My daughter is in the process of divorce, full-time student, part-time worker, mother of 3 under the age of nine years. Can we say a busy schedule?? She keeps house, does the laundry, cooks, runs for little league, baton classes, and all that jazz. This wonderful woman holds my heart dear for all she is going thru, has accomplished and will continue to accomplish! So, when she mentioned that the Art Club was having a Bake Sale, I volunteered to bake some items for her. She didn't want cupcakes, or cookies, as so many people had already signed up to do those!
First up, "BUCKEYES", or peanut butter balls, always a hit around here! Many years ago, I used to do huge batches of different types of candies and freeze them for use over the holidays. Our freezer had been an old one given to us by my mother when she moved. It has died, and hubby sees no reason to get another one since it's just the two of us, now!
Anyways, on the Buckeyes...I had originally intended to do these to look like pumpkins with orange coating and a green gumdrop for the stem. However, Walmart had no Orange Coating and I couldn't find just green gumdrops...I know I've seen small packages of these sold by themselves...spearmint flavor..oh, well...so I went with buckeyes!
Hint: Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper before starting these projects...consider if you need a coating of butter to help the items to release. The butter did stick to the chocolate pretzel rods, though!. If you've done a double batch as I can do with my handy-dandy 20-year-old Kitchen-Aid, then line 2 sheets!! While the balls are chilling, do the chocolate mixture right before you bring the balls out of the fridge. Here's how I make mine!
Buckeyes
1 - 18 ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1- stick butter, or margarine (I prefer butter)
1 t.vanilla flavoring
Coating:
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T. shortening
CREAM TOGETHER!! Then gradually, 1 cup at a time, add confectioner's sugar to the mixture...I start off with a 2-pound bag. You will most likely not use the whole bag, but just put the remainder into a ziploc bag to store for later! I find people like their candy either creamy, or stiffer, so the amount you add will depend on the consistency you prefer! Now, there are two ways I do this
(1) Pinch off a piece and roll into a ball.
(2) Take part of the batch roll out into a "ROLL" like a huge spaghetti noodle, or the way we used to roll out cookie dough to cut slices off for sugar cookies! I roll mine about 1-1/2" diameter. Then cut off equal portions to roll into balls! Place onto cookie sheet. Once the sheet is full, place into refrigerator to chill.
In the meantime: :)
Melt 1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 T shortening. Start off with 1 minute, stir chips, then do it in 15 seconds bursts until you are comfortable with the thinness for coating your peanut butter balls!
You can use a toothpick to pick up the ball and dip it into the chocolate. However, the the balls start to lose their chill, they will be harder to handle and fall off the toothpick. I prefer to use a fork...place the ball on the fork, dip into the chocolate, and bounce the fork up and down a few times to remove excess chocolate before placing onto the cookie sheet! Leave room between the balls for any chocolate that may spread out! Once the cookie sheet has been filled, place into the refrigerator again, and chill until hardened! Once they've hardened, package up, or eat and enjoy!
I did not take any pictures. I may do that around Christmas time, if birthdays (five), holiday parties, health, and life in general allows time!
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Butterfinger BarsBorrowed this recipe from here!
http://www.chocolatechocolateandmore.com/2011/10/tale-of-two-butterfingers.html#
I left my mixture in the fridge too long, and it was hard as a rock! Couldn't cut it! But placed in the microwave for 15 second intervals, until I was able to slice it into bars! I made a double batch and put into a 13" x 9" pan, buttered!!! After slicing into small bars 1-1/2" x 2", I dipped them into the same chocolate mixture as noted above for the buckeyes!! Chill, and enjoy.
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Chocolate Covered Caramel Layered Pretzel Rods
***This next item, I will not do again, until I learn how to do it right..it was a mess! I didn't bookmark the site, and can't find it now...but basically you use::
1 bag (14 oz.) caramels
1-2 T water
butter (to coat)
1 bag pretzel rods
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T. shortening
Chopped Peanuts
Buttered large 4 cup measuring glass. Unwrapped caramels, and added to measuring cup with 1 Tablespoon water (the recipe I saw used 2 Tablespoons). Microwave for 1 minute, stir. Continue to microwave at 30-second intervals until melted. Dip pretzel rods into the melted caramel. leaving 1-inch ( I found this to not be enough room for my big hands, though). Really need pictures on this, as I had to act as if I was going to pour the caramel out, to get it to cover the pretzel rod, without spilling the caramel, of course!! I rolled the rod around the sides of the measuring cup to get an even coating. The recipe said to hold it for a moment to let the caramel set, and then dip into the caramel. Hold for a moment, let the caramel set, then dip in melted chocolate mix and roll in chopped peanuts.Chill! (Oh, and I had to double-batch the caramel in order to get all 24+ pretzel rods coated!
Didn't work for me! The caramel would not set even though I only used the 1 Tablespoon of water recommended in the reviews , instead of 2 as the recipe said! When I tried to dip into the chocolate, they swirled together, got all mixed up. I couldn't get the rod to completely coat with chocolate! Then I had a major problem trying to get them chilled! I had nothing to stick them into that would hold them up to harden with only 1" handle at the bottom. I tried lining a cookie sheet with wax-paper. The first batch stuck to the wax paper when it came out of the fridge and I had a time trying to remove the wax paper! And the caramel ran off the rod onto the wax paper! I buttered the next sheet of wax paper, but still had trouble with the caramel running. Laying them onto a buttered wax-paper lined cookie sheet, they spread out and did not look attractive. If anyone has some hints on these, I'd love to hear from you! They sound delicious, easy, and fun..but turned out everything but!
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The peanut butter balls went quickly...the Butterfinger bars sold but not as quickly. One girl who purchased the pretzel rods, threw them out! So, maybe I should have stuck with no-bake cookies? Nah...I can never get them to harden either..they're always a gooey mess! Time for a candy thermometer, I guess!
I'll have to work on some ideas for Christmas Candy again this year, as my 18-year-old grandson loved trying to help me with these when he came over after church Wednesday night! My family has said more than once they have missed my baking as it had really become a holiday tradition. With health issues, etc...I'd fallen off the habit. But with Facebook and Pinterest, I've found so many wonderful recipes lately. It all started with hubby making me do the grocery shopping again...but that's a tale for later...LOL! Happy Halloween! Be Safe and Have Fun!
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