Monkey OFF my Back

Wow, I never realized how much the Brenda Novak For the Cure Auction candy donations would be like the monkey on my back.

I knew it was there, as it periodically yanked my hair, or tickled my neck, or simply threw poo around.

But there wasn't anything I could do about it . . . until now.

The candy boxes are packed, labeled, and ready for mailing.

And I DO want to thank all the ladies who donated and won my candy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it. Yes, I know I complained, lamented, and gritched, but that's my process . . . actually, making candy is very similar to writing a book.

Here's what the box of Truffles looked like:

Here's the note I put inside:

 

 

I opted for the milk and dark chocolate mixture, and I picked the chocolates that came out a slightly bigger mold.

 

Cup 'o Joe (Kahlua) the only one molded in white chocolate didn't make the cut because the mold was a little too small for this box insert.

 

Amaretto--one of my favorites--didn't make the cut either because of the specialized shape, a slightly elongated heart. I would have had to destroy one of the candy wells to make it fit in the box insert.

 

As I've mentioned before I make my own fillings so I know which ones work better with the milk chocolate or the dark chocolate. Some of the fillings can stand up to both the coatings, but I went for the checkerboard 'look' of the finished product.

 

A couple of the fillings turned out so much better than I expected--Pilgrim's Progress (maple with minced walnut--while some of the other new flavors will need a little tweaking.

 

This doesn't mean the flavors are bad, just that they aren't as strong as I would like them to be.

 

When I was making my fillings, I gushed over a couple of them: Bronx Cheer (raspberry) and Midnight Magic (blackberry).

 

Bronx Cheer was EVERYTHING I could possibly wish for (it's in the dark raspberry shell). It turned out perfect, right up there with my best flavors: Limoncello, Key Lime, Strawberry Margarita, Grand Marnier, and Black Forest.

 

While Midnight Magic was good, it wasn't up there with the right flavor tone as it had a slightly sweeter taste rather than the tart one I was trying to make. 

 

I'll be tweaking the fillings today or tomorrow. Along with some that I didn't pack in the box: Mango Madness, Cranberry Delight, and Pom Pucker.

 

But there's no hurry now since I have this monkey off my back . . . now, we have to finish making Halloween costumes, get ready for my daughter's birthday and Thanksgiving before I have to even think about making chocolate again.

 

Later, Peeps!