This week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays selection is Peanut Brittle, and is actually the second brittle recipe chosen this month; the first being cashew brittle two weeks ago. The initial reviews of the cashew brittle recipe didn’t exactly inspire me to try the recipe (you don’t really want to hear the words burned and chewy when you’re talking about brittle), but I still wanted to make brittle, so I looked up a couple recipes online and got to work. I didn’t post about it because it wasn’t the recipe from the Sweet Melissa book – or I just felt lazy. Or busy. Unlike many of the sugar-boiling experiences in my kitchen, the cashew brittle I made turned out well and disappeared pretty fast with just the two of us eating it, which is always a good way to determine if a recipe is a success. I decided to give it another go with peanuts.
I think Josh has tried every single flavor of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and one of his current favorites is peanut brittle. I had been on a bit of an ice cream making hiatus, due to Josh actually not liking a flavor I made (for some reason I just kept expecting him to finish it). I decided it was about time he stopped buying endless pints of ice cream, and I made some vanilla ice cream and swirled in some crushed peanut brittle. I also added some chocolate chunks to the ice cream, ‘cos why not?
The brittle recipe gets an 8 for Deliciousness and a 2.5 for Effort, for an EDR of 3.2. Many thanks to JoVonn of The Givens Chronicles. You can find the brittle recipe from the Sweet Melissa book on JoVonn's cute site and visit the SMS site to see how the brittle turned out for the rest of the group.
Nut Brittle, adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes and this recipe on About.com
1 cup (7 ounces) white sugar½ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
1 ½ cup peanuts
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the baking soda, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl and set aside. Also set aside the two tablespoons of butter (these ingredients will all be added at the end and I’ve learned the hard way you want to have everything ready and conveniently accessible when making candy).
Combine the sugar, salt, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook the candy mixture, stirring frequently, until the thermometer reads 275 degrees, then add the peanuts and stir to combine. Keep cooking, still stirring frequently, until the thermometer reads 300 degrees.
Once the thermometer reaches 300 degrees, remove the pan from heat; immediately stir in butter and the baking soda/spice mixture. Pour the candy onto the prepared sheet and spread with a greased spatula. Cool the brittle completely and then break into pieces, either by hand or with a knife on a cutting board.
I’m happy to be back to Sweet Melissa Sundays with Butterscotch Pralines. Usually when a recipe involves cooking sugar, my post involves me going on about how nervous it makes me and how I always burn or undercook it. I am happy to say that I actually had no problems this time – hooray! I don’t know if was my new candy thermometer (after going through several, hopefully this one will work out) or my fearless attitude, but something worked. I do have a few tips for this recipe: 1) They say a watched pot never boils, but definitely keep your eye on the boiled sugar – I used a medium-size pot as suggested, and it nearly boiled over (what a sticky mess that would have been). 2) Make sure you soak the bowl with the candy mixture immediately after making the pralines. Do not eat dinner and watch “Top Chef,” then think you can just clean it up - no fun. 3) Definitely crumble some of the pralines over Melissa’s Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream, which she recommends. That ice cream is undoubtedly the recipe I have made most from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. So good. 
Now for the rating. Often times I ask Josh for a Deliciousness rating right after I make something and he tries the treat. I have decided that’s not always the best method, as a fresh baked good (or piece of candy in this case) is always appealing. Sometimes he’ll give a high rating, but then treats won’t get eaten quickly and I’ll have to remind him they’re there. I made these on Wednesday night and asked for a review today: they received a 7.5, and they are steadily (not rapidly) disappearing, so it seems pretty accurate. I thought the pralines were tasty, but on the cloyingly sweet side. I think they would be spectacular layered on top of a buttery shortbread cookie, for a nice contrast of flavor and texture. I gave them a 3 for Effort, for an EDR 2.5.
Our hostess this week, Tessa of The Cookin’ Chemist, said she selected the recipe since they were quick and would be great on ice cream, which I think are awesome reasons to choose a recipe. I also think it’s awesome that the scientist chose a candy recipe. You can find the recipe here on Tessa’s site and visit the SMS blogroll to see how these worked out for the rest of the group.
This week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays selection is Peanut Butter Truffles. Josh has asked me to make chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks several times and I never want to do it because it sounds unappealing to me. Since I didn’t think I’d want to eat too many of these truffles myself (I like chocolate, but my threshold for rich, dense chocolate treats is pretty low), I decided that I would make chocolate ice cream studded with these truffles for Josh . Unfortunately, my ice cream “plans” for the week got a little thrown off (there will be more about that on Tuesday) and ended up making two non-chocolate based ice creams. So just plain truffles here. This is the second time the group has made truffles and the recipes in The Sweet Melissa Baking Book are quite simple: you make a chocolate ganache, let it firm up for at least two hours (mine sat in the refrigerator for two days), then scoop and roll the truffles in peanuts. I decided to make it slightly more difficult and made a mess tempering white chocolate and attempting to dip the truffles in it - trust me, you don’t want to see the results. There were reports on the Problems & Questions section that the peanut butter flavor did not come through, so even though I quartered the recipe, I still used a quarter cup of peanut butter, which was the full amount. 
And I still didn’t really taste the peanut butter! The recipe said to use bittersweet chocolate, and I usually think the darker the better with chocolate, but I think semisweet would have been a better complement to the peanut butter. I kept thinking the ganache had an off-taste, but Josh said it was fine. I guess I just didn’t like these truffles. Josh said they were okay and rated them a 5.5, but when I suggested he put some on his ice cream last night, he said no and I heard him offer one to Eloise (don’t worry, we wouldn’t really give our dog chocolate!). I though that they were a 2 in terms of Deliciousness, so with Josh’s 5.5, the average rating is 3.75, with a 2.5 for Effort, for an EDR of 1.5. Oh well, if we loved every treat I made, it would be bad news. The Sweet Melissa Sundays group has welcomed a lot of creative and talented new members recently, and this week’s hostess, Mara of Love Your Mother Earth, is one of them. You can find the recipe here on Mara’s site and visit the Sweet Melissa Sundays blogroll to see how these turned out for the rest of the group.
The Sweet Melissa Sundays group’s winter break is over and we’re back with Chocolate Crème Caramels, selected by the spirited and entertaining Jeannette of The Whimsical Cupcake. A few weeks ago Jeannette made a call for unattractive baked goods on her site and I told her I’d see what I could come up with. I generally don’t have too many disastrous baked goods (and if I don’t I’m too vain to photograph and post the evidence, though there were these cookies that looked nothing like the rest of the other TWD bakers’), but where I often have trouble is candy. Fortunately, I did not this time around, but last January (coincidentally my first post of 2009) when I made Fleur de Sel caramels, I completely burned the first batch beyond hope and posted a picture, so in honor of it being Jeannette’s week to host SMS, I am recycling that photo. 
Though it felt like it took forever for the caramel to come to its prescribed temperature of 248 degrees (firm-ball stage), this was an easy and stress-free candy-making experience. Oh, and I did have to change pots in the middle of the process. I was making a half-batch and the caramel seemed to triple in size somewhere around 200 degrees, so I poured it into a larger pan in order to prevent overflow and a sticky stove. Aside from the pan size, the only thing I’d do differently next time is make them before the holidays rather than after, so I could share them with my family – they’re dangerously good! Although, then I would have had to individually wrap the caramels, so I guess it’s a draw. 
This recipe rated a 9 for Deliciousness and a 2.5 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 3.6. Many thanks to Jeannette for getting the group off to a great start for 2010. You can find the recipe on Jeannette’s site and visit the SMS blogroll to see what the rest of the bakers thought of this treat.
Last week I mentioned some shortbread cookies I had baked for Secret Baker. Secret Baker is the collaborative idea of three fabulous baker/bloggers, Sarah of Blue Ridge Baker, Margaret (aka Tealady) of Tea and Scones, and Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures. They decided that since we all see and hear about what goes on in each others' kitchens, it was time we actually got to try some of the concoctions. Much like Secret Santa, you are randomly assigned someone to bake for and in turn, a mystery box of baked goods will arrive on your doorstep. Awesome, right? Sarah hosted the first round and there is a write-up about it here on her blog, and Margaret hosted this month and I’m sure she’ll have a round-up on her blog soon. The theme for this round was Christmas cookies. I did make shortbread and gingersnaps, but I thought it would be fun to make a candy as well. 
Not long ago, the Sweet Melissa baking group made toffee. The recipe in the Sweet Melissa book gave me, as well as many of the Sweet Melissa bakers, a number of difficulties; I attempted three batches before I concocted one worth eating. It was yummy, though, and I knew I wanted to make more toffee this holiday season. Lucky for me, one of my fellow bakers, Joy of Hot Oven, Warm Heart, posted a different recipe the week the group made toffee, after burning a batch of the Sweet Melissa toffee herself. The recipe she used was David Lebovitz's , which can be found here on his site. I definitely recommend checking out his post, as it has a lot of tips on candy-making. There were a couple things I did differently this time. David’s recipe did not specify how hot the stove should be, so I channeled my best caramel-making experiences and left it on medium. I figured I would rather have it be slow and steady than risk burnt candy again. Also, after always using the inexpensive, easily shatterable, and prone to fogging up so much you can’t read the temperature candy thermometers from the grocery store, I finally upgraded slightly with this one from Sur La Table and it seems good so far. The Secret Baker participants list their allergies and aversions, and the person I was baking for, Kayte, of Grandma’s Kitchen Table, said that the guys in her house do not like nuts “in” things, just on top or bottom of, so I only used half the nuts in the recipe, on the chocolate part, since when I made toffee before they sort of sunk in.
Josh and I thought the toffee was excellent, and Kayte informed me the guys over at Grandma’s Kitchen Table loved it, too. I rate this recipe a 9 for Deliciousness and a 2.5 for Effort, for an EDR of 3.6. A great last minute gift or snack to have around for the holidays! Oh, and above is a photo of the treats I received from my Secret Baker. The box was packed with a plethora of delicious goodies; there was no note, though, so the baker is still a secret to me!Chocolate-Almond Buttercrunch Toffee, recipe from David Lebovitz(printable recipe)2 cups (8 ounces) toasted almonds or hazelnuts, chopped between 'fine' and 'coarse'2 tablespoons water1/2 cup (1 stick) salted or unsalted butter, cut into piecesa nice, big pinch of salt1 cup granulated sugar1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon vanilla extract5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped, or 1 cup chocolate chipsoptional: Ground cocoa nibs and fleur de selLightly oil a baking sheet with an unflavored vegetable oil. Alternatively, use a 9”x9” square baking pan, line with a parchment paper sling (about 2 inches hanging over the sides) and spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle half the nuts into a rectangle about 8”x 10" on the baking sheet or the entire 9”x9” baking pan. (Or for a less nutty toffee, skip the nuts on this layer.)In a medium heavy-duty saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, heat the water, butter, salt, and both sugars. Cook, stirring as little as possible, until the thermometer reads 300 F degrees. (The recipe did not specify what temperature the stove should be on, so I left it on medium heat for about 10 minutes, then nudged the dial up just a bit and it reached temperature.) Have the vanilla and baking soda handy. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla.Quickly pour the mixture over the nuts on the baking sheet or pan. Try to pour the mixture so it forms a relatively even layer. If necessary, gently but quickly spread with a spatula, but don't overwork it. Strew the chocolate pieces over the top and let stand 2 minutes, then spread in an even layer with an offset spatula.If using, sprinkle with a small handful of cocoa nibs and a flurry of fleur des sel.Sprinkle the remaining nuts over the chocolate and gently press them in with your hands. Cool completely and break into pieces to serve. Store in an airtight container for up to ten days.
This week the Sweet Melissa Sundays group made its second attempt at candy-making with Butter Toffee Crunch. I had initially planned on making a quarter recipe, as the original yields three pounds and it’s a little early to be making Christmas gifts. However, I ended up making three quarters of a recipe, in three different batches, because my first two failed! I have groused about making caramel before, and though I am starting to get a little better at making candy, things just didn’t work out for me yesterday. The first batch burned (I could smell it before the candy thermometer was close to the requisite 280 degrees), and then I took the second batch off too soon in fear of it scorching. The third and final batch might have been a little underdone as well, but after three attempts I was calling it a day. My mom is a first grade teacher and at Christmas time she always receives lots of gifts from students, including candy. I remember one year there was some highly addictive toffee; the final product reminds me of that toffee and it is actually disappearing pretty fast.
This recipe rated an 8 for Deliciousness and a 3.5 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 2.28. Many thanks to Kaitlin of Kait’s Plate for challenging me in the kitchen this weekend. Like me, Kait also participates in Tuesdays With Dorie, but I wasn’t acquainted with her blog until Sweet Melissa Sundays started and I really enjoy it! You can find the recipe here on Kait’s site and see how the other bakers fared by visiting the SMS blogroll. 
I made another delicious chocolate/brown sugar concoction this weekend, and since there is very little chance I will get around to actually writing a full post about it, I thought I’d mention it now. I was browsing through my reader on Friday evening and I saw Thomas Keller’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, from the new Ad Hoc at Home cookbook, on Pink Stripes. I took Wendy’s advice and made the cookies that night! These I don’t know if they surpass the New York Times recipe as my favorite, since it’s been a while (too long) since I’ve made those, but these are excellent cookies! My cookies did not spread as much as I thought they should, so I'm not sure where I went wrong in that regard. They turned out crisp on the outside and soft in the center, almost as if they contain a gooey chocolate filling rather than chips. It had been a while since I’d used molasses sugar, and I’d forgotten what a wonderful depth of flavor it adds to cookies. Unlike the NYT cookies, they do not require a rest in the refrigerator, so you get instant CCC gratification – awesome! I did refrigerate some and bake them today, though, and I think those ones turned out exceptionally good. These cookies scored a 9.5 for Deliciousness and a 2 for Effort, giving them an EDR of 4.75. You can find the recipe here, and I definitely encourage anyone craving chocolate chips cookies to make them.
Thanks to Annie of Living Life Foodcariously, the Sweet Melissa Sundays group made its first foray into the “Favorite Gifts” section of the book with Hazelnut Truffles (click HERE on Annie’s site for the recipe); even though I love the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate, truffles aren’t really a huge favorite of mine (too rich), but I had fun making them and my boyfriend assures me he will have no trouble eating the quarter recipe I made on his own; there was also an irresistible-sounding recipe for Giuanduia (hazelnut-flavored chocolate) Gelato in this month’s issue of Gourmet, so I made that as well – gotta use up the bag of hazelnuts somehow – and it is fabulous.
Gianduia Gelato, from August 2009 issue of Gourmet2 cups hazelnuts (8 oz), toasted, skins rubbed off, and cooled¾ cup sugar1/8 teaspoon salt4 ½ cups whole milk3 tablespoons cornstarch4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cocoa), finely choppedPulse hazelnuts with sugar and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a heavy medium saucepan with milk and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, for 20 minutes.Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then return to cleaned saucepan.Put ¼ cup milk mixture in a small bowl and whisk in cornstarch; add to mixture in saucepan , then bring to boil over medium heat 2 minutes, whisking often (mixture will be thick). Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until melted and incorporated. Chill, stirring occasionally, until very cold, 3 to 6 hours (I left mine overnight, so it didn’t get the occasional stir).Freeze mixture in ice cream maker. (The recipe did not specify how long and I had never made a gelato before, twenty-ish minutes seemed fine). Transfer to an airtight container and freeze to firm up.
