From the Kitchen....Yummy Homemade Candy

Growing up, my family would make Christmas candy every year that mainly consisted of millionaires (aka turtles), potato chip candy and my all-time favorite, fudge. :) So, this year I decided to make candy myself...branching out into several different family recipes. I (with the awesome help of my friends and husband) made TONS and packaged it up to give out to friends, family and coworkers. Everyone seemed to eat it, so I consider it a success. And I know I ate my fair share...so I think the recipes are worth trying. :)

Millionaires
What you need:
Double boiler (I bought a cheap one (aka $20) at Bed, Bath & Beyond that worked fine
1 package Kraft Caramels 6 Plain Hershey bars
2 Tbsp. evaporated milk 2 cups whole pecans
1/3 bar paraffin wax (yes, wax....and yes, they do sell it at the grocery store)

What you do:
1.Spread out a large piece of heavy duty Aluminum foil on a countertop or table. Butter the foil.
2. Melt the caramels and evaporated milk in the top of the double boiler.
3. When melted, add pecans and quickly drop by spoonfuls onto the buttered aluminum foil (heavy duty).

4. Let the caramels pieces completely cool. I suggest letting them sit for 24 hours.
5. Melt choclate bars and parafiin in the double boiler.
6. Spear caramel/pecans (from the day before) with a toothpick or better yet, the metal things you use to truss a turkey.
7. Dip the caramel/pecan piece into the chocolate and place back on the foil in a clean spot to cool.
Makes about 30 millionaires.

Potato Chip Candy (huge crowd pleaser and super easy)
What you need:
4 cups crushed waffle chips (Ruffles or the equivalent)
1 package almond bark (the white one...I have used the chocolate brown one and I think the white chocolate is better)

What you do:
1.Spread out a large piece of heavy duty Aluminum foil on a countertop or table. Butter the foil.
2. Melt the bark in a microwave (follow the melting directions on the bark package).
3. Stir in the crushed chips.
4. Spread the mixture out on the Al foil so that it is about 1/2 inch thick.
5. Let cool and then break it out into bite size pieces.

Haystacks (another popular one)
What you need:
1 (6oz) package of Butterscotch flavored morsels (chips)
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups Chow Mein noodles
1 cup dry roasted peanuts

What you do:
1.Spread out a large piece of heavy duty Aluminum foil on a countertop or table. Butter the foil.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter over low heat. When completely melted, remove from heat.

3. Stir in noodles and peanuts until all pieces are coated.
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper.
5. Let sit until hardened.

Makes about 30 haystacks.

Chocolate Fudge - I use the recipe on the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar - delicious
What you need:
3 cups sugar
3/4 cups (1.5 sticks) butter
1 small can (5oz) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cups)
1.5 packages (12 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1 jar (7oz) Marshmallow Creme
1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans...the recipe says walnuts)
1 tsp vanilla

What you do:
1. Line 9 inch square pan with foil (extending to the sides of the pan)
2. Place sugar, butter and evaporated milk in large heavy saucepan
3. Bring to a full roiling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly (very important - you don't want it to burn)
4. Boil 4 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees F stirring constantly to prevent scorching (seriously)
5. Remove from heat and add chocolate and marshmallow creme stirring until completely melted.
6. Add nuts and vanilla. Mix well.
7. Immediately pour into the foil lined pan, spread to form an even layer (about 1" thick).
8. Let it cool at room temp at least 4 hours.

Makes a lot...I cut my squares pretty small (about .75"x.75") and get over 50 pieces.

Apricot-Coconut Balls
What you need:
2 (6oz) packages dried apricots, ground
2 cups shredded coconut
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
Powdered sugar

What you do:
1. Combine apricots and coconut; stir to mix.
2. Add condensed milk and mix well.
3. Shape into 1" balls and coat with powdered sugar.

Makes about 50.
Peppermint Bark
What you need:
1 pound white chocolate (use the white almond bark like in the Potato Chip Candy)
1/2 cup finely crushed peppermint candy (I took a hammer to some candy canes)
4 to 7 drops of red food coloring

What you do:
1.Spread out a large piece of heavy duty Aluminum foil on a countertop or table. Butter the foil.
2. Melt the bark in a microwave (follow the melting directions on the bark package).
3. Stir in the crushed peppermint and food coloring.
4. Spread the mixture out on the Al foil so that it is about 1/2 inch thick.
5. Let cool and then break it out into bite size pieces.

To package the candy, I went to the dollar store and bought tons of cute Christmas tins for....you guessed it, $1. After cleaning them out, I lined them with green seran wrap. I recommend putting in enough seran wrap to come up the sides of the tin and hang over the edge a bit - this provides a great seal for the lid. For some of the tins, I tied ribbons around them and slid a Christmas card in, which looked extra cute. They were a big hit (I hope!) and a nice gift if you want to give to a lot of people (I ended up making around 60 tins). By far the biggest expense is the pecans in the fudge and millionaires. If possible, I recommend buying in bulk from a local farm as they can be quite pricey in the grocery store.