In honor of Presidents Day we present Jimmy Carter Candy, which I found at the Desktop Cookbook site.
Ingredients
- 1 package vanilla almond bark
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1 3/4 cups Rice Krispies
Instructions
- Break up almond bark and melt in microwave, 1 minute at a time, stirring well in between, until completely smooth.
- Combine all other ingredients and mix well. Marshmallows will not melt completely.
- Spread mixture on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
- Cool completely until set up and hardened. Slice into squares.
Jimmy Carter by cliff1066™.
NCA’s Web site has a treasure trove of recipes for you. This is one of my favorites, and possibly what my Lovely Wife will have for dessert on Valentine’s Day. She is pretty darned special to me, you know. It’s either this or some crepes. We will see which she wants. Rest assured, photos will be taken of whatever it ends up being because that’s just how I roll.
Chocolate and fruit are the perfect combination and they’re showcased in this dessert. All you have to do is prepare the chocolate mixture and the fruit. Then your guests serve themselves.
You Will Need
- 7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons orange liqueur or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Cubes of pound cake or angle food cake
- Whole fresh strawberries
- Thick slices of banana
- Dried apricot halves
Directions
- In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and water. Stir over warm water until the chocolate melts and is smooth. Add the cream, orange liqueur or vanilla, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a fondue pan and keep it warm over a low flame. Arrange the cake and fruit on a serving platter.
- Supply each guest with a fondue fork so they can spear the item of their choice and dip it in the fondue mixture.
Yield: 6 servings
Remember: Your fondue mixture must be kept warm so that it will stay liquid. The best way to do this is to use a fondue pot that has room for a candle or a liquid heat source underneath.
Chocolate Fondue by omar_chatriwala.
You probably thought it would never come, but here it is – English Toffee Day. For people like Tori and me, this is like and extension of Christmas, except that we celebrate the goodness of one of our favorite candies. What makes English toffee different from regular toffee, you may ask? This isn’t an arbitrary assignment of country names to make foods seem more exotic, like we see with Belgian waffles, Dutch apple pie, American cheese, French fries or German potato salad. As I understand it, the English really do eat this and might even call it by the same name, although I doubt it.
According to Wikipedia, “A popular variant [on toffee] in the US is English toffee, which is a very buttery toffee often made with almonds.” Okay, so the English probably do not call it that after all, but I will wait to hear it from a proper Englishman.
Probably the most famous commercially produced English toffee is the Heath Bar but you can find others as well, many of them probably referred to as almond toffee. However, you can also make this treat at home if you are daring enough. Me, I do not like to make candy at home because of the high temperatures. I tend to burn myself while making things like spaghetti sauce, so working with molten butter that gets to 300 degrees is a little nerve-wracking for me.
If you are ambitious and less of a crybaby than I am, Cooking for Engineers has a good recipe for it. Here are their ingredients:
- 6 oz. (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- about 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped almonds
- 1 (5 mL) teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter
It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Go check out the recipe on their site for the method they use. Something nice about Cooking for Engineers is that they break down the recipes into easy-to-follow instructions and have both English and Metric units, both of which are appropriate when making something called English toffee.
English Toffee by jessicafm.
Angela D’Urso of Echo Pilot published a great recipe for a low-calorie cocoa sauce. D’Urso says she learned about the positive health benefits cocoa can offer while in pastry school. She talks about the antioxidant properties as well as the iron and potassium content. In short, it’s clear that she loves all things cocoa.
And just to reward the world, she offers a low-calorie coca sauce recipe. Here are the ingredients to make about a quart of the good stuff:
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup semisweet Baker’s chocolate or chips
To get the steps to make it (yes, it’s more complicated than mixing it all together with sunshine and love), go read the article.
Chocolate Sauce by gelskitchen.
You are probably starting to think about what you are making for New Year’s. Here are some great recipes for treats to feed your fellow revelers to help ring in the new year, so get your shopping lists ready and let’s get to cooking. I think this year’s theme is finger food. Easy to make, easy to serve and less clean-up.
Of course, you could just set up a candy buffet, like Susan did for her wedding. That was pretty darned good too.
What creations are you planning for your New Year’s festivities?
Candy Buffet by Isle Concierge.
Thanks to Savory Seattle for publishing this recipe. It feels like the right weather to have lamb. The gamey flavor makes it a perfect dish for days like this, when we are entering into the time of cold weather. Adding the deep, rich flavor of cocoa and the nutty crunchiness of cocoa nibs must be a heck of a great way to enjoy it.
We have talked about cooking with cocoa nibs before, as well as Jacques Torres’ cocoa nib salmon. Nibs and lamb? A new one on us, but we are very open minded!
Ingredients:
2 medium shallots, minced
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 6-ounce lamb chops
salt
1 to 2 tablespoon’s olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 cup zinfandel or syrah
1/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon mustard (I used Walla Walla Sweet mustard)
2 tablespoons Cocoa Nibs
pinch of sugar
You will have to go to the original page to get the full recipe.
Have you cooked with cocoa nibs? How did it turn out for you?
Cocoa Nibs by Caro’s Lines.
It’s the baking time of year, as we all know, so here is yet another way to enjoy baking with chocolate. Thank you, Maillard browning, and to Candy Science Laura, who introduced me to this concept!
This recipe and more are online on the CandyUSA Web site. Go check it out!
You will need:
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
Additional Sugar
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheet.
In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to butter mixture.
Using ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop dough about 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until cookie springs back when touched lightly in center.
While cookies are on cookie sheet, sprinkle lightly with additional sugar. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 1 dozen cookies.
*To sour milk: Use 1 teaspoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1/3 cup.
Chocolate Sugar Cookies by jamieanne.
