Kitchen Adventures: The Little Sweet Shoppe around the Corner

With a few exceptions, homemade candies have never held a prominent spot in my family’s kitchen. Growing up I recall making peanut brittle, and peppermint bark, and very occasionally chocolate-covered pretzels. Everything else “sweet” fell under the heading of baking. So imagine my surprise when an article in the December 2010 Better Homes & Gardens magazine plunged me headfirst down the candy-making rabbit hole.

Three recipes from this issue really got my creative juices pumping, and I had had every intention of making all three things to bring along to family holiday gatherings that year. Unfortunately, I suffered a major cooking set-back on the first item I tried, and didn’t have the heart, time or fortitude to plunge into the rest. And I had absolutely no one to help me troubleshoot it except to say “yes, I hear that even things like humidity will cause them to fail...”, which, if you’re wondering, is no help at all.

Twelve months went by, but I never forgot about the candy. I was determined I would try one more time.

Eggnog Marshmallows:



My first-ever marshmallows. They turned out very fantastically, and are exceptionally sweet, so a single marshmallow makes a super dessert. I topped them with melted white baker’s chocolate, to which I added a bit of vanilla. I think next time I would omit the chocolate, or maybe use a semi-sweet dark chocolate to off-set the sweetness of the marshmallow. These make an obnoxiously huge mess, so are off-limits as day-of making when company is coming over.

BHG suggests topping them with white nonpareils, but I found them to be non-existent in this part of the world (and unnecessary, really).

Pink Grapefruit Gumdrops:



This was my first attempt at grapefruit gumdrops, but my second attempt at gumdrops. This is a “Test Kitchen Variation” for the main recipe: coconut gumdrops. My 2010 fail was on those coconut gumdrops. More on that below.

I followed the instructions for the grapefruit gumdrops to the letter, except I used the food coloring I had on-hand, which happened to be neon pink. Awesome choice, in my opinion. The coconut sugar coating could have been ground up more, but I haven’t had a chance to replace my blender (burned out the motor earlier in 2011), and my stick blender was throwing coconut and sugar all over the kitchen. Amazing tart flavor, set well, and definitely something I will make again. Store-bought gumdrops? Never again!

Coconut Gumdrops:



Second attempt, and finally a success in 2011. The first time it never set up. In retrospect, I think the fail was due to a can of coconut milk that had set on the shelf too long. It was still within its sell-by, but had separated. Since I had never used coconut milk before, I had no frame of reference to know there was a problem when I opened the can. The coconut gumdrops are a very mild flavor, and not terribly coconut-y, but are delicious none-the-less.