English Toffee

(Aunt Jeanne)

1/2 pound butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped almonds
4 Hershey bars

In large sauce pan melt sugar and water together until clear and boiling. Add butter and boil until mixture begins to pull away from sides of pan. Then add almonds, mixture will then stick to side of pan again. It will put out a puff of smoke. Quickly remove and pour onto tin foil and spread out. Place Hershey bars onto hot candy. When melted use back of spoon to spread chocolate on top of candy. Sprinkle almonds on top of chocolate.

Mexican Fudge

(Aunt Wendy)

2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Combine sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, and evaporated milk in a large electric skillet. Bring to 280 degrees to boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off skillet add marshmallows, chips, and vanilla. Stir until marshmallows and chips melt and are smoothly blended. Pour into 8x8 pan, cool before cutting into 1 inch squares.

Caramel

(Aunt Wendy via Heather)

1 cup butter
1 lb brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
14 oz sweetened condensed milk

Spray foil generously with Pam. Boil ingredients. Stirring constantly with wooden spoon to 245 degrees.

Pour over 3 batches of pop corn.

For pretzels: 1 1/2 lbs dark chocolate, 1/4 lb white chocolate, 40 pretzels, toppings.

Gnache

(Aunt Renie)

8 oz semi sweet chocolate (baking)
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

Melt chocolate on low very slow until smooth. Remove from heat and gently stir in cream.

Serve with cream puffs.

Lemon Curd

(Aunt Renie)

Pair this filling with store-bought Madeleines.

Makes 2 cups or enough for 48 sandwiches

8 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)

1/8 tsp salt

10 Tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Whisk yolks, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Continue whisking over medium-high heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and is 160 degrees, 8-10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add salt and the butter one piece at a time, mixing until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Hot Fudge

1 cube butter

16 ounces of powdered sugar

6 Tbsp cocoa

3 drops vanilla

1 can evaporated milk

In a double boiler melt milk and butter. Add powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt. Mix with egg beater while cooking from time to time. Cook about 15-20 minutes. Add vanilla.

Aunt Renie's notes: Use 1 1/2 cubes of butter. Put fudge in the blender to make it extra smooth.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

(Amie)

1 cup instant powdered milk
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp melted butter

In a blender, combine the powdered milk, sugar, water, and butter. Blend until smooth; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Peanut Brittle

(Aunt Jeanne)

Heat to 230 degrees:

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

When sugar dissolved add:

1 cup butter

At 280 degrees add:

2 cups peanuts, chopped

At 305 degrees add:

1 tsp soda

Pour - stretch 2 forks

Sugar Coated Pecans

(Aunt Wendy)

1 egg white
1 tbsp water
1 pound pecan halves
1 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Cover one baking sheet with foil and Pam.

In a mixing bowl, whip the egg white and water together until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add pecans to the egg white, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

Popcorn S'mores

(Aunt Wendy)

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
10 cups freshly popped popcorn, cooled (do not use air-popped corn, the kernels are too delicate)
1 package marshmallows (10 1/2 ounces)
2 cups mini graham cookies (ie. Teddy Grahams)
1 cup chocolate chips

First, combine the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda.

Thoroughly combine the popcorn and the marshmallows in a large, heat-proof bowl. Drizzle the sugar mixture over the popcorn to coat it, then gently stir in the graham cookies and chocolate chips, incorporating them evenly throughout the mixture.

Let the mixture set until cool enough to handle, then, using buttered plastic sandwich bags on your hands, form the mixture into golf-ball-size balls. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 30.

Peanut Butter Cups

(Aunt Peg)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 lb powdered sugar (1 1/3 cups)
1/2 cup + 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

Mix all ingredients together and roll into dime size balls. Place in paper cups and pour melted chocolate over the top.

In a mold: Pour a thin layer of chocolate into the bottom of each mold and put in fridge to harden. Place a ball of filling in the center of each mold, then fill with chocolate until filling is covered. Chill.

Spiders

(Aunt Peg)

6 ounces butterscotch chips

6 ounces chocolate chips

3 ounces chow mein noodles

1 cup salted peanuts or cashews

1 cup miniature marshmallows

Cook chips in microwave for 2 1/2 minutes until melted. Stir after each minute. Stir in noodles, nuts, and marshmallows. Drop from a teaspoon onto wax paper. Chill til firm.

Lola's Chex Mix

(altered by Amie)
Mix together in a large bowl:
1 large box Rice Chex (about 20 oz)
1/2 box Golden Grahams (Lola uses all Rice Chex)
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 bag miniature marshmallows
3/4 - 1 cup coconut

In a saucepan:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups sweetened light corn syrup
1 cup butter (I use butter, I think Lola uses margarine)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients in a huge bowl, you will need to have room to stir.

Bring sugar, syrup, butter, and vanilla to a full boil for two minutes. Pour over dry mixture. Stir until evenly coated and spread on wax paper to dry. Store in air tight container.

Caramel Popcorn Sauce

(Aunt Peg)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups mini marshmallows
2 cubes butter
1 tsp vanilla

Cook 5 minutes. Pour over popcorn.