Edible Gifts for the Candy Lover
Do you have a candy lover or two on your gift list? You can make or buy some wonderful candy gifts to satisfy your friends and family members with a sweet tooth. Here are some ideas for edible gifts for the candy lover.
1. Candy Flowers
This is one of those gifts that looks impressive, but is not too hard to put together. Here’s what you need:
* 1 large flower vase
* Floral foam
* 1 package bamboo skewers
* Hot glue gun
* Wrapped candy (candy bars, wrapped hard candies, taffy – pretty much any size and shape of wrapped candy will work)
Glue the wrapped candy to the blunt end of each skewer. You’ll be gluing the candy to the side of the skewer toward the end. Glue several small wrapped candies in a row. Then stick the pointed ends of the skewers into the floral foam to make a tasty arrangement.
2. Cherry Cordials
You can make cherry cordials with a lovely liquid center! If you prefer a creamy center, leave out the invertase in the recipe below.
Ingredients:
* 1 20-ounce jar of maraschino cherries (no stem)
* 1/4 cup soft butter
* 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
* 2 tablespoons liquid from the jar of cherries
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon liquid invertase (this is an enzyme that helps sugar to dissolve into a liquid – find it in the baking or candy-making section of your grocery or local retailer)
* 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
* 16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid. Pat cherries dry with paper towels and allow cherries to sit on paper towels on a wire rack while you make the fondant.
In an electric mixer, cream the butter, corn syrup, 2 tablespoons cherry liquid, almond and vanilla extracts, and invertase. Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest setting until the mixture forms a ball. It should be about the consistency of soft play-dough, but not as stiff as modeling clay and not too soft and sticky to handle. Add a bit more powdered sugar if necessary.
Mold a quarter-size amount of fondant around each cherry and place on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. When all the cherries are covered, place them in the refrigerator for about half an hour while you melt about the chocolate in a double boiler. If possible, don’t let the chocolate get above 115 degrees F. This makes for a much smoother coating.
Using a fork, dip each fondant-covered cherry in the chocolate and coat thoroughly. Place on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet and seal any holes in the chocolate coating by dabbing on more. Allow the cherries to harden and store at room temperature while the fondant liquefies. It should take about a week. Taste-testing is the fun part!
3. Classic Chocolate-Covered Toffee
This recipe is simple, but precise.
Ingredients:
* 2 sticks butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)
In a heavy saucepan, combine butter and sugar. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted, and then bring the mixture to a boil. Stirring occasionally, simmer until it reaches 285 degrees F. It will be a rich, amber color. Then pour the mixture onto a parchment paper-covered jelly roll pan and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. After a few minutes, spread the softened chocolate with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate for an hour or so, then break into pieces and place in an airtight gift container.