As is my usual routine in December, I try to make some homemade chocolates or fudge as presents for Christmas. This year, I decided to go with some salted honey almond and some white chocolate with cranberry and pistachios. I’d never made white chocolate fudge before, but it turned out nice and vanilla-y. Definitely a treat!
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine randomly mailed me pecans from her family farm in Tennessee. Wow, I don’t think that I have ever had pecans quite so fresh.
Well, after shelling all of them (more time consuming than I anticipated!), I didn’t quite know what to do with them. I contemplated just snacking on them until they weer all gone, but decided to make something after all. So, what to make? I ended up making this Salted Bourbon Pecan Brittle which is super yummy. Next time I might add in some maple syrup too, could be yummy too, right?
Making caramel isn’t my forte. Either it comes out to hard, too soft or I burn it, as it goes part the correct temperature, despite using a candy thermometer and it ends up with that burned flavor, even if it isn’t a total loss. After two attempts, I did get this right though and it is really quite yummy. A nice variation would be to add maple extract, or chili salt or cinnamon. For now, I just went with the basic.
OK, one more go at these “Really Big Cookie” Style of Cookie before I move on to something else. I decided the take the “Mega-Cookie” / “Bakery-style Cookie” to a new level by adding Rolos — you know, the caramel-filed chocolate candies? I froze them cut them in half and them added them to the cookie dough. Turned out — well basically like chocolate chip caramel cookies! I could have used the mini-rolos too, but the shops were out when I went looking. I’ll move on to something different now, but wanted to have one more go at them.
My mum has an expression for “leftovers” that loosely translated from German as “sideways through the refrigerator”. I was almost going to call these “Sideways Through the Pantry” Bars, because I am using up a whole lot of odds and ends: chocolate chips, mini-marshmallows, nuts, Chex cereal. They did end up sort of “Rocky Road”-ish with the chocolate and marshmallows though, so I went with that instead. Definitely gives these time to set up… For some reason, the chocolate took forever to harden!