Delicious homemade candies
Candies are the most popular confectionery product in the world. Store shelves offer thousands of varieties and just as many flavor variations. But despite such a wide selection of factory-made candies, the most delicious homemade ones always remain highly prized.
Deliciously fragrant truffles, creamy caramels, toffees, nut and chocolate bars, pralines, pastilles, lollipops, and fudge—all of these can be created at home. Making candy at home is a delicate and rather difficult task. But with a good recipe and even the most basic culinary knowledge, you can create a true masterpiece.
The first candy recipes appeared as far back as the 16th century. Back then, they were candied pieces of fruit, which were also sold in pharmacies as medicine. However, history is silent on what exactly the apothecaries were treating with their candies. Over time, the term came to refer not only to pharmaceutical sweets but also to a wider range of delicious confections containing nuts, caramel, chocolate, and other ingredients.
Drunken Cherry with Almonds
"Drunken Cherry" is probably the most popular candy since the Soviet era. We still enjoy these "drunken" sweets during holiday tea.
But what could be better than homemade Drunken Cherry candies, made with your own hands with care and love.
We will need:
- milk chocolate bar - 350 g
- fresh or frozen cherries - 32 pcs
- heavy cream - 90 ml
- powdered sugar - 45 g
- butter - 45 g
- almond flakes - 45 g
- crushed almonds - 200 g
- Liqueur (to taste) - 100 ml
- water - 40 ml
- brown sugar - 80 ml
- juice of half an orange
All "boozy" dessert recipes usually rely on cognac, but in our case, the alcoholic beverage is more refined and enjoyable. It's best to choose a viscous cream or coffee liqueur.
First, you need to make a fragrant cherry filling. To do this, wash the cherries, remove the pits, and drain them in a colander. Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. Once the sugar has dissolved, according to the recipe, add the juice of half an orange. Simmer over low heat and, after 5 minutes, add the cherries. Stir and simmer for another 5-10 minutes over very low heat. Finally, pour in the liqueur and turn off the heat.
Take sterilized jars and pour the cherry filling, close the lid tightly and let it sit for at least 24 hours.
Now it's time to make your homemade candies. Knead 150 g of chocolate with your hands and place it in a double boiler. When the chocolate begins to melt, remove it and let it cool slightly. Prepare the molds. These can be paper or silicone muffin molds, as shown in the photo, or any other suitable-sized container. Grease the inside of these molds with a thick layer of chocolate, creating a basket-like shape. Refrigerate the molds.
Strain the settled filling to drain the liquid.
Prepare the fondant using the following recipe: melt butter and 100 g of chocolate in a double boiler, then add powdered sugar, crushed almonds, and the cherry juice. Using a pastry bag, pipe the fondant into the set molds, filling them 3/4 full. Using your hands, place two cherry halves on top of the fondant.
To make the lid for the basket, melt the remaining chocolate in a double boiler, let it cool slightly, and then pour it over the cherries. Sprinkle the homemade candies with powdered sugar and flaked almonds.
This recipe is one of the simplest versions of "Drunken Cherry." Aside from the time-consuming preparation of the filling, the overall assembly of the sweets is fairly quick.
Peanut butter fudge
To surprise your family, you can make delicious peanut candies at home. Best of all, these sweets are much healthier than store-bought ones. The peanut candy recipe is very simple and quick, so you can create a wonderful dessert at home.
Ingredients:
- butter - 100 g
- brown sugar - 200 g
- granulated sugar - 150 g
- milk - 1/2 cup
- peanut butter - 1 jar (250 ml)
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the brown sugar. Then add the regular sugar and milk. Once boiling, the recipe recommends simmering for another 2 minutes. Then add the peanut butter and mix with clean hands until smooth.
Line a square pan with parchment paper and pour the mixture into it, no more than 2 cm high. Chill in the refrigerator for about 3 hours. Once set, cut into 2x2 cm cubes, as shown in the photo.
After these simple steps, your delicious homemade peanut candies are ready! You can delight children, adults, and unexpected guests with your sweet treats.
To add variety to candy recipes, you can add nuts, pieces of fruit, coconut flakes—in short, anything that goes well with the main ingredients.
