Crocker - Betty Crocker Fun Desserts

Fun Desserts

Wiley Selects

Copyright 2012 by General Mills, Minneapolis, Minnesota. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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ISBN: 978-1-118-24424-1 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-118-24484-5 (ebk)

General Mills

Publisher, Cookbooks: Maggie Gilbert/Lynn Vettel

Manager and Editor, Cookbooks: Lois Tlusty

Food Editor: Andi Bidwell

Recipe Development and Testing: Betty Crocker Kitchens

Photography and Food Styling: General Mills Photography Studios and Image Library

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Publisher: Natalie Chapman

Associate Publisher: Jessica Goodman

Executive Editor: Anne Ficklen

Editor: Meaghan McDonnell

Production Manager: Michael Olivo

Cover Design: Suzanne Sunwoo

Art Director: Tai Blanche

Layout: Indianapolis Composition Services

Manufacturing Manager: Kevin Watt

Cover photo:

Dear Friends,

Everybody loves dessertand it just got better! With the fun recipes in this book, you will enjoy preparing dessert just as much as eating it.

Looking for a great gift for the party host? Try out the recipe for .

Next time youre craving something sweet, dont run to the store or turn to that same old cake or pie recipe. Explore the unexpected and imaginative treats found hereyour family and guests will always save room for dessert!

Warmly,

We all need a sweet indulgence from time to time. How about fudge, caramels, cupcakes or truffles? Want to try some of these fun treats? Just read the basics of candy and cupcake making, as well as decorating tips, here and youll be ready to make these fun desserts.

Candy Basics

Theres nothing like homemade candy! And the best partthanks to these great tipscandy making just got easier than ever.

MIXING, COOKING AND COOLING

From picking the right recipe and ingredients to watching the weather, candy making is indeed a sciencebut one thats easy to master with a little practice.

• Use only full-fat butter or margarine so candies set up properly and have the desired texture. Do not use vegetable-oil spreads or reduced-calorie, reduced-fat or tub products.
• Many candy recipes include buttering the side of the saucepan; this prevents crystals from forming, which would result in grainy candy.
• Dont double the recipemake two batches instead. Increasing the amount of ingredients changes the cooking time.
• Pay attention to the weather. A cool, dry day is best for making candy. Candy wont turn out when made on a humid day (60 percent or higher humidity).
• Follow the recipe carefully. Many candy recipes say not to stir the candy mixture while it cools down before the final step of being beaten or stirred. Stirring during cooling can cause the mixture to crystallize, and the candy will be grainy.

CANDY DONENESS

Using an accurate candy thermometer tells you when candy mixtures have reached the correct temperature. Here are a few tips:

• Check the accuracy of your thermometer by putting it in water and then boiling the water. The thermometer should read 212F. If the reading is higher or lower, make the adjustment when making candy.
• If you live above 3,500 feet, check an altitude table to find out the boiling point in your area, then adjust the cooking time if necessary.
• To get an accurate reading, be sure the thermometer stands upright in the candy mixture. The bulb, or tip, of the thermometer shouldnt rest on the bottom of the pan. Read the thermometer at eye level. Watch the temperature closelyafter 200F, it goes up very quickly.
• If you dont have a thermometer, use the cold-water test. With a clean spoon, drop a small amount of candy mixture into a cupful of very cold water. Test the hardness as directed in the following Candy Cooking Test chart. If the candy doesnt pass the test, keep cooking.

CANDY COOKING TESTS