food | recipes
paper. Place about
2/3
of the milk chocolate in a
small microwave-safe bowl. Microcook on 30%
power for
1
to
1
/ minutes or until chocolate
has started to melt (110°F on an instant-read
thermometer). Add remaining chopped chocolate;
stir until melted and smooth. (Temperature of
the chocolate will drop to about 85°F.) Reheat as
needed 10 seconds at a time on 30% power. Dip half
of each candy into the melted milk chocolate. Place
on prepared baking sheet to set.
6
. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to
1 month. Makes 20 to 22 candies.
each candy
263 cal, 11 g fat, 6 mg chol, 21 mg
sodium, 37 g carb, 1 g fiber, 1 gpro.
Eggnog Marshmallows
prep 30 min. cook 12 min. stand 1 hr.
Nonstick cooking spray
2
envelopes unflavored gelatin (
4 / 4
tsp.)
3/4
cup cold water
2
cups granulated sugar
/ 3
cup light-color corn syrup
/ 3
cup refrigerated egg white product or
2
pasteurized egg whites*
/ 4
tsp. salt
1
tsp. rum extract
/ 4
tsp. ground nutmeg
Nonstick cooking spray
/ 3
cup powdered sugar
3
Tbsp. cornstarch
4
oz. white baking chocolate with cocoa butter
or vanilla-flavored candy coating, chopped
White nonpareils
1. Lightly coat an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with
nonstick cooking spray. Line pan with plastic
wrap, or line bottom of pan with waxed paper or
parchment paper. Coat the plastic or paper with
nonstick cooking spray; set pan aside.
2. In a large metal or heatproof bowl sprinkle
gelatin over V
2
cup of the cold water; set aside.
3. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan stir together
remaining / cup water,
1
3
/ cups of the sugar, and
the corn syrup until combined. Bring to boiling over
medium-high heat. Clip a candy thermometer to the
side of the saucepan (see “Candy Thermometer,”
p a g e
222). Cook, without stirring, over medium-
high heat until thermometer registers 260°F (hard-
ball stage) about 12 to 15 minutes total. Remove
from heat; pour over gelatin mixture in bowl and
stir well to combine (mixture will foam up).
4. Meanwhile, in a clean large mixing bowl beat the
egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on high
speed until foamy. Gradually add remaining
/4
cup sugar,
1
tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks
form (tips stand straight), 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in
rum extract and nutmeg until combined. With the
mixer running on high speed, gradually add gelatin
mixture to egg white mixture, beating about
7 minutes or until thick (like the consistency
of thick, pourable cake batter). Quickly pour
marshmallow mixture into prepared pan, spreading
to edges of pan. Lightly coat another piece of plastic
wrap with nonstick cooking spray; place, coated
side down, over marshmallow mixture. Let stand at
room temperature for
1
to
2
hours or until firm.
5. Remove plastic wrap from top of marshmallows.
In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and
cornstarch; sprinkle about a quarter of the mixture
evenly onto a large cutting board. Loosen sides of
marshmallows, if necessary, and carefully invert
onto the cutting board. Remove plastic wrap or
paper. Sprinkle top with some of the remaining
powdered sugar mixture. Using a knife that has
been dipped in warm water, cut
2 0
marshmallows.
Place squares, a few at a time, in a large resealable
plastic bag. Add remaining powdered sugar
mixture; seal bag and toss to coat all sides of
marshmallows with powdered sugar mixture.
6
. In a small saucepan, cook and stir white
chocolate just until melted. Let stand 5 to
10 minutes or until cooled but not set. Spread in a
thin, even layer over the top of the marshmallows.
Top with nonpareils. Store marshmallows between
sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper in an
airtight container in the refrigerator for up to
1 week. Or freeze for up to 1 month. Bring to room
temperature 30 minutes before serving. Makes
20
large marshmallows.
*Test Kitchen Tip If you cannot find pasteurized
egg whites, you can use regular egg whites that
have been heated to a safe temperature: In a small
saucepan stir together two egg whites,
2
tablespoons granulated sugar,
1
teaspoon water,
and % teaspoon cream of tartar just until combined
but not foamy. Heat and stir over low heat until
mixture registers 160°F on an instant-read
thermometer. There may be a few pieces of cooked
egg white in the mixture. Remove from heat. Place
saucepan in a large bowl half-filled with ice water.
Stir for 2 minutes to cool mixture quickly. Place egg
white mixture in the large mixer bowl. Continue as
directed in Step 4.
each marshmallow
158 cal, 2 g fat, 0 mg chol,
40 mg sodium, 35 g carb, 0 g fiber, 1 gpro.
Mint Chocolate Slab
This super-easy candy is fun to serve—guests
can cut or break off as big as piece of chocolate as
they’d like. Take care to follow the instructions
when tempering the chocolate (see “Why Temper
Chocolate?” on
page 227
) so the final slab will set
up shiny and smooth.
prep 2 0 min. stand 1 hr.
1
recipe Tempered Chocolate (see
page 227)
or
1
V
2
lb. chocolate-flavored candy coating,
melted
15
miniature chocolate-covered cream-filled
mint patties
Assorted candies and silver nonpareils
HOW TO AVOID
GRITTY CANDY
When melting and
cooking sugar, take
care when stirring not
to splash the mixture
onto the sides of the
pan. Sugar crystals
can form on the sides
of the pan, then fall
into the mixture and
cause the sugar to
recrystallize in the
candy, giving it a
gritty, sugary texture.
If sugar does splash
up the sides of the
pan, “wash” it off by
lightly brushing the
sides, as the mixture
cooks, with a pastry
brush dipped in water.
2 2 4
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS | DECEMBER 2010 | BHG.COM
