Toffees

Homemade Confectionery
Card 19
Toffees

Have you ever cooked from this recipe card?  As a child I was FOREVER making toffees. It is a credit to my mother that she let me play with boiling sugar.  Mum, I salute you.  Sometimes I rushed these and they were grainy and awful and cloudy. Sometimes I didn't rush them and they were clear and amber and wonderful.  Sometimes I added way too much food colouring to these.  Sometimes I let them cool too long and the 100s and 1000s would not stick to the surface and my toffees were naked.  We made these for fetes that happened and some fetes that never happened because we licked all the toffees and there were none left.  Do you remember that the paper stuck to the toffee and you had to determinedly assure everyone that the residue of the torn paper on the sides of the toffee actually tasted REALLY nice?

I made these AWW toffees yesterday. They work perfectly.  Here are some extra tips for your toffee making pleasure  ::

• These would be BEST made in those little petit four cases so they are not too huge and teeth achingly impossible to get through. Tiny toffees would be best. (But I made big ones!)
• Make sure you put paper down and protect your surface when you are spooning the toffee into the paper cases : you can easily clean it all up then and will not be chiselling toffee off your counter tops till the cows come home.  
• It's important to make sure that you DO let the bubbles subside and make sure the toffee is nice and clear before you pour it, if you want lovely clear toffees, that is. 
• Do make sure you don't let them cool too long before you decorate them.  
• Work quickly because the toffee thickens up and hardens quite quickly.
• Don't worry if you have little spills or toffee threads because that is considered artistic.
• When you are done fill up your toffee pot with water and boil it and your spoon to get rid of that hardened toffee.

Do you have any stories about these toffees? Or toffees in general?   Do you love the original AWW photo as much as I do? I used to stare at this card as a little girl and wish the toffee fairy would visit us. It's true. How about you?!

xx Pip

:: Coconut Ice

Homemade Confectionery
Card 1
Coconut Ice


THIS was one of my superfaves when I was a kid! Did you love coconut ice?!  Did you?!  I love it still.  I do!  Yes!

 I made the second recipe :: Creamy Coconut Ice :: and yes it does have COPHA in it!  Maybe that will freak you out?  Oh well.  It is delicious.  We have all been eating it all afternoon, although Emma was not at all into the COPHA idea and she just had her garish fruit cake instead.  She does NOT know what she is missing out on!

You probably know that there is a different coconut ice recipe which has condensed milk in it.  I like that one too, because I get to eat the leftover condensed milk from the can.  I love condensed milk.  I once made condensed milk ice cream and it was totally delicious and even a bit chewy!  YUM!  That's how much I like condensed milk.  I must never have it in the house, I tell you, or else I will eat WAY too MUCH and Ari will give me a disapproving glance.

So, glances aside... I give you... Yellow Box Coconut Ice. Maybe you would like to make some too?!  Who could resist, really... it is CREAMY and super sweet, just as it should be!

xx Pip

::::::

Chocolate Apricots

250g Callebaut dark chocolate or other high quality chocolate
250g dried apricots

Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second bursts - stirring well between each burst. Be careful not to heat it too much or too often as it will separate. Yick. Now when it's melty and smooth spear your apricots with a fork and dip into the chocolate until well coated. Pop onto some wax paper to cool - in the fridge if it's hot at your place. Eat when set. Try not to eat too many. It is VERY hard!