I’ve never been much of a fan of peanut butter. Well, of like a PB+J sandwich. It’s good in baking and cooking, and I definitely like Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, but just peanut butter…. eh, take it or leave it. Almond butter. Cashew butter. Even Walnut butter (though it is hard to find). Those I prefer more. At any rate, I thought I would make buckeyes, but thought I would put a twist on them and made them with almond butter instead. And sea salt. Love sea salt!
Ah yes, more chocolatey goodness for your valentine … and the second time that I am making fudge in a matter of weeks. Yes, that is unusual. But, given the success of the last type, I thought I would dare to make a second, and besides, I thought I would test out the melting capabilities of those lovely cinnamon chips that I have been using of late. Turns out they melt great, although I am not necessarily that much of a fan of the color. Oh well. The fudge itself tastes great and is super cinnamony. Love those warm chocolate and cinnamon flavors in this cold wintertime!
Full disclosure: This recipe used pretty much exactly from HalfBaked Harvest because it sounded so good!
Second peanut butter recipe in as many weeks, which is really unusual for me, as I am not really a PB fan. Well, ok, not a peanut butter on bread with jam (or anything else for that matter) fan, but once you pair it with chocolate … well, I am all over that, which is why I like this recipe. Super yummy. It is, however, really rich, so maybe just eat one piece at a time. OK, maybe two.
It’s been a while since I posted…. Egads! Almost a month. The cookie baking was in full swing in November (we’ll come back to that) and then I was traveling for a couple of weeks. But I am back. Never fear. And it’s getting to be Christmas and as some of you know, in addition to the Cookie Maddens, I try to make some candy or truffles every year. This year, I’ve made these lovely semi-soft and chewy caramel candies — melt in your mouth good! There are two variations: gingerbread (love!) and butter rum. Each batch makes about 50 caramels. Great stocking stuffers!
A couple of weeks ago, I tried to make “Homemade Gummi Bears”. Well, sort of homemade gummi bears, in that they were fruit jellies. It didn’t work so well. In fact, a number of times, it was a bust. But as my mom and a number of my friends really like these sorts of candies, I made a few more attempts and eventually got them right. That is this recipe. And even with this recipe, they aren’t the easiest things in the world to make. I think that some of it may actually also be dependent on how moist the air is on any given day, because sometimes they just don’t set. If I had to give advice on these, I would tell you that practice makes perfect (or as close to perfect as I can get). Good luck!