kattitudes

Not necessarily the healthiest cupcakes around, but some of the cutest on the block. All these are is piled up to the ceiling with frosting. Lots and lots of icing. An irrational amount of frosting. There is a cute cut gumdrop mooshed and cut into place looking like a bow for an embellishment.

You know, there are times that sometimes, it is all about the details. I imagine that a nicely done plain white cake cupcake - elegant in its simplicity with moistness and richness for all would be perfect for this particularly base. And then topping it with pretty much any frosting (or icing) that you see fit to try. It seems that once you get to that level of icing, everyone involved in the cupcake decorating process has had a little fun participating in the decorating … which of course only leads to more mayhem … which starts the whole decorating mayhem circle off again.

In all seriousness, this would be a great cupcake decorating idea to carry out with more than one person in the kitchen (thinking about little hands helping). The more icing glooped around the edge, the better. It just seems like this would be a perfect opportunity to have a lot of fun in the kitchen with kids.

There have been a number of requests, both here and via email, for the marshmallow fluff fudge recipes that I use. Honestly, they are nothing special. I use the recipes from the back of the Fluff bottle, but rather than use the plastic Fluff, I use my homemade Fluff recipe instead.

Remember that the homemade marshmallow creme (fluff) does not have the preservatives that the canned Fluff has plus it has egg whites, which means that it must be stored in the refrigerator.

Regular Fudge

1 1/3 cup sugar
1 jar (7 1/2 ounces or 1 cup) marshmallow fluff
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate bits
1 cup milk chocolate bits
2/3 cup walnuts (if desired)
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a 2-quart pot, combine sugar, Fluff, evaporated milk, butter, salt and coffee liqueur. Over low heat, stir until mixed. Bring to full boil over medium heat and boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate, nuts and vanilla until mixed. Pour into buttered 8 x 8-inch pan. Makes about 2 1/4 lbs.

“Never Fail” Fudge

2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 can (5.33 ounce or 3/4 cup) evaporated milk
1 jar (7 1/2 ounces or 1 cup) Marshmallow Fluff
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 12 ounces package semisweet-chocolate pieces
1 /2 cup chopped walnuts

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. In large saucepan combine first 5 ingredients. Stir over low heat until blended. Heat to a full-rolling boil being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Boil slowly, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and chocolate until chocolate is melted. Add nuts. Turn into greased pan and cool. Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 can (5.33 ounce or 3/4 cup) evaporated milk
1 Jar (7 1/2 ounces or 1 cup) Marshmallow Fluff
3/4 teaspoon salt
9 ounces peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. In large saucepan combine first 5 ingredients. Stir over low heat until blended. Over medium heat, bring to a full-rolling boil being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Boil slowly, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter until blended. Turn into greased pan and cool.
Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

So far, we have dipped pretzels and dipped peppermint sticks and finally dipped caramels. So now, we shall dip marshmallows as simple Christmas gifts this year. These are tasty treat delights.

If you doubt the drawing power of such a gift, let me tell you - I looked in Williams Sonoma today. A pound of marshmallows dipped in caramel was selling for twenty six dollars.

Twenty six dollars. For a pound of marshmallows. Dipped in caramel. Now that is insane. Yes, it sounds wonderful, but oh. my. gosh. Outrageous on the cost.

To make my dips, I simply melt chocolate chips in a double boiler (a bowl suspended over a pan of water). As the chocolate chips are melting, I add a splash of heavy cream and basically make a ganache.

One word of warning when it comes to dipping marshmallows: marshmallows melt oh so easily, so be very aware of the temperature of your melted chocolate mixture. I find it easiest to use a spoon and slowly spoon the melted chocolate mixture over the marshmallows, rather than dip the marshmallows directly into the warm melted chocolate.

So maybe consider putting some of these together as a sweet gift for friends or neighbors. A stick or two of marshmallows, along with a peppermint stick, next to a bag of homemade hot cocoa mix, and you have one heck of a wonderful homemade gift set all packaged and ready to hand out.

Oh nummy! What a wonderful idea from BHG and this is an oh so easy Christmas present to whip out at the last minute.

Take those wrapped caramels, unwrap, melt a variety of the different chips that you have in your pantry and dip your caramels just a little (or a lot, depending on how much you like the extra flavors).

After you dip your caramels into your melted chocolate or melted vanilla or melted cinnamon or so on, you can then dip them in chopped nuts or cake sprinkles or chopped candy or whatever strikes your fancy.

This would make such a fast gift, especially if you are short on time. As long as you have what you need in your pantry, you could put this together in no time at all.

And you know, you would not really need to keep this just for a gift. This is the season for holiday parties, and this would make a fantastic take along treat or cocktail party sweetie.

I should wait until closer to Christmas to post these, but I just cannot. They are too adorable.

And oh so easy. Look. Cupcakes. Then a marshmallow on the side. Icing pens to draw a little face. Candy pieces for the buttons.

Gum drops for the hat. The gum drop was pressed flat and cut for the brim of the hat (and there are so many different candy pieces out there that could be used instead that the range is just infinite).

The broom is a pretzel stick with a gumdrop that has been snipped repeatedly by a pair of scissors then flayed a little so it looks like the bristle part of the broom.

These would really be easy to duplicate. You know, as I think about it, these would probably be fantastic for little hands to work on during the Christmas season. They are relatively simple for kids to look at and figure out how to put together. Oh, I can see a future project for nephews.

• 3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line 8 or 9 inch square pan with foil, butter foil. In large heavy saucepan, stir together sugar,cocoa and salt, then mix in milk with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil.

Boil without stirring to 234F on a candy thermometer (or until syrup, when dropped in very cold water, forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from water.)

Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla but do not stir. Cool at room temperature to 110 degreesF (lukewarm).

Beat with wooden spoon until fudge thickens and loses some of its gloss. Quickly spread into prepared pan, cool. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Variations:

Nutty rich cocoa fudge: Beat cooked fudge as directed. Immediately stir in 1 cup chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts and spread quickly into prepared pan.

Marshmallow-nut cocoa fudge: Increase cocoa to 3/4 cup. Cook fudge as directed. Add 1 cup marshmallow creme with butter and vanilla. DO NOT STIR. Cool to 110F (lukewarm). Beat 8 minutes; stir in 1 cup chopped nuts. Pour into prepared pan. (Fudge does not set until poured into pan.)

HIGH ALTITUDE DIRECTIONS: Increase milk to 1-2/3 cups. Use soft ball cold water test for doneness or test and read thermometer in boiling water, subtract difference from 212F. Then subtract that number from 234F. This is the soft ball temperature for your altitude and thermometer.