Cinnamon and Spice and Everything Nice

Cinnamon and spice and everything nice, smells of goodies circle the air, yes it is Christmas time. You know what that means, lots and lots of baking and also candy making time. Candy making isn't as hard as one would think it is. There is some creative candy making that will look nice with your cookie trays, and is easy to make.

Brandied Chocolate Covered Cherries
If you desire a non-alcoholic version, do not soak cherries in brandy. Proceed with the recipe, omitting that step.
50 maraschino cherries, well drained
3/4 cup brandy
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 pounds dipping chocolate, white or dark
Pour brandy over drained cherries; let set for two days.
Combine butter, corn syrup and salt; blend until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and mix well. Knead until smooth and shiny; wrap in wax paper and chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain cherries well on paper towels; pat dry. Shape a marble-size piece of fondant around each cherry; place on wax paper-lined tray. Chill until firm, about 2 hours.
Melt chocolate over hot water, stirring constantly. Dip cherries and place on wax paper-lined tray. Place in refrigerator to set. Store in covered container in a cool, dark place for 10 to 14 days to fully ripen and to attain the liquid inside.

Candy Cane Bark
1 pound Guittard's white chocolate (or other
good quality white chocolate)
1 cup toasted almonds
1 cup crushed candy canes or starlight mints
Microwave the chocolate on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave another 20 to 30 seconds to finish melting.
Stir in the almonds and the candy. Spread out onto a piece of wax paper to desired thickness. Cool and break into pieces.

Candy Cane Swizzle Sticks
4 (2 ounce) vanilla bark coating squares, chopped and melted
Green food coloring paste
12 large candy canes
Toppings: holiday sprinkles, colored sugars
Stir together melted chocolate coating and desired amount of paste. (We used a wooden pick dipped once in food coloring paste to tint chocolate coating.) Dip ends of candy canes 2 to 3 inches into coating; let excess drip off. Sprinkle immediately with desired toppings, and dry on a wire rack.
Yields 12 candy canes.

Chocolate Cinnamon Stirrers
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon flavored oil
24 (4-inch long) cinnamon sticks
In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in flavored oil. Dip about 2/3 of each cinnamon stick into melted chocolate. Place on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Chill about 30 minutes or until chocolate hardens.
Use cinnamon sticks to stir hot coffee or hot chocolate. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator

Christmas Caramel Crunch
Makes 10 cups.
4 cups popped popcorn
4 cups mini pretzels
2 cups pecan halves
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Distribute popcorn, pretzels, and pecans in roasting pan. Place in oven to warm while preparing the caramel syrup.
In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, water and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Pour over warmed popcorn mixture. Stir to coat. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Place roasting pan on cooling rack. Stir several times while cooling so that mixture doesn't clump together. Store airtight.

Christmas Goodies
1 pound white chocolate
1 cup small pretzels, broken into small pieces
1 cup pecans, chopped
Melt the chocolate. Stir pretzels and pecans into chocolate and drop by teaspoon onto wax paper

Christmas Mice
1 jar maraschino cherries with stems
1 package double stuffed Oreos
1 package Hershey's kisses
1 tube red decorating gel
1 tube green decorating gel
Slivered almonds
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening
Drain cherries well and count them. Unwrap an equal amount of chocolate kisses and carefully remove one side of the chocolate cookie from the Oreo, leaving the cream filling on the other side. (Save plain side for another use.)
Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave and stir till smooth. Dip the cherries in the chocolate, shake to remove excess. Set the cherry on the flat side of chocolate kiss, then position them on the cream filling of the Oreo, slightly off center with the stem hanging over the edge. Position 2 slivered almonds for ears. Use red gel for eyes. Use the green gel to draw 2 holly leaves slightly apart, put a red berry in the center with the red gel.
Now a few things I learned! I kept the chocolate warm by setting it in a bowl of warm water, it made it easier to dip the cherries. If you can find the larger size cherries, use those. The ones I got were kind of small and didn't fit quite right. I took a toothpick, and used some of the slightly set chocolate from the side of the bowl to fill in any holes in the cherries and to make the head and body look more connected.
If you let them set a few minutes before adding the ears, the almonds will stay in place better. I tried putting them on right away and they kept falling over. Try not to get chocolate all over the almond sliver like I did.
In fact, I tried several methods of putting these together, I followed the directions to a T and discovered it wasn't quite as easy as they made it out to be. Then again, I was keeping an eye on the news, DH was in and out and so was the dog, so maybe I was slightly distracted! LOL
I also dipped the cherries and set them on a plate then dipped the ends of the almond slivers in chocolate and glued them to the kiss, then stuck them together. That worked ok too.
Line a cookie sheet with wax paper to set the mice on as you put them together. When you get them all done, let them set for a few minutes before decorating. Don't forget to knead the gel tubes first or the first drop will run. You can use blue gel or any other color for the eyes if you want. The holly leaves are a little tough to get right. I ended up making a "v" on each side of the red berry. Next time, I may just sprinkle colored sugar on the cream filling. (In fact, if you want to make these for Halloween, I'd use yellow, red and orange sugar.)
I figured out what to do with the other half of the Oreos. I'm going to put a little chocolate frosting on them, then make more mice, only this time, I'm going to dip them in white chocolate and maybe sprinkle a little coconut around them.
NOTE: You could use cherries without stems and use a chow mein noodle for the tail.

Cinnamon Rock Candy
1 cup water
3 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
1 teaspoon red liquid food coloring
1 teaspoon cinnamon oil
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
Line a 15 x 10-inch baking pan with foil and butter the foil; set aside.
In a large heavy saucepan, combine water, sugar, corn syrup and food coloring. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook for 3 minutes to dissolve sugar crystals. Uncover; cook on medium-high heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees F (hard crack stage), about 25 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in cinnamon oil. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Cool completely, about 45 minutes. Break into pieces using the edge of a metal mallet. Sprinkle both sides of candy with confectioners' sugar. Store in airtight containers.
Yields about 2 pounds.

Irish Coffee Crunch
8 cups popped corn
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 tablespoon non-dairy creamer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rum or brandy extract
Place popcorn in large greased bowl.
Combine remaining ingredients in 1-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Continue without stirring to hard ball stage. Pour over popcorn. Stir to coat evenly. Cool and serve.
Microwave method: Combine corn syrup, butter, coffee, creamer and extracts in 2-quart glass casserole. Microwave on HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes until mixture reaches hard ball stage. Stir every minute. Continue as above.

Napa Valley Chocolate Marshmallow Snowmen

NOTES: Buy candy designed to melt for coating or dipping; it's usually found beside cooking chocolates at the supermarket. For easy dipping, melt more than needed to coat the marshmallows; save the extra for other uses. Candies suited for decorations (whole or cut in pieces) include orange, green, or red gumdrops, black licorice sticks or thin black licorice whips (or strings), small colored candies, miniature chocolate chips, and colored sugars.
To make a drying rack for snowmen, cut top flaps from a corrugated cardboard box, leaving a neat edge. Make holes in the corrugated edge by pushing a craft or lollipop stick into the edge at 4-inch intervals. Place a couple of food cans (3 to 4 pounds total) in the box so it will sit steady. Push snowman-filled sticks into prepared holes to hold confections vertically while candy firms.
Makes 6 marshmallow snowmen
Candies for decorating or dried currants
1 cup (6 ounces) chopped red, green, or brown
candy chips or chunks made for melted coatings
18 large marshmallows
6 (3 1/2-inch) wood craft sticks or (8-inch) cardboard lollipop sticks
2 cups (12 ounces) chopped white candy chips or
chunks made for melted coatings
1 to 2 teaspoons solid shortening (optional)
6 (4 x 8-inch) cellophane bags
Red or green ribbons (1/4-inch wide)
Assemble candies for decorating by colors. If desired, cut orange gumdrops into slender wedges for carrot-shaped noses, green gumdrops into leaves, red gumdrops into berries, licorice sticks into twig-like arms.
To make hats, heat chopped red (or green or brown) candy chips in a 1-cup glass measure or small, deep microwave-safe bowl in a microwave oven at 50% power until chips are soft, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Stir candy until smooth; if lumpy, heat in a microwave oven for 20-second intervals, stirring frequently.
Line a 12- x 15-inch baking sheet with nonstick cooking paper, cooking parchment or wax paper. Set 6 marshmallows, flat side down, at least 2 inches apart on paper. Spoon about 1 tablespoon melted red (or color of choice) candy onto the center of 1 marshmallow top and quickly, using a small metal spatula or dinner knife, spread candy over top and around side of marshmallow; spread excess that flows onto paper into a 1/2-inch-wide rim for the hat. Add more melted candy, as needed, to make brim even. If desired, while candy is still soft, decorate hat with gumdrops cut to resemble leaves and berries (see notes). Repeat to make remaining hats. Chill hats, uncovered, until firm to touch, about 10 minutes.
To make snowmen, line another 12- x 15-inch baking sheet with nonstick cooking paper, baking parchment or wax paper. Dip 1 craft stick about 3 inches into water. Slide through the center of a flat end of 1 marshmallow, then into, but not through, a second marshmallow, pushing them together. Repeat to make remaining snowmen; lay on the baking sheet.
In a 2-cup glass measure or small, deep microwave-safe bowl, heat chopped white candy chips in a microwave oven at 50% power until chips are soft, about 2 minutes. Stir candy until smooth; if lumpy, return to the microwave oven and heat for 20-second intervals, stirring frequently. If mixture is too thick for dipping (it varies with brands), stir in solid shortening; heat at 20-second intervals and stir often.
One stick at a time, quickly dip marshmallows into white candy to coat, using a spoon to pour candy over uncovered spots. Lift stick, letting excess candy drip back into cup. Lay marshmallow men at least 3 inches apart on paper-lined pan.
While candy coating is still soft, but not runny, make a face on the side of the top marshmallow of each stick. Use gumdrop wedge (see notes) for the nose, and chocolate chips, currants, or other small candies for eyes. On bottom marshmallow, press tiny candies down center for buttons; use thin licorice strips for twiggy arms or scarves. Pick up a stick and set hat on the snowman's head. If marshmallow coating firms before decorating is complete, glue with more melted candy (reheat in microwave, as needed). Stand snowman upright (see notes for rack). Repeat to make other snowmen.
When coating is firm to touch, 5 to 10 minutes, slip a cellophane bag over each snowman. Tie ribbons around bottom to close bag.

Reindeer Belly Buttons
50 pretzel rings
1 (8 ounce) package chocolate kisses
1/4 cup red and green M&M's
Place the pretzels on a greased baking sheet. Place a chocolate kiss in the center of each pretzel. Bake at 275 degrees F for 2-3 minutes or until the chocolate softens. Remove from oven. Place one M&M in the center of the kiss, pressing down slightly, so the chocolate fills the pretzel.
Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes until firm. These freeze well