RECIPES

Aunt Grace's Divine Homemade Marshmallows

Ingredients

2 ½ tablespoons gelatin - unflavored

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn (Karo) syrup

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup cold water

Have a little confectioners' sugar on hand for dusting.

You’ll also need an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. photo credit: Donald Munro

Directions

Combine the gelatin and ½ cup cold water using the electric mixer with whisk attachment. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes.

Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and ½ cup water in a small heavy saucepan; cook over low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush as the mixture cooks to dissolve any sugar crystals that form.

Insert a candy thermometer (clip it onto the side of the pan) and raise the heat to high. Cook the syrup without stirring until it reaches 244 degrees (the firm-ball stage). Remove pan from heat immediately.

Turn on the mixer to low, and slowly and carefully pour the hot syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the mixture is very thick and white. It should almost triple in volume. This should take about 15 minutes. Add vanilla and beat the mixture just to incorporate it.

Using confectioners’ sugar, generously dust an 8 x 12-inch glass baking pan, then pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan.

Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar and let stand overnight, uncovered, to dry out.

DIVINE ALMOND TOFFEE

2 Cups Packed brown sugar

1 Cup Butter

1/4 Cup Water

1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract

½ teaspoon Baking soda

12 oz Chocolate chips

1 ½ cup sliced toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

Lightly grease a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet and set it aside.  In a large heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, and water and bring slowly to the boil, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Insert a candy thermometer and cook until the mixture reaches 285 degrees F. (soft-crack stage).

Remove from heat and quickly stir in the vanilla and baking soda.

Immediately pour the hot mixture onto the greased baking sheet.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot toffee. Let the whole thing sit for 5 minutes,

then spread the chocolate evenly over the surface of the toffee with a spatula.

Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the top.

Cool completely. Break the hardened toffee into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 1 ½ pounds

DIVINITY’S CREAM CHEESE MINTS

2 oz Cream cheese, room temperature. 

  (Keep the cream cheese refrigerated until one hour before serving to prevent bacteria from forming.)

1/4 teaspoon Oil of peppermint

1 2/3 Cups Confectioner’s sugar

Mash cheese well.  Add the flavoring and coloring and mix in the sugar. Knead the mix with your hands until you have a texture like pie dough.

Shape into ball, one at a time, press one side ONLY, into granulated sugar.

Press sugar side into rubber mold of your choice.  Unmold at once.

DIVINITY’S CARAMEL-DIPPED APPLES

Makes 12

Making the caramel requires the use of a clip-on candy thermometer, which should be tested for accuracy before starting. Attach it to the side of a medium saucepan of water, and boil the water for three minutes. The thermometer should register 212°F if it doesn’t take the difference into account when reading the temperature.

1 1-pound box dark brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup dark corn syrup

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon robust-flavored (dark) molasses

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 chopsticks or Popsicle stickscredit: eric_kilby on flickr.com

12 medium Granny Smith apples

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, dried apricots and dried cranberries, toffee bits, mini M&M’s and candy sprinkles

Melted dark, milk and/or white chocolates

Combine first 8 ingredients in heavy 2 1/2-quart saucepan (about 3 inches deep). Stir with wooden spatula or spoon over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves (no crystals are felt when caramel is rubbed between fingers).  Occasionally brush down sides of pan with wet pastry brush.  Takes about 15 minutes.

Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook caramel at rolling boil until thermometer registers 236°F, stirring constantly but slowly with clean wooden spatula and occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush.  Takes about 12 minutes.

Pour caramel into metal bowl (do not scrape pan). Submerge thermometer bulb in caramel; cool, without stirring, to 200°F.  Takes about 20 minutes.

While caramel cools, line 2 baking sheets with foil; butter foil. Push 1 chopstick/popsicle stick into stem end of each apple. Set up decorations and melted chocolates.

Holding by the stick, dip 1 apple into 200°F caramel, submerging all but very top of apple. Lift apple out, allowing excess caramel to drip back into bowl. Turn apple caramel side up and hold for several seconds to help set caramel around apple.

Place coated apple on prepared foil. Repeat with remaining apples and caramel, spacing apples apart (caramel will pool on foil). If caramel becomes too thick to dip into, add 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream and briefly whisk caramel in bowl over low heat to thin.

Chill apples on sheets until caramel is partially set, about 15 minutes. Lift 1 apple from foil. Using hand, press pooled caramel around apple; return to foil. Repeat with remaining apples.

Firmly press decorations into caramel; return each apple to foil. Or dip caramel-coated apples into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off, then roll in nuts or candy. Or drizzle melted chocolate over caramel-coated apples and sprinkle with decorations.