almond brittle {sms}

Candy making is new to me.  Read: I've always been afraid of boiling sugar.  (I'm also afraid of power tools, but that's because I fear drilling a hole into my finger or sawing off a limb.)

These past few months, I'm proud to say, the candy thermometer and I have become acquainted.  It ain't so bad.  Caramels, pralines, toffee; bring it on!  This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays Baking Group pick was Peanut Brittle.  I'm glad JoVonn picked it, so that I could put the thermometer to further use. After reading about the trouble some had with Melissa Murphy's recipe, I decided to go rogue and change some of the measurements.  I checked out Hanaâ's recipe, as well as one at Allrecipes.  Visit JoVonn's post for the original recipe, and see the other yummy brittles that the bakers made.

toffee chips

I am smitten, so smitten with the Oatmeal Cookies I made the other day.  I raided my kids' stash; I couldn't stop eating them, and truth be told, I love the O/Toffee combo better than the O/Raisinet. How have I gone so long without that cookie?

So, I decided, it's time.  It's time I wean myself off of Heath Bits O'Brickle and make my own toffee chips. I, then, can happily and frugally subsist on Oatmeal Toffee cookies for the rest of my days.  Thankfully, it's really quite simple, though a little dangerous (you're dealing with 300º and don't want to get scalded. Just use a big enough pan.)

{sms} Butterscotch Pralines

Yum to Butterscotch.  ? for the Praline. Yeah to another recipe for Sweet Melissa Sundays.  Yikes for candy-making. I'm a total novice at that.

After looking up other praline recipes online, I was puzzled as to why this recipe calls for water and not heavy cream.  I'm assuming that the butterscotch morsels are making up for it?

I was mulling over that question as I measured out the sugars, and it didn't dawn on me until everything was dissolving over high heat and looking very murky,

that I was supposed to use LIGHT-BROWN SUGAR.  Uh oh.  These will just have a tad more molasses flavor.

Silver Lining

The Poor Daughter is suffering from Seasonal Allergic Conjunctivitis.  She stayed home from school on Monday and we visited the pediatrician, who prescribed her four medications.

The silver lining in an otherwise miserable day was a new recipe venture- caramels.  The Daughter wanted to make them.  I would do anything to help her keep her mind off her red, itchy eyes, and if that includes caramels, why not?

I have never made any type of candy before and found this recipe to be remarkably straightforward and simple.

The instructions were to use a small saucepan; she pulled out this one (we halved the recipe).  We averted near disaster as the caramel almost boiled over and transferred everything to...

this pot.  Having a candy thermometer is key.  We were experiencing the proverbial "watched pot never boils" and the 20 minutes felt like to an eternity.  Finally, around 230º F I think, the liquid started slowly darkening.

We poured it into a buttered 9-inch baking pan and let it cool.