Does anyone do candy making?

[helena]

My 12yo loves to bake and she's now thinking about trying candy making. Is it a sketchy thing for a kid to do? Is it easy to burn yourself?

 

Are there any books you can recommend? Something visually exciting would be nice so that she can see what she's trying to make.

 

Thanks for any ideas.

[jenL]

Would she enjoy making chocolates? My mom taught us how to make fancy chocolates of all colors and designs when we were younger. We had to paint the molds with the melted chocolate, fill them, and then we boxed them for gifts. Although we were melting chocolate, we were using a double burner on the stove at low heat. It required a lot of patience to stand there & stir until the chocolate was melted. I have fond memories of the creations we made.

[helena]

Would she enjoy making chocolates? My mom taught us how to make fancy chocolates of all colors and designs when we were younger. We had to paint the molds with the melted chocolate, fill them, and then we boxed them for gifts. Although we were melting chocolate, we were using a double burner on the stove at low heat. It required a lot of patience to stand there & stir until the chocolate was melted. I have fond memories of the creations we made.

 

Hmm.. I hadn't thought of that. That might be a good in between step to candy making as well.

 

She actually likes melting chocolate and trying to do "things" with it.

It never works out that great. :tongue_smilie:

 

Maybe I should look into a book on chocolate. Any recs?

:bigear:

[helena]

:lurk5:

[Sushi's Mom]

Since she likes baking, maybe she would like to take that a step further and do cake and cookie decorating. A long time can be spent with that, especially if she gets involved with fondant. Fondant work is especially fun because you can use the same skills to make things with clay, so that can be a big part of art for her.

 

Cake pops are really fun. Bakerella and Wilton both have books for that, but there are also tons of tutorials on the web. Don't forget You Tube for cake/cookies decorating and candy making tutorials.

 

Here are some good websites.

 

http://www.bakerella.com/

 

http://sweetopia.net/

 

http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/

 

http://www.universityofcookie.com/

 

http://www.mycakeschool.com/blog/

 

http://sweetsugarbelle.com/?bloggerURL=/

 

http://www.cakejournal.com/

[KrissiK]

I make English toffee at Christmas time. It's yummy, but it's kind of precise. You need to use a thermometer and stir and stir and stir and stir. I wouldn't say it's really dangerous, just boring. Chocolates are a good idea. I think I made Divinity when I was a kid.

[helena]

I make English toffee at Christmas time. It's yummy, but it's kind of precise. You need to use a thermometer and stir and stir and stir and stir. I wouldn't say it's really dangerous, just boring. Chocolates are a good idea. I think I made Divinity when I was a kid.

 

Her sister actually wanted to buy her a thermometer (she's ready to eat some sweets :001_smile:).

Is there anything I should look for in a candy thermometer? I think english toffee could be a great first candy. I'm not just saying it because it's my favorite.:D

[helena]

Since she likes baking' date=' maybe she would like to take that a step further and do cake and cookie decorating. A long time can be spent with that, especially if she gets involved with fondant. Fondant work is especially fun because you can use the same skills to make things with clay, so that can be a big part of art for her.

 

Cake pops are really fun. Bakerella and Wilton both have books for that, but there are also tons of tutorials on the web. Don't forget You Tube for cake/cookies decorating and candy making tutorials.

 

Here are some good websites.

 

http://www.bakerella.com/

 

http://sweetopia.net/

 

http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/

 

http://www.universityofcookie.com/

 

http://www.mycakeschool.com/blog/

 

http://sweetsugarbelle.com/?bloggerURL=/

 

http://www.cakejournal.com/[/quote']

 

Wow thanks! She's going to love going through these tomorrow. She's been talking about cake pops lately.

[raceNzanesmom]

A good heavy pan, a candy themometer, and lots of patience make great candy. I like a good wooden spoon or paddle too. I make choc fudge and PB fudge at Christmas. My friend makes a huge assortment. If melting sugar it can get very hot. Just teach her all the obvious safety tips.

 

With melting chocolate she needs to learn about chocolate seizing up- she can Google it. And with any candy the right temp is very important. Some will be soft ball, other hard ball stage, etc.

 

Have fun and enjoy the goodies!

 

ETA: and make sure to use quality ingredients.

[Lady Marmalade]

I have a book called "Candymaking" by Ruth A. Kendrick and Pauline H. Atkinson that would be a wonderful introduction to candymaking. It's got gorgeous pictures to look at and help you decide what to make, and the instructions are very user friendly. It has recipes for chocolates, caramels, nut candies, hard candies, brittles, jellies, truffles, fudge, fondant, and microwave recipes. Everything I've made out of it has been delicious, and while I find candymaking tends to be time consuming, it's not difficult.

 

It also has a nice list of recommended equipment, and goes through each ingredient used in candymaking- sharing what different ingredients contribute to different candy. Seems to me that making candy and Science are not far away from each other. :)

[helena]

A good heavy pan, a candy themometer, and lots of patience make great candy. I like a good wooden spoon or paddle too. I make choc fudge and PB fudge at Christmas. My friend makes a huge assortment. If melting sugar it can get very hot. Just teach her all the obvious safety tips.

 

With melting chocolate she needs to learn about chocolate seizing up- she can Google it. And with any candy the right temp is very important. Some will be soft ball, other hard ball stage, etc.

 

Have fun and enjoy the goodies!

 

ETA: and make sure to use quality ingredients.

 

Thanks! I'm going to read this to her in a minute. She's already in love with places like William Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, and Sur La Tabla. She'll love going out to shop for quality supplies.

[helena]

I have a book called "Candymaking" by Ruth A. Kendrick and Pauline H. Atkinson that would be a wonderful introduction to candymaking. It's got gorgeous pictures to look at and help you decide what to make, and the instructions are very user friendly. It has recipes for chocolates, caramels, nut candies, hard candies, brittles, jellies, truffles, fudge, fondant, and microwave recipes. Everything I've made out of it has been delicious, and while I find candymaking tends to be time consuming, it's not difficult.

 

It also has a nice list of recommended equipment, and goes through each ingredient used in candymaking- sharing what different ingredients contribute to different candy. Seems to me that making candy and Science are not far away from each other. :)

 

This sound like it's exactly what we need. She's attracted to cookbooks that are aesthetically pleasing (and there are some really cute books out there) but we need one with real information.

Thanks

[stripe]

My 12yo loves to bake and she's now thinking about trying candy making. Is it a sketchy thing for a kid to do? Is it easy to burn yourself?

 

 

Here's a tip - before you begin, get a bowl of ice water ready, so if you burn yourself, you can plunge your finger or whatever immediately in the cold water.

[helena]

Here's a tip - before you begin, get a bowl of ice water ready, so if you burn yourself, you can plunge your finger or whatever immediately in the cold water.

 

 

:eek:

 

She loves to bake and cook (mostly bake) and up till now I've held back on candy and canning. I think she's ready and I need to let her give it all a try.

 

But, absolutely no deep frying ice cream!!! :D Seriously.

[stripe]

I recommend the same thing for frying or for candymaking, if she's going to be heating sugar. That sugar gets hot! Anyway it's just a precaution.

 

Freezer jam is easy, too. But I was grossed out when I made some with pectin and saw how much sugar went in. Blech!

[helena]

I recommend the same thing for frying or for candymaking, if she's going to be heating sugar. That sugar gets hot! Anyway it's just a precaution.

 

Freezer jam is easy, too. But I was grossed out when I made some with pectin and saw how much sugar went in. Blech!

 

Thanks Stripe! I've been reading up on freezer jam this morning and I think it's exactly what we need to start the canning process.

Here's a good article on it in case anyone is interested: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113079746

[Alessandra]

My kids and I have made chocolate truffles -- they are pretty forgiving. Here is the recipe and I seem too have written some helpful notes. (I am not usually this organized.)

 

 

Chocolate Truffles

 

Here is a link to the original recipe

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Truffles-105720

Epicurious | September 1999

 

yield: Makes about 30

 

ingredients

8 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons liqueur such as Cognac or Grand Marnier or plain vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted

 

preparation

1. Place chocolate in a bowl. Bring cream to a boil in a small, heavy saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes; gently stir until smooth. Add liqueur and stir to combine. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.

2. Sift cocoa into a bowl. Using a measuring spoon, scoop up 1 teaspoon of chocolate, and quickly roll into a ball about 3/4 inch across. Drop into cocoa; roll each truffle in cocoa to coat. Chill until firm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

 

My Notes

 

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I use Lindt Bittersweet Chocolate, 3.5 oz bars (see picture). The high percent cocoa powder chocolate (like Lindt Excellence) will be too crumbly to make good truffles. To get 8 oz of chocolate, you’ll need 2 bars plus 8 squares of the Lindt. Be sure to chop the chocolate finely. If you use a food processor, chop the chocolate roughly first, or you may break your blender blade.

 

I let the cream come to a boil, then remove from heat until bubbles go down. Repeat this 3 times – this concentrates the cream.

 

Use a mini ice cream scoop to make small balls of chocolate, put on a tray and refrigerate until firm. This will make rolling the truffles easy – without this step, you may have a sticky mess!

 

I use Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa powder. I put it through a fine strainer first to get rid of any lumps.

 

The recipe does make 29-30 small truffles. If you want to fit 6 truffles in a little candy box, do not make them larger. Candy cups, candy boxes, seals and white cotton candy-making gloves are available at AC Moore & Michaels.

 

You can use any liqueur. You could omit the liqueur (I add an extra Tb of cream then.) You can infuse the cream with tea or cardamom for a sophisticated taste. One year I used lemon oil instead of liqueur – about 1 tsp, I think. If you are being herb-y, you could decorate the chocolates with a little fleur de sel (fancy sea salt).

 

As a child I made candy from an old Joy of Cooking cookbook. I remember the mints were very easy and the taffy was a mess!

[TheCoffeeChick]

I love candy making - but I seem to only find the time around Christmas to do it. My absolute favorite recipe is one I found last year: Apple Cider Caramels

 

So good ... :drool:

[Alessandra]

I love candy making - but I seem to only find the time around Christmas to do it. My absolute favorite recipe is one I found last year: Apple Cider Caramels

 

So good ... :drool:

 

Sounds nice!