Showing posts with label candies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label candies. Show all posts
My sister and I are always on the hunt for healthier snacks to indulge in. When I was over at her place at the weekend, she had made these No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls. For me it was love at first bite!
Two of my favorite things are lemon and coconut! To have them both combined in one delicious snack is just great. For them to be as quick and easy to make as these are is just the icing on the cake!
No bake. No fuss. No muss. Fairly healthy, and using only a few simple ingredients? Where do I sign up!!!!
.JPG "No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls")
My sister has been making these for years apparently. They are so delicious, I just had to have the recipe so that I could make some for myself!
They were really simple to make. If you can use an electric mixer and beat things together and a cookie scoop, then you can make these no bake lemon coconut balls!
.JPG "No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE NO BAKE LEMON COCONUT BALLS
Just a few simple ingredients makes these very affordable.
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- the juice of one lemon
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla
- unsweetened coconut flakes to roll the balls in
.JPG "No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls")
WHAT IS COCONUT CREAM?
Thick, creamy and filled with rich coconut flavor, coconut cream is something you will want to keep in your store-cupboard, as it is a really useful ingredient. I always have a couple of cans of it in mine.
Its great in curries and stir fries and in tasty snacks and desserts such as this recipe I am sharing today. You can also whip it just like real cream.
Coconut cream is a type of thick cream made from coconut milk.
Although canned versions are widely available, you can also make your own coconut cream at home. Simply refrigerate good quality, full fat, coconut milk for a few hours. A thick layer of cream should float to the top and separates from the thin, watery liquid below.
This very versatile ingredient has a distinct, coconut-like flavor with a rich, creamy texture that makes it a great addition to a range of recipes, including soups, smoothies, and desserts.
It’s also widely used in many types of cuisine.
Because it’s unsweetened, low in carbs, and also dairy-free, it’s also frequently featured in many vegan and ketogenic recipes. Do let it be noted that this recipe I am sharing today is neither vegan or ketogenic due to the use of honey.
.JPG "No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls")
The use of lemon zest gives these a lovely lemon flavor, along with the lemon juice. The lemon juice also serves to help thicken the cream even further so that you can roll the mixture into balls.
The coconut for rolling the finished balls in is un-sweetened. These are plenty sweet enough with the honey!
.JPG "No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls")
HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE LEMON COCONUT BALLS
Nothing could be easier to make than these delicious no bake treats. Just mix, shape, roll and chill. Easy peasy!
Mix the coconut cream together in a bowl with the honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla until well combined.
Have ready a bowl of coconut flakes.
Using a small cookie scoop scoop out balls and drop them into the coconut flakes, rolling the balls into the flakes to coat them completely. Place into a small paper cups and then into a covered container for storage. Store covered in the refrigerator.
.JPG "No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls")
HOW TO MAKE COCONUT CREAM FROM CANNED COCONUT MILK
Chill full fat canned coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. This will make the milk fat separate and solidify on top.
Use a spoon to skim the solidified coconut cream from the top of the can and put it in a glass bowl.
(You can reserve the liquid coconut milk for other uses. It makes excellent ice cubes.)
Whisk the solidified cream in a circular motion until it develops a cream-like consistency.
It does have a relatively short shelf life, so you need to keep it refrigerated and use it up within five days. You can however freeze it for much longer, up to two months.
.JPG "No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls")
Just look at how rich and creamy these are. They fairly melt in the mouth. They are not low in calories as coconut cream is relatively calorie dense as is honey, but you will find that eating one of these or even just half of one of these really satisfies that sweet tooth of yours!
And its nice to know that when you are satisfying it, you are eating healthy, natural ingredients. These make great snacks for the children as well. Must healthier than a candy bar!
.JPG "No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls")
ALL DRESSED HUMMUS - Smooth, rich and creamy and topped with all sorts of crunchy bits. Chopped fresh veggies and toasted chick peas. Yummy!
GINGERBREAD ROASTED CHICKPEAS - Crisp and crunchy and sweetly spiced with all of the spices that make gingerbread such a wonderful treat! Deliciously moreish!
GARDEN HERB DIP - I am betting you have everything in your house right now to make it also . . . cream cheese, thick plain yogurt, mayonnaise, a bit of Dijon mustard and a splash of hot sauce, along with some chopped spring onions (scallions), chives and seasonings.
No Bake Lemon Coconut Balls
Yield: makes about 16
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
A recipe I got from my sister for the most delicious little no bake coconut balls. Almost like a truffle!
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- the juice of one lemon
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla
- unsweetened coconut flakes to roll the balls in
Instructions
- Mix the coconut cream together in a bowl with the honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla until well combined.
- Have ready a bowl of coconut flakes.
- Using a small cookie scoop scoop out balls and drop them into the coconut flakes, rolling the balls into the flakes to coat them completely.
- Place into a small paper cups and then into a covered container for storage.
- Store covered in the refrigerator.
Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated in the UK every year on November 5th. This is a UK celebration which marks the failed attempt in the 17th century to blow up the houses of Parliament and assassinate King James 1st.
It is marked by the lighting of bonfires all over the country and great fireworks displays. Usually a stuffed figure, known as the Guy is thrown onto the Bonfire.
It commemorates a story of failure, as all over the UK people relive the night that Guy Fawkes, Robert Catesby, and their small band of followers failed to succeed in their plans.
In a way this is an annual celebration of Thanksgiving by the British people, which has been going on since just one year after the failed plot in 1605, so as you can see it is an old, old tradition.
When I first moved over to the UK, Halloween was hardly celebrated at all. In the weeks leading up to the 5th of November you would get children coming around door to door begging for "Pennies for the Guy." You had to make sure you had a supply of pennies in to meet the demand.
You were more likely to get a child knocking on your door on the 31st of October wanting pennies than you would a child wanting candy. This has changed a great deal over the last 20 years and Halloween is now a very big thing.
The pennies that the children gathered would be used to buy their fireworks. Also in the weeks leading up to the 5th of November people would be gathering things they wanted burned into a pile on the village green, or another open space on which they would build the bonfire.
It was a great way to get rid of unwanted cartons, tree limbs, wooden furniture, crates, etc. It was quite fascinating watching the pile of goods grow in the few weeks prior to the night.
As well as Bonfires and Fireworks the occasion is also marked by the eating of special foods and treats, usually intended to inject some warmth into cold bodies and hands as people stand around in the cold watching the fires and fireworks.
Things like hearty stews and soups. Jacket potatoes. Sausages in the buns and Parkin, which is a is a soft and moist cake/bread traditionally served up with hot cups of tea. This is a traditional Cake from the North East of the UK.
Another traditional Bonfire night treat is Honeycomb Toffee. Also known as Cinder Toffee, Angel Toffee, Hokey Pokey (favorite name for it) Honeycomb Toffee is a type of sponge toffee that is most addictive!
Its also very easy to make and uses only a few ingredients. This sponge toffee literally melts in the mouth!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HONEYCOMB TOFFEE
Nothing too outrageous that is what!
- finely granulated white sugar
- golden syrup
- butter for buttering the tin
You can find golden syrup in many groceries here in Canada. You can also find it on Amazon in the US, as well as Amazon in Canada. Although you can use regular golden corn syrup, if you can get the Lyles Golden Syrup, you really should.
It really does have a unique and delicious taste that is quite unbeatable.
You also don't have to worry about being able to use it all up. I have a lot of recipes here in The English Kitchen which use Golden Syrup.
Some of them include:
And these are only a few of the golden syrup delights on my page! As you can see it is a favourite ingredient in British Cookery.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
HOW TO MAKE HONEYCOMB TOFFEE
You might find the idea of making your own honeycomb toffee somewhat intimidating, but I can assure you it is really very easy.
First of all you want to make sure that you use a really deep saucepan as when you add the baking soda to the sugar mixture at the end, it almost doubles in volume. Also make sure you have your pan buttered and ready for you to pour the finished toffee into it.
You begin by measuring the sugar and corn syrup into the saucepan. You need to begin on a very low heat. You want to melt the sugar completely before you go any further. You can stir it slowly over medium-low heat until the sugar melts completely. This will probably take about 10 minutes. You can't rush this process.
Try not to let the mixture boil while you are melting the sugar. You will know your sugar is melted because the mixture will become slightly translucent and no longer feel gritty.
At this time you can increase the heat a bit and allow it to bubble and boil. You want it to bubble until it starts to turn amber in color. Don't walk away as this can happen quite quickly.
As soon as it turns amber take the pan off the heat. Now you can beat in the baking soda with a wooden spoon. Beat it through until it has completely dissolved into the molten sugar mixture.
This is quite magic really because the baking soda causes the mixture to expand and fill with little bubbles of air. It is the magic ingredient which makes this moreish toffee to light and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
Immediately scrape it into your prepared pan, spreading it out as best as you can. Do be careful with this process as molten sugar can really burn the skin.
And that's it. You only need to leave it now to cool. This can take anywhere between an hour and an hour and a half.
Once it has completely cooled you can snap it into pieces and shards, ready to enjoy. Crisp and crunchy, meltingly delicious.
You can also top the finished toffee with melted chocolate, which is very good. Trust me on this.
You are probably wondering about my little Jack-O-Lantern. It is made with a rutabaga/swede/turnip. Long before the pumpkin became the Jack-O-Lantern of choice, people in Great Britain used to carve out turnips.
People across the British Isles carved out ghoulish faces and then placed the carved out turnips near their doorways and on gate tops to help to ward away evil spirits in the beginning of November when it was thought that the spirits of the dead were actually quite lively.
The practice originated from an Irish folk tale about a man named Jack who, after trying to trick the devil, was cursed to roam the earth with only a burning coal held inside a hollowed-out turnip.
Its really not that hard to do with a melon scoop. Plus you can cook the parts that you take out of the turnips/rutabaga/swede and have a tasty side dish or soup to enjoy.
So there you have it a delicious treat for Bonfire Night, or for any night! It is not hard to make, uses very simple ingredients and melts in the mouth.
I am sure it is bound to be a very popular treat with the family, or with friends on game nights, or whatever. It also makes an excellent garnish to crumble over iced cakes etc.
Honeycomb Toffee, a moreish treat that is more than a cut above the rest!!
Honeycomb Toffee
Yield: Makes an 8-inch square pan
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min
A British Bonfire night tradition! Sweet, crunchy, light as air and melts in the mouth!
Ingredients
- Butter for the tin
- 1 cup (200g) finely granulated sugar
- 5 TBS golden syrup
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Instructions
- Butter an 8-inch square tin really well and set aside.
- Measure the sugar and golden syrup into a deep saucepan. Stir together and heat over a gentle heat until the sugar has melted. Don't allow the mixture to bubble until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Increase the heat a bit and then simmer at a slow boil until the mixture turns an amber color. Keep an eye on it as this can happen in the blink of an eye.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. Beat it all in with a wooden spoon until it has completely been amalgamated into the hot mixture. (Be careful as it is very hot!)
- Scrap this mixture into the tin immediately and with care not to burn yourself.
- Leave to set for about an hour an hour and a half. The honeycomb will be hard and easy to crumble or snap into chunks.
I wanted to make something special for the children of our Ministering brothers (father and son, church thing) for Christmas. They are always so good at visiting us.
They are a lovely family. Their dad was coming over yesterday to pick up our tropical fish which we have re-homed with them and so I thought I would make them some goodies to enjoy over the holidays as well.
I had seen melted snowmen bark all over the internet and so decided to make some for them. It was really simple to make. You just melt white chocolate and spread it out on a prepped pan . . .
I used Dr Oetker white chocolate for bakers, broken into squares. (Melted in the microwave according to the package directions.)
Add halved mini peanut butter cups for the hats . . . some googly eyes . . .
Black candy balls for the buttons. (I picked out the dark balls from the Dr Oetker Midnight magic cake decs)
Yellow and orange candy strands (Again I picked them out of a bottle of mixed candy strands from Dr Oetker) for the noses . . .
And broken pretzel sticks for the arms. In between I scattered white snowflake candies, then popped the tray in the fridge to chill.
For the Rudolf bark, I used Dr Oetker milk chocolate for bakers, broken up . . . which I melted in the microwave and spread out on the prepped pan.
Make sure you don't overheat your chocolate or it will seize. I do it for one minute, then let it sit, stir, and if it needs more then reheat at 10 second intervals. Just what the package says.
For the antlers I used white chocolate coated smallish pretzels. You can easily cut them in half without breaking them by using a sharp knife and carefully sawing down through the centres.
I put the googly candy eyes on first . . . and then I placed the antlers above, trying to place them with the cut edges outwards, rounded edges in the middle/bottom . . .
Don't look too closely as I messed up a few by putting them on backwards, lol
I used red smarties for the noses. I actually bought tube of "Rudolf noses" to use for this. They worked perfectly.
You could use any kind of red candy that you can find so long as it is size appropriate.
Once again, in between I scattered some candy snowflakes, which really added a lovely festive touch and a bit of contrast with the darkness of the chocolate.
Altogether they turned out really nicely. I think they did at any rate, and the children's father was oohing over them when he came to pick up the fish. I really think that the children will love them. I can't imagine any child not enjoying something like this!
Yield: 2 different kinds
Chocolate Christmas Bark
Children love this. Its fun to make together. There are two kinds. Melting snowman using white chocolate and Rudolf using milk chocolate. This also makes fabulous gifts!
ingredients:
For the Melting Snowmen:
300g white chocolate, created for bakers (26% cocoa butter) (10 1/2 ounces)
6 mini Reese's peanut butter cups, carefully cut in half
24 candy eyes
Orange or yellow sugar strands
(you will need to pick them out of a container of mixed strands)
36 small dark navy candy ball decs
Pretzel sticks
small candy snowflake decs
For the Rudolf:
300g milk chocolate for bakers ( with 35% cocoa solids) (10 1/2 ounces)
24 candy eyes
12 white chocolate covered pretzels, carefully cut in half through the middle
12 red smarties
small candy snowflake decs
instructions:
Line two separate baking trays with baking paper or
waxed paper or aluminium foil. I like to make one batch first and then
the other batch after.
waxed paper or aluminium foil. I like to make one batch first and then
the other batch after.
Melt the white chocolate
for the snowmen in the microwave according to the package directions,
in a microwave appropriate bowl. Pour onto one of the baking sheets and
spread out to a 1/3 inch thick layer. Place all of the snowman parts
onto the chocolate spreading them out and building one at a time. The
half peanut butter cup is the hat, then the candy eyes, a sugar strand
nose, navy candy ball buttons and broken pretzel sticks for the arms.
Repeat until you have used them all up. Scatter snowflakes in between.
Place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the other one.
for the snowmen in the microwave according to the package directions,
in a microwave appropriate bowl. Pour onto one of the baking sheets and
spread out to a 1/3 inch thick layer. Place all of the snowman parts
onto the chocolate spreading them out and building one at a time. The
half peanut butter cup is the hat, then the candy eyes, a sugar strand
nose, navy candy ball buttons and broken pretzel sticks for the arms.
Repeat until you have used them all up. Scatter snowflakes in between.
Place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the other one.
Melt
the milk chocolate for the reindeer in the microwave according to the
package directions, in a microwave appropriate bowl. Pour onto the
other prepared baking sheet and spread out to a 1/3 inch thick layer.
Build your Rudolf's as follows and one at a time. Put the googly eyes
on, followed by a red smarties nose just below. Place two pretzel halves
(rounded side in and loop towards the eyes) on top to resemble
antlers. Repeat until you have used all the ingredients. Scatter small
snowflakes in between. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
the milk chocolate for the reindeer in the microwave according to the
package directions, in a microwave appropriate bowl. Pour onto the
other prepared baking sheet and spread out to a 1/3 inch thick layer.
Build your Rudolf's as follows and one at a time. Put the googly eyes
on, followed by a red smarties nose just below. Place two pretzel halves
(rounded side in and loop towards the eyes) on top to resemble
antlers. Repeat until you have used all the ingredients. Scatter small
snowflakes in between. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
Carefully
break into pieces, using a knife to guide the breaks. If you are
giving as gifts, leave whole and present on a board wrapped in
cellophane and tied with a ribbon.
break into pieces, using a knife to guide the breaks. If you are
giving as gifts, leave whole and present on a board wrapped in
cellophane and tied with a ribbon.
Created using The Recipes Generator
If you are keeping this you can break it up. I find it best to mark lines with a sharp knife first and then break it on the lines. If you are gifting this, pop it onto a small cutting board, wrap in cellophane and tie up with some coloured ribbons. Very festive!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I recently put together some little Halloween Gift bags for the children of a friend of mine. I wanted to do something special for them because just a few weeks ago on FHE (Family Home Evening) they had popped over with some lovely cookies for us. It really touched our hearts that they would do something like this for us and so I wanted to do something nice in return. And so I did what any mom or nan would do at this time of year, I made them some Halloween treats!
One thing my mother always made at least once during the holidays was peanut butter fudge. It was never chocolate or any other kind . . . always peanut butter, but we didn't mind because we loved it so very much. It was a real treat!
She always made it in the same pot, an old aluminum one that she had gotten in her original set of Wearever cookware back in 1955. I think it cost almost as much as a house, but here we are 2011 and she is still using it. Money well spent, I'd say!
She never measured anything. She didn't need to . . . it was all done by memory, and she knew exactly how much of each thing she needed to add by sight alone . . . and it always worked like a charm, every time. (Me . . . I made fudge sometimes for my children when they were growing up, and 9 times out of 10 they'd end up having to eat it with a spoon.
We'd watch her as it went together . . . as if by magic . . . and then sometimes she would let us beat it when it was ready, with her big old wooden spoon . . . if we'd been very good . . .we'd be given the pot and spoon to lick clean . . . we did a pretty good job of that, coz it would always be as clean as a whistle by the time we were done.
The beaten fudge would be poured into the same pan each time . . . it was an old aluminium tin, blackened through use . . . it's bottom engraved in a swirly pattern of raised tin. Some how those little traced swirls on the bottom of each piece only added to it's flavour . . . cakes used to come out with that swirly pattern as well. Nom! Nom!
After I grew up, I was determined to learn how to make it for myself and my family, and so I had her dump in the ingredients one at a time one evening . . . and I carefully measured them as she did so. It worked out pretty well, as I have had a great peanut butter fudge recipe for years that I can count on to turn out every single time.
It never quite tastes quite as good as the memory of the taste of hers . . . but then . . . I don't have that special touch of magic mother's love that she put into it . . . nor do I have a swirley bottomed pan.
*Mom's Peanut Butter Fudge*
Makes one 8 inch square pan
Printable Recipe
It just wouldn't be Christmas without a pan of this to munch on! Creamy and peanut buttery. If you don't like peanut butter, look away now!
21 ounces of white sugar (3 cups)
3 TBS smooth peanut butter
250ml of whole milk (1 cup)
2 ounces butter (1/4 cup)
1 tap vanilla
Butter an 8 inch square pan. Set aside.
Place the sugar, peanut butter and milk into a LARGE saucepan. (You will need a really big one as it really increases in volume when it is boiling. Trust me on this.) Heat, whisking, until the peanut butter is completely melted into the mixture. Increase the heat slightly and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to a medium boil and continue to boil, stirring occasionally to help prevent it from catching. You will want to boil it to the soft ball stage, (115*C/235*F) This should take between 18 to 25 minutes or so. Once this happens, remove from the heat immediately.
Stir in the butter and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until it begins to look creamy and begins to lose it's gloss. Pour into the prepared pan immediately. (Don't wait too long or it will harden in the pot and you won't be able to pour it into the prepared pan. You just want it to begin losing it's gloss.) Allow to set for about an hour at room temperature, before cutting into squares to serve.
Store in an airtight container. This also freezes well.
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