Strawberry Hearts

                        Valentine's Day will be here before we know it. It's the holiday of love, expressing

your feelings to the ones you love and your appreciation of your friends. To me Valentine's Day is not
just for couples. It's for families and friends. To show the ones you love and care for how much you

really do care for them. We give each other flowers, cards, and chocolate. I have something a little

different to share with you today. It's close to chocolate but not technically chocolate. But first story

time.


                        When I was a kid I remember my parents including us kids in a little Valentine's fun.

Besides getting the usual thin cardboard cards with funny sayings and silly characters we would also

get a small gift. I got a few little things, nothing that cost too much, things like pencils and candy.

The one thing that stands out the most and I will probably never forget is a special heart shaped

lollipop that we seemed to get almost every year. To anyone it was just a cherry flavored lollipop

with Minnie Mouse on the wrapper, but to me it was the best lollipop ever. For two reasons; First, I

only got it for Valentine's Day. That made it special in itself. Second, it was a gift from my parents;

the people whom I looked up to the most and I still do. What's your favorite Valentine's Day memory

as a  child?


                     These hearts are yummy and bring back childhood memories. Although they are not

cherry strawberry is the next best thing.



Ingredients:                                                         Makes about 30 candies

1 bag of red candy melts. or white chocolate that you would dye red

sprinkles of course

strawberry candy flavoring

heart candy molds




Directions:

1. Melt candy melts at 30 second intervals, stirring after each until smooth.

2. Add sprinkle the the bottom of each heart mold.

3. Add 10 drops of candy flavoring. Stir well.

4. Put mixture into candy molds tap molds to release air bubbles. This will make the candy smooth

and pretty. And place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until set.

5. To remove the candy just turn the mold upside down and the candy should fall right out. If they

seem to be a little stuck just give the mold a tap or two on the counter and they should pop out.

Enjoy!

Lemon Filled Hearts

Heart candy, It's everywhere for Valentine's season. I say instead of buying it as a gift why not make it and share the love! It's more personal and not to mention very creative.

I'm not much of a Lemon fan but these are so good, I would eat them all if I could. Here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy it. What is your favorite candy to make?

Ingredients:

Yellow candy melts

Lemon curd

Directions:

1. Melt candy melts in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir until smooth.

2. Put a small amount of the melts in a heart shaped candy mold and bring up to the sides of the mold until covered. Chill 15 minutes.

3. Fill with lemon curd and top with more candy melts. Chill 15 minutes.

4. Lightly tap the mold on the counter and the candy should fall out easily. Keep in an air tight container in the fridge. Makes about 20-25

5. Share the love.

Candy Bark

      So, while I was trying to get this post done yesterday I ended up running out of sun light while taking the pictures and had to finish up today. That's why the post is a little late today. Here it is; the candy bark that I told you about last week. I hope you enjoy it. The recipe is super easy and it makes a great Holiday gift.

     Ingredients:

       2cups white chocolate chips

       7 assorted mini candy bars

       1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips for drizzling, (optional)

     Directions:

       1. Slice candy bars inro 4 to 5 pieces

       2. Melt the white chocolate chips until smooth

       3. Stir the candy bars into the white chocolate

        4. Pour onto cookie sheet lined with was paper until set, about 30 minuts to an hour.

        5. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Let cool

        6. Break the bark into medium to small small pieces

         Serves about 8. Enjoy! Let me know what you think, or if you have any questions ask away.

Chocolate Peppermint Truffle Pops

        

                       This recipe was supposed to be posted before the holidays but time got away with me, so I am going to post it now. These pops are a mix of peppermint white chocolate ganache and chocolate ganache on a stick and dipped in chocolate. If you love chocolate and peppermint then you are going to love these. So, lets get started.


Ingredients:

1 bag white chocolate chips

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

About 9 crushed candy canes

some milk chocolate for dipping

1/2 cup heavy cream for white chocolate

3/4 cup heavy cream for the chocolate

Instructions:

1. Heat heavy cream until slightly bubbling then pour over chocolate and white chocolate. Stir until smooth.

2. Add some of the crushed candy canes to the white chocolate mixture. Cover both bowls and put them in the fridge for 1 hour.

3.Scoop half a spoonful of each mixture and roll them together into a ball. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and put in the freezer for 30 minutes.

4. Take them out of the freezer and put a lollipop stick in each truffle. Place them back into the freezer so they don't melt.

5. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave at 30 sec. intervals until smooth, stirring after each.

6. Dip each truffle in the chocolate and place the back on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with remaining candy cane pieces and place in the fridge until set. Makes about 12-24 pops

I hope you enjoyed this recipe.

Day 1: Mint Chocolate Drops

                    Hello everyone, I hope all of you are doing well tonight. The orginal plan was to start the 12 Days on the 1st. but I didn't realize how close we were to Dec. 1st and how much work needed to be done. Because of the date had to be pushed back a little later than planned.
                   Today is, finally, the first day of the 12 Days of Handmade. During these days I am going to show you some of my favorite things to make, some recipes, and some new things I am trying. The First Day is a sweet day and new recipe. It is very simple and very yummy. These little bits of yumminess (not sure if this is a real word) will go great in a festive treat bag and then placed in an even more festive coffee mug. Ok, here is the recipe. I hope you all like it and enjoy these 12 Days of Handmade.

                 

            Ingredients:

              12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

              Mint Candy Flavoring Oil

              Green or Red Sprinkles


           Instructions:

 1. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir after each time.

 2. Add a few drops of the flavoring at a time stirring after each addition until the flavor is to your liking.

3. Drop by spoonful onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.

4. Sprinkle with sprinkles while still wet.

5. Leave on counter until set. Store in a container.

Makes about 24-36

Chocolate Cranberry Clusters

These clusters came to be one day because I was bored. I wanted to make something so bad but I didn't have any ideas. So, I decided to look for things in my pantry that would taste good together. I wasn't sure about one of the ingrediants at first but I think they turned out good. My daughter loved them. I know what you're thinking, and trust me they taste a lot better than they look. I hope you like them, I did.

   Supplies:

   2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
   1/2 cup dried cranberries
   1/2 cup chopped almonds or more if needed
   1 cup apple cinnamon cereal
   medium microwaveable bowl
   a cookie sheet
   wax or parchment paper
   a spoon

   Instructions:

 1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside. In the medium bowl melt the chocolate chips in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.
  2. Add the dried cranberries and the chopped almonds and stir well.
  3. When the cranberry mixture is done add the cereal. Now, this is going to a little more time to mix. You are going to want to mix this until everything is coated in chocolate.
 4. Scoop the mixture by tablespoon and put them on the wax paper. You can also use a regular or a teaspoon for smaller clusters.
  5. Let them set until dry. About 30 minutes. This depends on how hot it is where you are. It might take a little longer. This makes about 7 big clusters.

White Chocolate Dipped Pretzels Rods with a Cinnamon Drizzle

I originally thought about waiting to post this until valentine's day but I couldn't wait. They were so good and came out just the way I wanted. I'm not a big fan of cinnamon candy flavoring, so I wasn't sure if they would taste good. My goal was to give the pretzels a strong vanilla taste with a hint of cinnamon and I think I hit it on the mark. When I tried one I couldn't taste the cinnamon right away, but after a little while I could tell that there was cinnamon in it. Now, remember I don't like cinnamon flavoring so the amount was perfect for me but if you like a stronger cinnamon flavor then you can add more. I hope you enjoy these just as much as I did.

What you will need:
   white candy coating or white chocolate chips
   red candy coating
   cinnamon candy flavoring oil
   bowls
   small spoons
   a cookie sheet
   wax or parchment paper
   pretzel rods

1. First you'll want to line a cookie sheet with wax paper so that you will have something to the drying pretzel rods on. Next, melt some white candy coating or white chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each time, until smooth.
2. Now, here comes fun part number one. Takea pretzel rod and coat half of it with the white chocolate and lay them gently on the cookie sheet to dry.
3. While the pretzels are drying pour some red candy coating into another bowl and melt them the same way you melted thewhite chocolate. When the red candy is melted add a few drops of cinnamon candy flavoring oil and stir well. You'll want to taste the red mixture to make sure that you are happy with the amount of cinnamon flavoring you put in. If it is too weak for you then you can add some more. Be careful when adding candy flavoring; a little really does go a long way.
4. Next, with a small spoon, ( fun part number two) drizzle the red candy over the white on the pretzels. You'll want to flick your wrist slightly back and forth while adding the red candy. Let them dry completely. I let these dry on the counter for about 15 to 30 minutes. These make great gifts and who doesn't love a candy dipped pretzel rod? Enjoy.

Cookies & Cream Mints

These mints are creamy with a bit of crunch. They were easy and fun to make and everyone loved them. They take almost no time at all to make. It's just a matter of melting, mixing, and pouring into molds. When I make candy this way I don't measure anything. I usually estimate how much chocolate to melt and as far as flavoring goes I'll taste it as I go. It's that easy.

                                     Ingrediants:

                                           1 package green candy coating
                                           mint candy flavoring oil
                                           cookies and cream sprinkles

Pour the candy coating into a microwave safe bowl and melt at 30 second intervals, stirring after each time, until it is smooth. After it is melted you will want to add the flavoring a few drops at a time and mix it well. Be carefull with the flavoring because it doesn't take very much flavoring to get the taste that you want. Next, you are going to want to add the sprinkles. Just sprinkle in some and mix it then add more as needed. Then pour the mixture into candy molds and lightly tap the mold on a counter top until all the air bubbles are gone, and put them into the refrigerater until they are hard. I used a round disc candy mold but you can use whatever you like. After they are set turn the mold upside down and tap it on a table or counter and they should pop right out. It's so easy and they taste so good.