Eggnog Fudge

I love fudge. Love it. Chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, now eggnog fudge. It is an integral part of Christmas for me. Yum!

Eggnog Fudge
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. eggnog
2 c. sugar
2 c. white chocolate
1 small jar marshmallow cream
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Line a 9x9 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. 
In a medium pan, combine the butter, eggnog, and sugar. Bring it to a boil. Add a candy thermometer and cook until the mixture reaches 234 degrees. Remove from the heat. Carefully add the white chocolate - if it gets clumpy, keep stirring. Stir until melted, then add the marshmallow cream, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour into pan and allow to set.

Peanut Brittle

I love peanut brittle but hate paying for it. Some places charge a small fortune for something that is pretty easy to make yourself. Ok, I like to make it myself and probably not everyone does, but this just takes a little time and is so yummy! I remember when I was young I would ask my mom if I could make various types of candy and she always told me no because candy was too tricky. Well, I haven't found it to be all that difficult but I can't say that I like having my own kids around the super hot liquids home made candy involves. And I do recommend using a good candy thermometer when you make candy. Anyway, give it a try and see what you think!

 

Peanut Brittle

2 c. sugar

1 c. Karo syrup

1/4 c. butter

1.2 c. water

2 1/2 c. peanuts

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

 Cover two cookie sheets with aluminum foil and coat with a light coating for cooking spray. Set aside. Use the butter to coat the sides of a heavy, large saucepan. Put the remaining butter in the pan and add the sugar, Karo, and water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Once it boils, clip the candy thermometer to the side and continue stirring until the mixture reaches 275 degrees (soft-crack stage if you like the stages). Add the peanuts and stir. Continue stirring until the temperature reaches 295 degrees. Remove the pan from the heat and add baking soda. Stir it in quickly and pour the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheets. Allow the peanut brittle to cool and break into pieces. Store tightly covered (I use a ziplock bag). 

Peanut Butter Candy

My mom used to make this for us when I was a kid. I never made it much for my own kids until after we moved in with my sister for several months. She makes it more regularly for her kids, so mine began getting it more often and loved it. Now they ask for it! I'm sure that the word "candy" in the title has a lot to do with that!

This is also a super simple recipe - no baking, cooking, nothing like that. Put it all in a bowl and stir.

 

Peanut Butter Candy

1 c. peanut butter

1 c. honey

1 c. powdered milk

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stir it is well combined. 

*You don't have to use as much as I did for this batch. You can vary the amounts depending on how many people you are feeding. All you have to do is keep the amounts of each ingredient the same.

Peanut Butter Fudge

Christmas is a fun time at work as lots of people bring in goodies to eat. One of the doctors at work makes this fudge for us each year at Christmas time. I LOVE it and asked for the recipe. Sadly, if you can't find me on the floor, I am in the break room eating more of this fudge!

 

Peanut Butter Fudge

adapted from Nicole Sims

1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 can Milnot (evaporated milk)
5 c. sugar
1 small jar creamy peanut butter
1 small jar marshmallow fluff

Melt the butter, Milnot and sugar together in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil and stir for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until smooth, then stir in marshmallow fluff until smooth. Pour into a 9x13 pan or 2 8x8 pans. Allow to cool. Cut, serve and enjoy! 

Divinity

I have a major sweet tooth and love candy. Is that ok for an adult to admit? Yes, it's true. I love sugar. I know it's not good for me and I try not to eat too much of it, but I still love it. I make a lot of our food, eating out is not something we do often. Of course, having a large family makes that difficult anyway, but I also figure that if I've made the food, it's ok to eat it, right? I mean, I worked for it. I worked to get it, so it's mine to eat. Or something like that!

Divinity is one of those candies that I love. I'm not sure why I love it, but I do. My kids do, too. They ask for it several times a year, but I mostly make it at Christmas time. When I was growing up, my mom always told me that making candy was too hard. Well, I don't find it too hard, just a little time consuming. In fact, homemade candy is so much better, that it is totally worth the time!

 

Divinity

2 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. light corn syrup (Karo)

1/2 c. water

2 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, mix the sugar, corn syrup, and  water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat to boiling, then clip on a candy thermometer. Continue cooking without stirring to 260 degrees or hard-ball stage. I am not good about the cold-water test so I always use a thermometer. While the candy is boiling, but the egg whites in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. That is when you lift the beaters and the tips stand up. When the candy reaches temperature, SLOWLY pour over the egg whites while you continue to beat. Beat about 3 minutes, then scrape the bowl. Add vanilla. You can add some food coloring if you like. Sometimes I'll add some red or green for Christmas, but I usually leave it white. Continue beating on high until candy looses it's glossy look. Drop a small amount on waxed paper. If it stays mounded, it is ready. If not,beat a little longer and try again.Quickly drop remaining candy by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container.