Lemon Butter Fudge

I have been wanting to make some fudge for awhile but I have always thought it to be a difficult task.  Remembering my childhood days of having to assist in the hand beating of the batter was not something I relished.  Then my thermometer was nowhere to be found (perhaps a subconscious means of fudge aversion).  However, I finally broke down and bought a new digital thermometer with the intention of making fudge.

When thumbing through a recipe book, there was a section on "exotics fudges", which did catch my interest.  Most of the recipes were not unique flavors, but had a unique ingredient-goat's milk.   Then I found the lemon butter fudge recipe, unique in flavor but no goat's milk.

Since I liked lemon cream filled candy, I thought this would be an unusual treat that would be enjoyed by many people. Also the recipe had a option of including nuts which made it even better.

Now with technology and good equipment like a food processor, that wretched task of beating by hand was out of the picture!  For my first time making fudge, I was pleasantly surprised at the results. My biggest fear was graininess or that it would not set up.  However, in the end my hesitation was just delaying something that was actually a fun project with delicious results. I am a fan of lemon and citrusy things so the tart flavor and creamy texture definitely scored in my book.  Also, I included pecans which added another tasty layer of flavor and crunch. This recipe makes 1 pound of fudge.

Needless to say I am gifting these up for a few special people. Giving gifts for no special reason is always fun!

Lemon Butter Fudge
adapted from Oh Fudge by Lee Benning

Ingredients
4 tbs butter (do not use margarine)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tbs 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 inch by 2 inch piece lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Optional Ingredients
1/2 to 1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts
4 drops yellow food coloring

Prepare your thermometer by placing it in a glass of hot water so it will be pre-warmed.  Take a 2 quart sauce pan and butter the upper 2/3 of the sides of the inside of the pan.  Fill a glass with water and ice.  Also, fill the sink full of cold water to a depth of 1 1/2 inches.

Grease the inside of a 5X10 inch pan and line with parchment paper in bottom and two opposite sides with overhang.  Place the butter in the freezer.

Place all ingredients in the saucepan with the exception of butter and the list of optional ingredients. Put saucepan over low heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved.  The spoon should glide smoothly over the inside bottom of pan with no grittiness.

Increase the heat and let mixture come to a boil.  Use a pastry brush dipping in hot water to wash down the sugar crystals on the inside edges that precede the batter.  Place pre-warmed thermometer in candy and reduce heat but maintain boil.  Once thermometer registers between 236 to 244 degrees Fahrenheit, test by placing a drop in ice water.  It should hold shape until the heat from your fingers start to flatten it and it has a slightly chewy texture.

Once it is at the correct consistency, take saucepan and place in the sink of cold water.  Then drop in frozen butter. Do not stir.  Leave thermometer in candy and wait until it cools down to a temperature of 110 degrees and develops a skin on top.

Pour mixture into food processor, take out zest and add two optional ingredients-the food coloring and lemon extract.  Place the cover over the food processor and leave the feed tube uncovered so steam can escape.   Turn on food processor and run for 3 minutes and let rest for 1 minute.  Repeat this process until the fudge thickens and loses it sheen.  It will become lighter in shade and then stiffen.  For me the true indicator was when the batter did not flow back to the center when the machine was shut off.  It left about a 3/4 inch gap.  This process took about 12 minutes.

Once the right consistency is achieved, mix in the nuts.  Then pour into the prepared pan and let cool.  Once cool, pull on parchment paper to take out of pan and cut into desired shapes.  Then it is ready to serve.  Cover tightly and refrigerate to store.

Tips and Notes:

1. This does give your food processor a work out, it did get very warm.
2. My mom used to serve 1 inch by 1 inch pieces of fudge, these pieces are between 1/2 to 3/4 an inch thick
3. You can use a towel dampened with cold water to place around the outside of the processor bowl to speed up the thickening process of the candy.
4.  I did not take out the zest and let the food processor grind it up to blend into the fudge
5.  Taste batter before opting for the lemon extract, for strength of flavor is a personal preference
6.   I monitored the progression of the candy changes in the consistency by periodically stopping and watching the movement of the batter when machine was of as well as tasting and getting a "mouthfeel" of the texture.
7. Once batter is in pan, it sets up fast, so do not delay in spreading it out.
8. Statement from recipe says"not easily doubled but can be frozen"
                      LAST YEAR:Jalapeno Cheese Squares**

    

Sinbad's Basra Treats

The story of Sinbad indicates that the sailors home base was the city of Basra, which is known for its high quality of dates grown there.

This candy has a chewy base layer made up of macadamias, coconut flavoring and chopped dates.  The top is laden with white chocolate and a chocolate dipped macadamia for decoration. They are quite rich and tasty.

After making these, I have been toying around with the idea of making them into balls instead of using the cups.  The chewy layer is quite sticky so they may be better for serving prepared in balls instead of of in cups, but I am wondering about the extra sweetness added by coating them with more white chocolate. The recipe below makes 3 dozen candies.

Sinbad's Basra Treats
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts plus 36 whole nuts for decoration
1 cup ground vanilla wafers
3/4 cup plus 2 tbs of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 tbs shortening
1 cup chopped dates
1 tsp coconut extract

Line mini muffin tins with liners.  I used paper, but next time I will definitely use the sturdier foil cups.

In a small bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and the coconut extract. Then take out a larger bowl and whisk together the ground nuts and vanilla wafer crumbs.  Pour the coconut/sweetened milk mixture into the bowl of nuts and wafer crumbs.  Stir until no dry streaks remain.  Blend in the chopped dates, making sure all is evenly distributed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.

After the dough is chilled, roll the mixture into 36 one inch balls and place each in lined mini muffin cavities.  You might have to do this in dozen batches if you have only one pan.  If so, just place dough back in fridge until the others have set so you can use the same pan again. Fill a small bowl with warm water.  Dip a soup spoon into the warm water and let the water drip off.  Using the back of the spoon, flatten the balls of candy into the paper cups.  The candy should touch all sides of the liners and be smooth on top.

Then set up your double boiler and fill the top pan with white chocolate chips and shortening.  Place over heat and stir until all chocolate and shortening is melted and smooth.  I had a problem with this because I do not have a double boiler and the steam caused the chocolate to quickly seize up.  Anyhow, spoon about a teaspoon of chocolate onto the date candy layer.  Then dip half of a whole macadamia nut into the chocolate and place on the center of each candy. Repeat this process until all candies are coated in chocolate and decorated.   Place pan in fridge for about 20-30 minutes or until chocolate has set.
                               **LAST YEAR: Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls**

Banana Crunch Cookies

The last banana cookies I made were very flat and I wanted something with some substance.  I had never tried this recipe but I first made a small batch and did not bake but a few, just to see how they turned out.  Luckily I was quite pleased, especially since these cookies were slated for donation.

The other cookies I made were peanut brittle.  They were good, but I felt that these were much better.  I am a little tired after making a total of 12 dozen, but since I only do it once a month, I have plenty of time to recover.

Now, about these cookies.  They are very cake-like and are better the next day.  The banana flavor does need some time to develops.  Also, since it still is hot here, I have stored these in the fridge.  This way the chopped crunch bar pieces in the cookie stay crispy.  A banana cookie with the crunch of a chopped up crispy bar-sounds pretty good, right?

The brand of bar I used was the big size of a Nestle Crunch Bar.  Each huge bar makes about 1 cup of chopped pieces. Since these were for donation, I used 2 tsp of vanilla extract, however, if you are on a banana craze you can make them with 1/4 cup of banana liqueur instead. The recipe states that it makes 2 dz cookies, but I ended up with over 3 dz.  Guess it depends on how large you want your cookies.

Banana Crunch Cookies
adapted from The Sophisticated Cookie.

1 1/2 cups chopped Nestle Crunch Bar
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup mashed ripe banana (not over ripe)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract or 1/4 cup banana liqueur
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour and the baking powder and set aside.  In another bowl, beat together the vegetable oil, extract (or liqueur) and sugar until smooth.  Add egg and beat again for 30 seconds until blended.

Fold the dry mixture into the wet until no dry streaks remain.  Stir in the mashed banana and then the chopped crunch bar pieces.  Once completely mixed, drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet, spacing  about 2 inches apart.

Put cookies in oven to bake until done, which takes about 10-12 minutes.  Cookies are done when edges and bottom are slightly browned.  Remove cookies and let rest on cookie sheet for 2 minutes.  Then transfer to rack to finish cooling.
              **LAST YEAR:Altoid Chocolate Mint Brownies**

Chocolate Coconut Candies

Since this will be my last post until after Christmas, I first wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas. I hope all get to spend some quality time with family and friends. May your 2010 Christmas celebration be filled with joy and always be considered one of the cherished moments in your life.

Now back to the candy...

My mom makes these candies practically every year.  They are delicious, but there is an issue of wax.  In her candy coating, for appearance purposes, she uses melted wax along with chocolate.  I am not sure if wax is really a good thing to be eating, but she likes the shiny appearance.  Also Betty (Betty Crocker) has a coating that uses chocolate fudge frosting mix and several other ingredients.  I did not elect to do either as you will see below. This recipe makes about 5 dozen candies.

Chocolate-Coconut Candies
courtesy of Betty Crocker's Cookie Book


Ingredients
3 cups of chocolate chips (bittersweet or semi sweet)  
1 package of chocolate sprinkles
1 tsp almond extract
4 3/4 cups sifted confectioners sugar (1 lb)
4 cups sweetened flaked coconut (1 lb)
3/4 cup mashed potatoes (pure potatoes, nothing added)

Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper.

Combine last 4 ingredients on a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed. Test the consistency by rolling a heaping teaspoon into a ball.  If it seems too sticky, take the bowl of coconut mixture and place in fridge for 1/2 to 1 hour to firm up.

Once it is the correct consistency, continue to roll heaping teaspoons of the coconut mixture and place each ball on the baking sheets.  Several balls can be placed on a sheet, since the size will not change.  When all the coconut mixture is formed and placed on the sheets, put sheets in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour.

In the meantime, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler.

To coat the coconut pieces, you can either use a toothpick to dip each piece, drizzle it on top of the pieces or drop in chocolate and spoon out. After placing each piece back on the waxed paper, top with chocolate sprinkles.  Additional wax paper sheets may be needed for the coconut rounds, they need more spacing than before since they cannot be touching with the chocolate coating. Also, if you get through coating 2/3 of the batch of coconut pieces and see there is going to be too much chocolate, you can always give them a second coat.

With a twist: Try changing the flavoring in this recipe up to suit your taste.  I have considered using pink food coloring, kirsch (cherry liqueur) and 1/2 of a maraschino cherry in the middle to give it a cherry flavor. Also, the consistency reminds me of the inside of a peppermint patty, so peppermint is another possible flavor.

Chinese Chews

These are called chews because they are a cross between a candy and a cookie.  How they are related to the Chinese is a puzzle to me... The original recipe comes from Good Housekeeping back in 1917.  They do not contain any chocolate or butter.  Also, the ingredient of dates make them more healthy than most cookies or candy.  Even though healthy, these little morsels are quite tasty. While satisfying our sweet tooth, we all can feel better about choosing this as an afternoon snack.This recipe makes about 40.

Chinese Chews
 adapted from:a cakes bakes in brooklyn 

Ingredients
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup confectioners sugar (for dusting)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Take a cookie sheet and line with parchment paper.

Sift together the first four ingredients.  Then mix in the beaten eggs with a wooden spoon.  The batter should be like muffin batter. I did not have any issues with the consistency, but if the batter appears too dry, add a little milk to the batter.

Fold in walnuts and dates.  Then with a spatula, empty batter into center of baking sheet and smooth with a wet knife.  Keep smoothing until you have an 8 X 12 rectangle.  Then place pan in oven to bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and cut into 1 inch squares.  Take a square from the corner and roll into a ball.  Then roll in powdered sugar and place on cooling rack.  Working with the edge pieces first (those pieces are more crusty than the rest)continue this process until no squares remain.