmallow eggs into the chocolate. I use a fork and dip and turn the egg over. You can also hold it on the fork and spoon chocolate over it, or even use your fingers. Again, whatever you are most comfortable doing and what works for you.

   

   Cool on waxed paper, if kitchen is cool. If it is very warm (over 75F) put them in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to set. If it is too warm, they will set, but the set chocolate will tend to be cloudy looking –not to worry–they still taste wonderful.

   Back to Easter Index on my other site

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   Salt Water Taffy

   2 cups sugar
   1-1/4 cups light corn syrup
   1 cup water
   1 teaspoon salt
   2 tablespoons butter

   1/2 teaspoon flavoring food coloring In a 3-quart heavy saucepan, combing sugar, corn syrup and water. Place over high heat, stir constantly until boils. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking to 260°F (Hard Ball). Remove from heat, add salt and butter. Pour onto buttered 15X10-inch pan. Allow to cool about 20 minutes. Sprinkle desired coloring and flavoring over candy; knead into candy, then pull. Pull candy slowly until hands are about 18" apart. Fold in half and continue to pull and fold until candy is hard-20 to 30 minutes. Candy will look smooth and satin-like. Form into 1/2-3/4 inch thick rope. Cut rope into bite sized pieces. Allow to drop onto surface which has been dusted with a mixture of 4 tablespoons powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Wrap individually in waxed paper; store in air-tight container.

   May Calendar

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   Taffy

   3-1/3 cups sugar
   1-1/3 cups cold water
   3 teaspoons vinegar
   1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

   Put ingredients into pan, stir until sugar is partly dissolved; then wipe down sides. Heat rapidly to boiling and cook briskly without stirring to 270°F (soft crack). Immediately pour onto a lightly buttered shallow platter. Add peppermint extract, and pull as soon as cool enough to handle.

   May Calendar

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   Foolproof Fudge

   1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
   1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
   1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
   1/4 teaspoon salt

   In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chips with milk. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Spread evenly into wax paper lined 8" square pan.
   In microwave: Put chips and milk into bowl- heat until chips are melted. Continue as above.

   Fudge Recipes List    May Calendar     Recipes Using Chocolate Chips List

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   No-Cook Cream Cheese Fudge
   Makes about 45 pieces

   2 cups confectioner's sugar
   4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
   2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
   1 tablespoon milk, half & half, or heavy cream
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   1 cup flaked coconut or chocolate chips, optional
   1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Line with waxed paper, then lightly grease paper.
   Beat sugar and cream cheese in a medium-size bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Beat in chocolate, milk and vanilla until well blended, smooth and creamy. Stir in any optional ingredient. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Chill about 8 hours or until firm enough to cut. Lift waxed paper by ends onto cutting board. Cut fudge into 1 inch pieces.

   Fudge Recipes List    May Calendar     Recipes Using Chocolate Chips List

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   Sour Cream Fudge
   A white fudge

   32 ounces white chocolate, grated
   1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
   1 tablespoon vanilla
   2 cups chopped nuts
   4 cups sugar
   1/2 cup butter
   1 pint dairy sour cream

   Combine white chocolate, marshmallow creme, vanilla, nuts; set aside.
   Combine in heavy saucepan sugar, butter and sour cream. Heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Cook 5 minutes while boiling. Fold into chocolate mixture until smooth.
   Pour into buttered 8 x 8 inch dish. Cool in refrigerator. Cut into pieces.

   Fudge Recipes List    May Calendar

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   Marshmallow Fudge

   2-1/4 cups sugar
   3/4 cup evaporated milk
   1 cup marshmallow cream OR 16 large marshmallows instead of the marshmallow cream
   1/4 cup butter
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   1 cup chopped nuts

   Mix sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in heavy saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat to an all-over boil. Boil and stir 5 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips and marshmallow until completely melted. Add vanilla and nuts. Spread in buttered 8" square pan.

   Fudge Recipes List    May Calendar     Recipes Using Chocolate Chips List

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