I am making candy for Christmas and I need a list of ‘well known’ candy recipe sites, or some recipes that you have used yourself that have turned out. I am making the following…
Hard Tack (rock candy)
Pull Taffy
Fudge (chocolate or peanut butter)
Butter Mints
Pop Corn Balls
Thanks very much in advanced. Any recipes that have been tried are seriously appreciated, as I don’t have a lot of time to make that many mistakes. Thanks again =)
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If you go to http://www.foodnetwork.com, you can type in "candy" under the search and explore what they have or narrow it by the candy specialists (go to "TALENT" on the left and click on "Jacque Torres" or "Gale Gand"… Torres is a famous chocolatier and Gand is a top dessert/pastry chef & candy maker)
Here’s Gale Gand’s recipes for lollipops, toffee, fudge, taffy, peanut butter fudge and popcorn balls:
Candy Corn Suckers, Recipe courtesy Gale Gand
Show: Sweet Dreams
Ingredients
6 or 8-inch lollipop sticks, as needed
Candy corns, as needed
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon orange or lemon extract
Few drops orange or yellow food coloring
Small plastic bags, as needed
Plastic spider finger rings, as needed
Equipment: Lollipop collar molds; Silicone baking mat
Directions
If you have lollipop collar molds, lay them on a silicone baking mat-lined sheet pan, fit them with sticks, and place 1 piece of candy corn in each collar. Or, just lay out the sticks in rows on a silpat mat, leaving 3 inches of space between them and place a piece of candy corn above the stick.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a clean, dry small saucepan (preferably 1 with a pouring spout) fitted with a candy thermometer, and bring to a boil over high heat. Without stirring, cook until the mixture reaches 305 degrees F or "hard crack" stage on the candy thermometer. (While the syrup is cooking, occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a clean brush dipped in water, to prevent crystallization.)
When the mixture is done, remove the pot from the heat and dip it into an ice bath for 15 seconds to stop the cooking. Add the extract and food coloring and stir very gently with a wooden skewer so that the color is evenly distributed. (To avoid air bubbles in the finished lollipops, stir the mixture gently in both directions, but be careful not to over mix.)
Pour or carefully spoon the syrup into the molds or just over the sticks and candy corns, if not using collars, to make a quarter-sized disk. Cool until hard, at least 20 minutes.
Lift the suckers off the mat and remove from the molds. Slip plastic bags over the lollipops and gather the bag shut with a plastic spider finger ring. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Chocolate Toffee Recipe courtesy Gale Gand,
Show: Sweet Dreams
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
12 ounces salted butter (3 sticks), cut into chunks
1/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Droste or Valrhona
1 cup whole blanched almonds, preferably Marcona, toasted and roughly chopped
Equipment: Silicone baking mat; candy thermometer
Directions
Line a sided sheet pan with a silicone baking mat, or oil it well with vegetable oil (or use a heavyweight nonstick sheet pan).
Pour the sugar into the center of a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Pour the water around the edge of the pan and wait to allow the water to moisten the sugar. (You can draw a clean finger through the center of the pan to allow some water to seep in.) Add the corn syrup and bring to a boil. Add the butter and boil until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F.
Turn off the heat and whisk in the cocoa; then stir in the nuts. Quickly pour the mixture onto the center of the prepared pan and let it spread out—it may not reach the sides of the pan. Set aside to cool at room temperature until hard. Using your hands (I wear gloves to avoid fingerprints), pry the toffee out of the pan and break into large pieces. Store in an airtight container. The toffee will keep well for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
Creamy Rich Walnut FudgeRecipe courtesy Gale Gand
Show: Sweet DreamsEpisode
Ingredients
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups milk
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Directions
In a saucepan heat the chocolate and milk on low, stirring until it’s melted. Add the sugar, corn syrup and salt and heat to the softball stage (236 degrees F).
Add the butter and pour off into a mixer bowl to cool. Add the vanilla and beat with a paddle until it starts to lighten; then quickly add the nuts. Continue beating on low until it loses its gloss and thickens. Pour into a greased 9 by 9-inch pan and spread evenly. Let cool then cut into 1-inch cubes.
Taffy Recipe courtesy Gale Gand
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla and/or mint extract
Directions
In a large saucepan, place all the ingredients except extracts, and gently stir them to combine. Place a candy thermometer on the side of the pan and bring to a boil, stirring only to prevent burning. Cook to hardball stage (265 to 270 degrees), remove from the heat, stir in the extracts, and pour onto a silpat-lined sheet pan or buttered pan. Let it cool enough to handle then start rolling it into a log and stretching or pulling the taffy to work air in and make it white and opaque. Keep pulling and twisting until it hardens. Form long ropes of taffy, then cut them into pieces.
Some tips when making taffy: Oil the top 1-inch of the saucepan’s wall to keep the sugar from boiling over. Always use a pan bigger than you think you need to prevent boiling over. Always use a burner as big or bigger than your pan’s bottom. Never scrape the bottom of the pan at the end, just pour out the syrup. Wash down the sides of the pan with a clean wet pastry brush to avoid crystallization.
Peanut Butter FudgeRecipe courtesy Wayne Harley Brachman
Ingredients
Non-stick vegetable spray
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup milk
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease with vegetable spray. Sprinkle the peanuts over the bottom of the pan. Put the milk and sugar in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Boil over medium heat, occasionally stirring to keep from sticking. Cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F (soft ball). Remove from the heat and gently place the butter, peanut butter and vanilla in the pan, taking care not to disturb the syrup. Do not stir. Let the mixture cool down for 5 minutes, then beat vigorously with a spoon or the flat beater of a stationary mixer until dense and smooth. Turn the fudge into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a metal spatula. With a sharp knife, score into portions. Let set, 45 minutes then cut into 1 1/3-inch squares
Elsie’s Easy Popcorn Balls, Recipe courtesy Gale Gand
Show: Sweet Dreams
Ingredients
3 tablespoons peanut oil
4 tablespoons popcorn kernels
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
Directions
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil and kernels, uncovered, over high heat until first pop. Cover and remove from heat for 1 minute. Return to high heat and shake until popping ceases. Sprinkle with salt and shake to distribute evenly. Measure 2 quarts of popcorn, and reserve.
In a saucepan, carefully combine the sugar and water then add the corn syrup and butter. Bring to a boil and cook to soft crack stage. Pour over 2 quarts of popcorn and mix gently but thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Wearing gloves or baggies, mold into balls around popsicle sticks.
AND here’s a recipe from Chef Emeril Lagasse for Butter Mints:
Butter Cream Mints
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004
Show: Emeril Live, Episode: Candy Treats
Ingredients
10 2/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure mint extract
Directions
Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until it is soft and fluffy. Add the sugar and the mint extract and beat at low speed until the mixture is thick, creamy, and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Cut 2 large sheets of plastic wrap and place on your work surface. Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions and place each on the plastic sheets. Roll the mixture into the plastic wrap, forming it into logs about 1/2-inch in diameter. Wrap the plastic wrap securely around the logs and chill for 4 hours.
Pinch off about a rounded teaspoon of the butter cream and shape into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on parchment or waxed paper and flatten with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate in layers of parchment paper in an airtight container until ready to serve. Mints will keep for up to 1 week.
http://www.allrecipies.com
hope it helps^_^
This is a site I found quite awhile ago. Even though I don’t attempt candy, it seemed like it may be a good for candy-making tips. http://www.chocolate-candy-mall.com/
i dont want to be responsible for ruining your xmas cause i havent tried any of these, i really havent tried making candy before, but heres a few hundred recipes
http://sharedrecipes.org/Candies.html
again i cant vouche for any of these recipes, but maybe you can get some ideas from them.
good luck
http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Category:Candy_Recipes
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/recipe-rockcandy.html
http://www.candyrecipes.biz/