Sweet & Salty Valentine treats

Looking for a quick and easy treat for your Valentine? These semi-homemade valentine treats are sweet and salty and oh, so easy to make for your sweetheart.  

First, you'll need some pink candy melts and some milk chocolate melts.

Don't forget your favorite soft caramels.  

I love Bequet caramels with Celtic sea salt.

Other tools you'll need are a rolling pin (a mini one worked best for me),

A heart-shaped cookie cutter (I used a one inch sized one),

A small pairing knife,

Food safe gloves (optional),

Food mat or smooth cutting board (a smooth counter will work just as well),

Parchment-lined cookie sheet,

Fork or dipping scoop like Michaels Celebrate It scoop,

Icing bags or sandwich bags. 

Take your caramels out of their wrappers and mold into a ball with the heat of your hands. I wore food safe gloves for this step.

Make a disk like you would with cookie dough and with your rolling pin roll out to about 1/4 inch thick or to your preferred thickness on your mat/cutting board or counter. 

Take your cookie cutter and cut out your hearts.  

Placing them on your parchment lined cookie sheet. 

Place your cookie sheet in the freezer. 

 If your wearing the gloves, I found it protects the caramels from your fingerprints melting into them. 

While your caramels are in the freezer, melt your chocolates and candy melts either in the microwave in 10 second increments or a double boiler method.

(I did the double boiler method.)

Once the melts are ready take out your frozen hearts and one at a time using your fork or scoop dip the hearts into the melted chocolate placing them back on the parchment.  That cold cookie sheet will help set the chocolate.  

Having frozen your caramels it keeps the hearts stiff while dipping into the hot melted chocolate and keeping its shape.

Place your cookie sheet with your coated hearts back in the freezer to set.

This should take about 5 minutes.

Now don't worry about the extra chocolate spillage.

Once set, remove them carefully from the parchment and take your pairing knife and shave the excess chocolate from the hearts.  

Shave it gently, you don't want to take too much off at once. 

You may have a few rough ones, but don't worry we can fix them.

Now take your remaining melted chocolate and place in your icing bags or Sandwich bags. Cut a tiny hole in the bottom to drizzle chocolate across your hearts. Remember I told you we'd fix those rough spots? This can cover any imperfections or opps.  You can leave as is or add candy sprinkles, crushed pretzels, or crushed  freeze dried berries.

I found the nonpareils gave them a more elegant look.

Can you find the crushed fruit and pretzel hearts above?

I found the heart treat box at my local grocery store.



Happy Valentine's Day! 

I would love to know if you make these.  Comment below.

 

Heirloom Confections - Sponge Candy

With Michigan getting hit with it's first major storm of the year, I thought it was a great time for some heirloom confections.  Yes, Sponge candy also known as Honeycomb candy, whichever name your family recipe was handed down by.  This is a sweet, crunchy, honeycomb-texture treat with hints of delicate toffee and molasses flavor. You can leave it plan or dress it up with chocolate which is what  my niece and I did for a Valentines day treat.  

You can find many recipes online or in your heirloom recipe books.  They only vary by dark or light corn syrup and white or dark brown sugar.  If you use the dark corn syrup or sugar you get a deeper toffee/molasses flavor. Whatever you choose this confection only has four ingredients and is super easy.  

Sponge Candy/Honeycomb Candy

1 cup (white or brown) sugar

1 cup (light or dark) corn syrup

1 tablespoon Distilled white vinegar

      1 tablespoon baking soda (Sifted)     

Equipment needed: 

Sifter

Large saucepan

Candy thermometer with clip

9 x 13 pan 

Pam non-stick cooking spray

Note:  Be sure to do these on a dry day or they become sticky.  

Before you start pre-measure your ingredients, doing this lets you focus on the candy temperature and timing.  Next foil line a 9 x 13 dish with 2" sides (a casserole dish works) extending the foil over the sides.  Spray the foil lined dish with Pam generously and set aside.  Combine corn syrup, sugar and vinegar in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until sugar crystals dissolve, once dissolved clip your candy thermometer to the saucepan about halfway into the syrup. Being careful not to touch the bottom of the pan.  Wait unit it comes to a boil.  Continue cooking without stirring until the thermometer reaches 300 degree, swirling the pan occasionally. This should take 18 to 20 minutes.  

Now remove from heat and add the sifted baking soda, stirring rapidly.  When you add the baking soda the mixture will puff up. This is where it goes for a transparent amber like color to an opaque color. 

Once its combined, immediately pour your opaque mixture into the prepared foil lined dish.  Don't spread it out or thump the dish to distribute the mixture.  You will only deflate the air bubbles and they are what gives this candy its honeycomb texture.  You are almost there, now let it cool to set.  

Once the candy is cooled and set lift it out of the dish using the foil.  Pull the foil slowly from the candy. Once it's been remove break the candy in small bite size pieces.  Now you can leave your candy as is or dress it in chocolate.  

We dressed ours in chocolate and added Wilton Valentine sprinkles.  You can customize this treat for whatever holiday when you submerge it in melted milk chocolate or candy white coating and adding sprinkles. 

Finish your candies off by adding holiday paper cups and box or bag them up.  By using a hole punch, and adding two holes to a folded top of a treat bag, loop a string through and tie bow.   

Store these treats in air tight containers or jar to keep fresh.  

 Notes:

It's really important to sift the baking soda of any little clumps.  

If you don't you will get clumps of soda in your candy. 

Photo credits: G. Smith