More Christmas Candy Recipes for You

Easy - No thermometer needed

From Sue - When we were kids, we regularly made candy at home…and for bake sales and the like.  I haven’t made it a lot since I’ve been married, but this recipe from "Delicious Desserts Made Easy" convinced me to give it a try.   It wasn’t overpoweringly sweet, but creamy and just right for texture.  This is a good recipe when you have to make something quickly to take to a function, no fuss and good as well as good looking.                  

                           White Confetti Fudge

  1 1/2     pounds  White Chocolate

  14          fluid ounces  Sweetened Condensed Milk

     1/8      teaspoon  Salt

  1             teaspoon  Vanilla

  1             cup  Candied Cherries -- chopped
    1/2       cup Pecans, broken (optional)

In heavy sauce pan, melt white chocolate with condensed milk; remove from heat.  Stir in salt, vanilla and candied fruit.  Spread evenly into a wax paper-lined 8" square pan.

Chill 2-3 hours until firm.  Turn out onto cutting board, cut into squares.  Store loosely covered at room temperature.

**Use parchment; it's stronger than waxed paper.  Use the best white chocolate you can find.

Yield:  "2 1/2 pounds"

 From Myrna - My daughter Amy and I indulged in a cookie and candy making day recently and tried this recipe for Chocolate Covered Cherries. They were the simplest thing we made that day. I am making another batch this week to give away and might have to make some for us as ours are gone.

  The recipe is from the 2010 Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. I did some changing to the recipe mostly in the chocolate coating. The recipe calls for chocolate bark which I detest and I used a chocolate coating that I always have good luck with. That is the recipe I am going to give you. For the other you will have to buy the book.

  A couple of tips to keep in mind.  The cherries must sit on paper towels and dry. It is important that they are dry so the cherry juice doesn’t make your fondant too runny. When you are ready to wrap the cherry I found it worked to take about ¾ teaspoon of fondant, flatten it with your fingers till thin enough to wrap around the cherry. Just wrap it up making sure that you are around the stem if using long stemmed cherries. Then they have to dry till the fondant is dry to the touch. This only takes a few minutes with fondant. Hold them by the stem and dip them in the chocolate. If they don’t cover completely use a spoon to drizzle chocolate on them. 

  I melt the chocolate in a bowl over just simmering water. Take from heat and keeping it over the water let it cool. I melted the chocolate before I covered the cherries with the fondant and the chocolate was just right to use. If it is too hot, it will melt the fondant as you dip them. Use a good grade of cherries, Sue and I use Star brand we buy at Costco. If you are going to do these, the small jars at your local grocery store just are too sweet. The type you use in cocktails is what you want. You can buy fondant already made several places. I got mine from King Arthur flour. It really makes making these a snap and tastes so good.  It is not cheap, but worth every penny for the ease of use and the taste. You will be so surprised how good these are.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

20 ounces or 40 marachino cherries

About 15 ounces of Fondant

6 ounces milk chocolate chips (I use Hershey brand)

1/2 tablespoon all vegetable shortening like Crisco

  Let cherries stand on paper towels and drain for 2 hours, change paper towels halfway through. Longer won’t hurt them. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.
  Wrap the fondant around the cherries and allow a few minutes to dry. They need to be dry to the touch.

  Meanwhile melt the chocolate and Crisco over warm water. Let cool. Taking the cherries by the stems, dip in chocolate let drip over the bowl and place on wax paper. Let stand till the coating is firm. Stored in the refrigerator they will keep for up to 1 month. The longer you keep them the more the mixture around the cherries will soften and liquefy.

If you can't find fondant or don't want to buy it, here's the recipe to make your own filling.