Courtney Dial Whitmore - Candy Making for Kids

Candy Making for Kids

Courtney Dial Whitmore

Photographs by Zac Williams

Candy Making for Kids

Digital Edition 1.0

Text 2012 Courtney Dial Whitmore

Photographs 2012 Zac Williams

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Gibbs Smith

P.O. Box 667

Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.835.4993

www.gibbs-smith.com

ISBN: 978-1-4236-3023-4

Thank you to Hollie Keith, Dan Moench and the entire Gibbs Smith team for all your hard work. Thank you to my mom, Phronsie, for your continued dedication to the love of entertaining and for the countless hours you spent helping me perfect these recipes. You are a dream stylist! Thank you to Chris and Henry for your support and love. A final thanks to the thousands of loyal and dedicated PIZZAZZERIE.com readers who continue to support me and my love of entertaining!

One of my fondest childhood memories was bike riding with my brother to a small candy store around the corner from our home in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Picking out my favorite lollipop or piece of fudge to bring home and savor nibble by nibble was such a sweet treat as a child. I have always had an affinity for all things sweet (so much so that I affectionately deemed my maternal grandmother Sweet). So Im excited to share these 30 candy recipes designed with kids in mind.

None of these recipes require the use of a candy thermometer and all of them are friendly for kids of all ages. Allow your children to enjoy the creating process as well as the sweet finish!

Homemade gifts are the best gifts, and that includes how theyre presented too! Packing up sweet treats in cute ways is a must.

Makes 1 sled

Trim down a full graham cracker cookie in half for a small sled (2-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches) or cut down only a small amount for a medium sled (2-1/2 x 4 inches). Melt white chocolate bark coating in microwavable bowl until smooth. Dip graham cracker cookie (sled) into melted white chocolate until coated on both sides. Place white sled on top of 2 candy canes. Sprinkle sled with sweetened coconut. Decorate sleds with a variety of holiday candies (gumdrops, peppermints, red hots, etc.).

Makes 2 pops

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate bark in a heatproof bowl in the microwave at 15-second intervals, stirring well between intervals until smooth. Pour chocolate into the circle cutters that were place on the parchment paper. Fill about 1/2-inch of chocolate into each circle cutter. Allow chocolate to cool for 2 to 3 minutes and then remove cutters. The chocolate will spread just a little. Push the lollipop stick (or paper straw) into the chocolate and twist to coat with the chocolate. Place 2 pretzels at the top of the reindeers head for antlers. Add a nose and eyes. Let lollipops harden for about 30 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.

Makes 4 to 5 snowmen

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Beat egg whites until stiff and peaks form. Add sugar, vanilla extract and cream of tartar. Continue to beat for about 4 minutes until very stiff. Fill plastic Ziploc bag with meringue mixture. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a pen to draw 3 different sizes of circles (1-1/2, 2 and 2-1/2 inches) for the snowmans body. Cut a corner in the plastic bag and pipe the meringue mixture onto the drawn circles, lifting up as you pipe. Spray your finger with non-stick cooking spray and carefully flatten the tips of the circles so they can be stacked later. Bake for 40 minutes. Turn off oven and let circles sit for an extra 15 minutes (do not open oven). Remove from oven and let cool.

Sweet Tip: Use frosting or melted white chocolate as glue to stick together the head, middle and body of the snowman. Create fun scarves, hats, eyes, etc., out of candies. For example, use fruit roll-ups to make scarves.

Makes 24 snowballs

Mix powdered sugar, condensed milk, extracts and salt together until well combined. Stir in 1 cup of coconut and mix well. If dough is too stiff, add a little more condensed milk. Shape into 1-inch snowballs and roll in remaining 2 cups of coconut. Store snowballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator.