The aroma that fills your house when candied almonds are roasting in the oven is intoxicating.  The combination of sweet and salty make for a perfect snack and making them couldn’t be more simple!  It takes just a few ingredients and no more than 5 minutes to throw together.  These would be great to sit out at a party or family get together.  Throw them together right before guests arrive to give off that lovely smell in the home.  They taste great when they are warm and right out of the ovenm but they can also be stored for a few weeks.  They would also make a great homemade gift packaged up in a cute bag. [Read more...]

My husband LOVES caramel apples.  He settles for the packaged ones sold in the grocery store, and eats about a 6-pack a week.  I figured that homemade ones would be pretty simple and taste way better.  You can easily buy the packaged square candy caramels and melt them with a little cream.  However, I opted to make some from scratch, and I’m glad I did.  They turned out perfect!  The caramel was not too soft or hard.  It was just the right texture.  Not to sound too much like Goldie Locks, but it’s true.  You don’t want to bite into something that’s too sticky or, on the other hand, something that almost breaks your teeth.  In addition, the vanilla bean and pinch of fleur de sel give the caramel a nice flavor. [Read more...]

This homemade caramel corn recipe is great for a quick tasty snack.  I remember making it with my Grandma when I was a kid.  It’s super quick, super easy, and absolutely no mess!  Simply use a brown grocery bag and all the mess stays in there.  Just throw it away when you’re done! 

I haven’t made this in an extremely long time, so when I was looking over the instructions and saw that I was supposed to put already popped corn in the microwave for 3 minutes, I grew a bit concerned.  I asked my mom, “Won’t this burn the popcorn?”  She ensured me that it wouldn’t, and of course, when I made it it was fine.  She also told me that white popcorn, versus the yellow, was softer and better to use. 

This popcorn was as tasty and good as I remembered it!  Not to mention it was a breeze to make!  Jeremy is always having me buy boy scouts caramel corn whenever they sell it.  But as soon as he tried this he loved it!  I guess I’ll be making it often!  I think I might try adding peanuts in it next time as well.

*For softer popcorn, use white popcorn instead of yellow.

Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 {1 packet} teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup very warm water {about 110 to 120 degrees}
Topping:
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
Coarse salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough attachment, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed {I used about 2 more tablespoons and it turned out perfectly}, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Using the mixer, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until it is soft and smooth. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a lightly greased large glass bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap.  Let it rest for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. {Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside.} Prepare two lighly greased baking sheets.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved.

Cut each strip of dough into pieces that are about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution {this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color}, and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up;. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.  Yields about two dozen pretzel bites.

Recipe is from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.