Buttercream Fondant 2 c. sugar 2 Tbsp. butter 1 c. milk 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar Combine ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan.

. Cook on medium heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. It will foam up as it heats. Wash down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Continue cooking without stirring, washing down sides of pan twice more. Cook to 236 degrees Fahrenheit; remove from heat immediately. Cooking takes about 15 minutes. Pour onto clean marble slab, cookie sheet, or countertop. Let cool to approximately body temperate, then work with a scraper or strong spatula, scraping around edges, underneath, and folding into the center. Continue working until very stiff and can be formed into a firm ball. This takes about 10 minutes. Knead (see below). ALTERNATE METHOD: After cooking, pour into a clean Bosch bowl. Let cool until about body temperature, then beat using the cookie paddles. (Not the wire whisks!) Beat until it firms up, around 3 minutes, scrape out of bowl onto countertop. Knead on counter or in hands until smooth. Place in an airtight container and let it ripen, or smooth out, overnight. To store for 3-4 months, place in a container, cover with a damp cloth or paper towel, and seal with an airtight lid. Keep refrigerated. Makes about 55 centers for dipping, or about 12 3/4-1"x 3-4" logs for pecan logs. Fondant centers- bring fondant to room temperature and knead in desired flavor and color. Shape into 3/4" balls (flatten for mints), and dip in chocolate. For methods of tempering chocolate, go to candylandcrafts.com Pecan logs- coarsely chop 3/4- 1 pound of pecans. Either make a batch of caramels, dipping fondant logs in while the caramel mixture is still in the pan, or melt commercial caramel, using it straight or adding 2 Tbsp. water or milk per pound of caramel. (Any leftover caramel can be poured into a pan lined with buttered foil, chilled and cut into squares, or made into turtles.) Using a fork or tongs, dip logs in caramel then place on waxed paper covered with the nuts. Lift one side of the waxed paper to roll the log to coat. Chill about an hour to set up. Store and slice at room temperature. English Toffee 1 lb. butter 2 c. sugar 6 Tbsp. water 1 c. almonds, chopped 3/4 lb. chocolate c. finely chopped toasted almonds Melt butter in a heavy saucepan, stir in water, sugar, and 1 c. chopped almonds. Cook on medium, stirring constantly, until it reaches a full boil, then cook on medium-high, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until it reaches 290 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour on foil- or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Chill, then chop up chocolate, melt, and spread on top, sprinkling finely chopped nuts on top, pressing them in gently. Put in refrigerator 10 minutes to firm chocolate. Break into chunks. OR, have chocolate chopped before the toffee is cooked, sprinkle the chocolate on top while its still hot, spread when melted, then top with nuts and chill.

Fudge Fudge can be made in advance, kept airtight in the refrigerator for a month, or wrapped well and frozen for 2-3 months. When making a batch of traditional fudge if it goes grainy, all is not lost! You can choose any of these: (1) break it up and melt it with 1/4 cup milk, cream, or evaporated milk to make a great hot fudge sauce for yourself or the neighbors. (2) break it up with your hands and knead it until it becomes soft and smooth. Press back into the pan. (3)break it up, add a couple tablespoons of water, bring it back up to softball, cool, and beat again. It will be a little firmer, but still good. (4) break it up, add 2 Tbsp. water or milk, heat it, then beat in 3 oz. marshmallow creme (or 3 oz. marshmallows and Tbsp. water), 10 oz. chocolate (1 and 2/3 c. chips), and one stick of butter. This is assuming a 2 lb. batch of fudge is what you started with. Beat, using electric beaters if needed, until smooth and glossy. Turn into pan and chill. Two-Minute Fudge semisweet $1.25/lb. 5g fat/oz. milk $1.60/lb. 6g fat/oz. 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk 1 tsp. vanilla pinch of salt, optional 1 c. chopped nuts, opt. Stir together chips and milk, melt in microwave, stirring every minute. Stir in vanilla and salt. Pour into lined and buttered 8x8 pan, chill until firm- 2 hours in refrigerator or 20 minutes in the freezer. Makes 2 lbs. without the nuts. To cut the recipe in half, just over 1 1/4 c. is 7 oz. sweetened condensed milk. Milk chocolate fudge- increase chocolate to 4 cups (2 12-oz. bags). Makes almost 2 lbs., without nuts. Peanut Butter or Butterscotch Fudge- use 4 c. peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips. Vanilla fudge- use white chocolate chips, increasing to 4 cups. Cherry Vanilla fudge- stir in 1 c. quartered candied cherries, replace half the vanilla with almond extract, use almonds for the nuts. Cookies and Creme fudge- break 16 Oreo cookies into small chunks, stir into Vanilla fudge. Orange Creme fudge (Creamsicle)- Make a batch of vanilla fudge, pour 3/4 of it into prepared pan. To remaining fudge, add 3 drops yellow food color, 2 drops red, and 1 tsp. orange extract. Drop by spoonfuls onto top, swirl in. Caramel Swirl fudge- melt 4 oz (about 18 squares) of caramel with 1-2 tsp. of water, drop by spoonfuls onto top, then swirl. Candy Bar fudge- melt 4 oz caramel with 1-2 tsp. water, stir in 3/4 c. peanuts. Drop on top and either swirl in or cover the top with 1 c. chocolate chips, melted. Chocolate-Peanut Butter fudge- Add 2 Tbsp. peanut butter to hot mixture, before powdered sugar is added. Top with chopped peanuts if you like, pressing them in slightly. Mint Layer Fudge- Make chocolate fudge; spread in pan. Melt together 1 c. white chips, 2 Tbsp. milk, 1/4-1/2 tsp. mint extract, and 1/8 tsp. green food color. Mix well, spread on top. Orange-Pecan- Make vanilla fudge, stir in 1 Tbsp. orange zest, finely chopped, and 1 c. pecans. Peanut Butter Swirl- Make chocolate fudge, melt c. peanut butter, drop on top of fudge; swirl. 2

Rocky Road fudge- Stir 2 c. mini marshmallows into fudge before spreading into the pan. Smores fudge- leave out nuts, stir in 1 c. mini marshmallows and 4 whole grahams, broken. Strawberry fudge- replace half the condensed milk with 1 1/4 c. strawberry jam. Swirl about 2 Tbsp. jam on top. Especially good with pecans or walnuts. Strawberry Truffle Layer fudge- spread regular fudge in pan, melt together 1 c. (6 oz.) semisweet chips with 2 Tbsp. butter. Stir in 1/4 c. strawberry jam. Spread on top. Toasted Coconut Fudge- for either chocolate or white fudge, toast 1 c. coconut, stir in 3/4 c, along with 1 c. chopped toasted pecans. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. coconut on top, press in. If using a fudge recipe that calls for milk or evaporated milk, you may also substitute an equal amount of coconut milk. Wonka Bar fudge- substitute 4 whole graham crackers, broken into small chunks, for the nuts.

Five Minute Fudge $1.11/lb m.creme $ .81/lb. mallows 2.5g fat/oz. 2 c. sugar c. milk 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme or 7 oz. marshmallows (see note) + 1 Tbsp. water 1 1/3 c. peanut butter or 1 (11-12 oz.) chocolate chips Boil milk and sugar over medium-high heat for three minutes. Immediately stir in the marshmallow creme and peanut butter or chocolate chips (or use half of each). Pour and spread into a foil-lined and sprayed 8x8 pan. Cool completely before serving. Makes about 2 pounds. NOTE: marshmallows weigh about 1 oz. per cup, but this varies with how old they are or whether your child sat on the bag. If in doubt, divide a 10-oz. bag in three parts and use two of them, or divide a 16-oz bag in two parts and use a little less than half. If using large marshmallows, snip them small so they melt quickly enough. Makes about 2 1/3 lbs.

Easy Fudge $1.23/lb. 4g fat/oz. 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder c. dry milk powder c. butter 1/4 c. water 1/8 tsp. salt tsp. vanilla 1 lb. (4 c. unsifted) powdered sugar, sifted -1 c. chopped nuts, opt. Mix together cocoa and milk powder. Melt butter , stir in cocoa/milk powder, water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add vanilla, beat in powdered sugar, stir in nuts. Spread in lined and sprayed 8x8 pan. Chill. Makes about 1 lbs. without nuts

Old-Time Fudge 4 c. sugar

$ .65/lb.

2.7g fat/oz. 3

1 c. milk 4 squares (4 oz.) unsweetened chocolate 2 tsp. corn syrup 4 Tbsp. butter or margarine 2 tsp. vanilla 1 - 2 c. coarsely chopped nuts Line a 9x5 loaf pan with foil, buttered or sprayed. In a heavy saucepan combine sugar, milk, chocolate, and corn syrup. Cook over medium-high to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low, stirring frequently and washing down sides with a wet pastry brush once or twice to get rid of any lingering sugar crystals. Cook to 234 degrees, soft-ball stage. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, but do not stir. Cool undisturbed to lukewarm (110 degrees). Beat vigorously until fudge just begins to thicken; add nuts. Beat until it becomes very thick and just starts to lose its gloss, about 7-8 minutes. Quickly turn into the prepared pan. Let fudge cool at room temperature. This makes about 2 pounds without the nuts. USING THE BOSCH- Pour the hot mixture, without scraping pan, into a very clean Bosch bowl, preferably stainless steel. Add the vanilla and butter without stirring. Let cool to lukewarm, 30 to 60 minutes, then attach the cookie paddles and beat. Add nuts when mixture begins to thicken, and beat until it just starts to lose its gloss. (Stop and check once a minute once you get past 3 minutes of beating.) Quickly turn into prepared pan. Blue Ribbon Fudge $ 1.43/lb. semi&creme $1.27/lb. semi& mallows 5.7g fat/oz 4 c. sugar 12 oz. evaporated milk 2 sticks butter 2 c. toasted nuts, chopped coarse 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme or 7 oz. marshmallows plus 1 Tbsp. water 2 tsp. vanilla 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate (semisweet or milk chocolate will work for less dark fudge) 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate Cook sugar, evaporated milk, and butter to 234 degrees, softball, stirring constantly. Add nuts and marshmallow. Cool to about 200 degrees (wait 5 minutes) before adding chocolate; stir until smooth. Pour in 9x13 pan lined with foil. Chill in fridge about 4 hours. Lift out and cut. Quick Penuche $ .82/lb. 34.5g fat/oz. c. butter 1 c. brown sugar 1/4 c. milk 1 3/4- 2 c. powdered sugar 1 c. chopped walnuts In a saucepan melt the butter. Stir in brown sugar and cook on low heat two minutes, stirring. Add milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in powdered sugar. Mix in nuts. Pour into lined and sprayed 8x4 loaf pan. Makes 1 1/4 lbs. Maple-nut fudge- add tsp. maple extract after removing pan from heat. Maple-nut Goodies- add tsp. maple flavor and use roasted peanuts in place of walnuts. 4

Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Molasses fudge (gingerbread flavor)- Replace half of the milk (2 Tbsp.) with 2 Tbsp. molasses, also add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. ground cloves Quick Centers for Pecan Logs- use all white sugar in place of brown, or use half of each. Chill before shaping into logs.

Truffles about 3 dozen 1" truffles 1 c. (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips 1 to 8 Tbsp. butter, preferably unsalted 1/4 c. whipping cream 3/4 tsp. vanilla, almond extract, or other flavoring (mint, raspberry, orange, etc.) Combine chocolate, butter, and cream and melt in microwave or in a double boiler, stirring until smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and stir in flavoring. Pour it into an 8x4 loaf pan. Chill thoroughly. Use a small melon baller or measuring spoon to shape the truffles. Dip the baller in hot water between each truffle. Chill if mixture softens too much while you work with it. These may be served many ways- plain, dipped in chocolate; rolled in cocoa, powdered sugar, toasted coconut, or in finely chopped toasted nuts. For milk chocolate or white chocolate truffles, reduce cream to 2 Tbsp. per 6 oz chocolate. Whipped Truffles, use equal parts by weight of chocolate and cream (6 oz. chips, 1 cup, to 6 oz. cream, 3/4 cup), no butter. Chill overnight. Whip with electric beaters until fluffy. Chill again and shape.