No, this isn't the candy that I make for Christmas, but rather the candy for the Brenda Novak Auction winners from last May.
I waited until cooler weather, simply because I didn't want the winners to get a pile of chocolate goo in the mail.
The Sea Salt Caramels were made about two weeks ago. Remember that fiasco? First, I cut the caramel pieces too small, then too large. I then made two 'perfect' batches back-to-back. When I dipped them they got all gross and melty--but I have to say, they tasted REALLY AWESOME! . . .no wonder I didn't lose any weight this week--many of them were too large for the form in the chocolate box. The next day I had an epiphany about checking the calibration of my candy thermometers (insert thermometers in boiling water--212 F or 100 C. Easy-peasy), and discovered that the thermometer I used on the last two batches was low by 10-12 degrees! YIKES!
Two new batches were made, using my good candy thermometer. I actually 'measured' the caramel pieces pre-dipped, so they would fit in the forms, so the five Sea Salt Caramel boxes are ready to go.
Of course, there will be some variation in size due to the candy maker's (ME) inability to cut and dip 'Perfect' pieces of caramel.
Onward to the truffles! Yes, I make all the fillings. It took me a few years of experimenting, but for the most part I'm happy with the results. Some of the newer flavors need a touch of tweaking. Here is a picture of how I stored these babies. Normally, I have a separate box for each truffle flavor, but since I only made one batch, which gives me eight pieces, of each flavor. I mixed the candies in the storage containers to save on space.
23 flavors of candy
One of the winners wanted all her pieces to be dark chocolate, but that isn't happening.
Look, I know my flavors. I know which ones can stand up to the dark chocolate and which ones that will be overwhelmed by the dark chocolate . . . though there are a few experimental ones in the dark chocolate, namely Whiskey Toffee Crunch, Rum Raisin, and Pomegranate Pucker. Those might not make the cut into the auction boxes. . . . I'll have to sample them later
Sucks to be me, right?
And now you know why I will ALWAYS be on Weight Watchers and fighting to keep my weight under control!
Left side, starting from the bottom left corner, candies from left to right, lovingly coated in milk chocolate . . .
Box One: Frangelico, Barenjager (honey), Gingerbread, and Cherries Jubilee (cherries in a white truffle base)
Box Two: Black Forest (cherries in dark chocolate truffle), Midnight Magic (blackberry), Mango Madness, and Pilgrim's Progress (maple with walnuts)
Box Three: Strawberry Margarita, Grand Marnier, Amaretto, and ButterShots
Right side, top to bottom, starting at the top right corner, smothered in dark chocolate . . . with the one white chocolate exception , , ,
Box Four: Rum Raisin, Cranberry, Pomegranate Pucker, and Chocomel (caramel)
Box Five: Bronx Cheer (raspberry), Key Lime, and Peppermint Schnapps
Box six: the only one coated in white chocolate is . . . Cup 'o Joe!, Whiskey Toffee Crunch, Limoncello, and last, but certainly not least, Ride the Wave (salted caramel)
Some candies have fun names, other candies I simply used the base liquor as the name. Yep, all of the candies are made with booze, although I cook the alcohol out of the filling. So they are child friendly.
Gotta go pack some candy after I test drive a couple of flavors. FYI: I do test the fillings prior to molding them, but the flavor profiles change when they are molded in chocolate. Then I have to see how I can put them in the boxes to make them look the prettiest.
Later, Peeps!
