Crazy For Halloween Candy? Start Your Own Candy Factory At Home!
For adults and children alike, the best part of Halloween is undeniably the candy. And, of course, the requisite looting of your kids’ bounty when they get home, pocketing a Milk Dud here and a Snickers there. Savoring a sugary snack after a long day or daydreaming about that bag of Reece’s Pieces you have stashed away are part of life’s small joys.
But treating yourself this Halloween doesn’t mean you have to hoard chocolates or spend a fortune on store-bought candy, loaded with unhealthy fats and additives. You can make bakery-quality confections at home, quickly, and easily using the Thermomix®. These candies will be healthier, tastier, and best of all, guilt-free. So hang up your pirate hat. Your marauding days are over. You’re a chocolatier now.
The Thermomix® will transform your kitchen into a full-scale candy factory that fits neatly on your counter, powered by all the tools you’ll need to take the guesswork out of whipping up a tasty treat.
Read on for a tasty recipe for putting these expert features to the test.
Measuring Cup: We all know the most difficult part of baking is making sure each ingredient is accurately measured. There’s no adding a “dash of this” or “a touch of that” like you can with cooking. Baking is an exact science, which is why the measuring cup will be your new best friend, as you embark on your candy-making journey. Doubling as the mixing bowl lid, the cup can be used for adding specific amounts of liquids, and other ingredients can be incorporated during mixing by simply lifting it up. You never have to worry about adding too much or missing a step because they’re all bundled to work perfectly together.
Mixing Bowl: Mixing is at the core of creating creamy confections, and this durable stainless steel basin is definitely up for the task. However, unlike ordinary bowls, it also has a built-in heating device to expertly melt marshmallow, warm up nougat, or liquefy sugar.
Butterfly Whisk: While being a mom may make you feel like a bionic woman at times, let’s face it, you don’t have a robotic arm to finely beat stubborn ingredients like dense chocolate or hunks of caramel into submission. With the whisking capacity of a factory grade churner, this handy butterfly attachment allows for effortless whipping and stirring, and works in perfect harmony with the mixing bowl.
Spatula: Baking and scraping go hand in hand to scoop up gooey ingredients and evenly spread batter. But the Thermomix® spatula takes it to the next level because it’s tailored to the exact shape of the mixing bowl, allowing it to reach into every crevice, so you can scoop up every last drop. That also means you don’t have to feel guilty sneaking in a taste or two. Go on, you’ve earned it.
Now that you’ve gotten a tour of the Thermomix®’s triple treat-making threat, try your hand at creating creamy peanut butter cups in the comfort of your own home. Reece who?
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
INGREDIENTS
Peanut Butter Filling
8 oz creamy peanut butter, unsalted
3.5 oz confectionery sugar
Chocolate Cups
20 oz milk chocolate, broken in pieces, divided
20 oz water
PREPARATION
Peanut Butter Filling
1. Place peanut butter and confectionery sugar into mixing bowl and mix
30 sec/speed 3. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Clean and dry mixing bowl.
Chocolate Cups
2. Place 16 oz milk chocolate into mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 7. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula and melt 6 min/110°F/speed 2. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula. With a candy thermometer, ensure temperature is between 110°F-113°F. If necessary heat a further 2-5 min/110°F/speed 2, until chocolate temperature is within range.
3. Add remaining 4 oz milk chocolate and mix 2 min/speed 2. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Place water into mixing bowl and heat 20 min/205°F/speed 2. Meanwhile, stir reserved melted chocolate with spatula to cool to 81°F. Use a candy thermometer to ensure temperature is within range. Place the bowl of melted chocolate onto mixing bowl lid, over hot water and stir vigorously with spatula in 2-5 second bursts until temperature is between 86°F-88°F (see tip).
5. Place 1 tbsp melted chocolate into each of 16 foil muffin liners. With a small spoon, spread chocolate into bottom of foil cups and up the sides (approx. ½ in.). Refrigerate until set (approx. 5-10 min.). Meanwhile, stir melted chocolate vigorously with spatula in 2-5 second bursts until temperature is between 86°F-88 °F (see Tip). Use a candy thermometer to ensure temperature is within range.
6. Spoon peanut butter filling (approx. 1 tbsp) into chocolate-lined foil cups. Use back of spoon to spread the layer flat.
7. Spread tempered milk chocolate evenly over peanut butter layer and smooth with a spoon. Refrigerate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups until set (approx. 5-10 min.) before serving or storing in an airtight container.
USEFUL TIPS
Use a candy thermometer to check and maintain the temperature of the melted chocolate between 86°F-88°F for proper setting. Place the bowl with melted chocolate onto the mixing bowl lid, and stir with the spatula for 2-5 seconds, as needed, to keep chocolate tempered.
For best results: look for chocolate with high cocoa solids. Cocoa or some derivative, such as cocoa butter should be the primary ingredient. Quality chocolate will have a matte gloss finish and smooth texture that is free of discoloration. Dark chocolate should make a snapping sound when broken without crumbling, while white and milk chocolate should bend rather than snap.
Want to explore more Thermomix® candy recipes? Activate your free Cookidoo® membership, and check out our Crazy for Candy recipe guide featuring candy corn, hazelnut truffles and more!