Peanut Candy (Glazed Peanuts)

 Peanut Candy (Glazed Peanuts)

    The original recipe calls for cashews, which I didn't have, so I used Peanuts.  The recipe is in Folger's Cooking with Coffee recipe booklet, published in 1980.  I really liked how this candy turned out. I didn't drop it in little clusters; I started to, but I don't think I would have gotten them dropped in time, so I just poured in on my greased cookie sheet and spread the mixture out. It didn't take long to cool, but when it was cool, I just broke it up.  It's a soft-ish consistency, like pralines are. Not like hard peanut brittle. It was not difficult to make. The recipes calls for Folger's Coffee, but use what you have. I used Creme Brulee flavored coffee from Coffee & Tea Junkie in Dallas, Texas. The coffee I used was cool, so I heated it in the microwave, before adding to the sugar. Try this with peanuts or cashews.  It's addictive!!

Ingredients: 

2 cups sugar

1 cup hot, strong Folger's Coffee (or your favorite brand)

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

2 cups (10 oz) peanuts or cashews (toasted)

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Toast peanuts or cashews in your oven at 350 degrees for several minutes until warm and toasty (don't leave them in too long and burn them). In a 2-quart saucepan, mix together sugar, coffee and cream of tartar. Cook on medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to boiling and boil until syrup reaches hard-crack stage (290 degrees). Remove from heat, stir in cashews and vanilla. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet by spoonfuls or pour out all of the mixture and smooth onto the cookie sheet (This is what I did). Use a spatula to loosen cooled candy from the cookie sheet and break into pieces as large or small as you like. This recipes makes about 1 pound of candy. Enjoy!

Peanut Candy

 

Coffee Fluff

 Coffee Fluff

    Another  Milk....The Way to Health & Beauty (published by the New York State Bureau of Milk Publicity in 1939) recipe. As a dessert, this was alright. The morning after I made it, I scooped a little bit on to my morning coffee.  When I made this, there was a thicker fluffy layer and a thin an almost pudding-y coffee colored layer. Notes in italics. Try this and let me know if you like it. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 lb marshmallows

1 cup hot coffee

1 tsp vanilla (I used maple flavoring)

1 cup heavy cream

1/8 tsp salt

Extra whipped cream for topping (optional)

Crushed graham cracker crumbs for topping (optional) (you can use whichever flavor you like)

Directions:

Add hot coffee into a medium sized pan. Stir in marshmallows and salt. On low, cook and stir until marshmallows are melted and smooth. Pour into a bowl and chill until the fluff starts to set. Whip cream until stiff. Fold in whipped cream and add vanilla. Chill until "the mixture will mound". Serve in sherbet glasses or small dessert bowls. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed graham crackers. Serves about six. 

Coffee Fluff

Week 12 - Coffee Caramel Cake (Don't get excited; this was a recipe fail)

Coffee Caramel Cake

Recipe 12 - 52 in 2022

Dessert #2

    This recipe comes from Simple Delights - Coffee & Tea published in 1996 by Salamander Books in London, UK.  I had high hopes for this cake. However, the recipe calls for 'self rising' flour. I had 'all purpose' flour and didn't think about it making a difference, until I was realized that the recipe doesn't call for salt, baking soda or baking powder. I baked the cake anyhow and it definitely didn't rise. I tasted it and it didn't taste awful, but it wasn't worthy of making the frosting for it. So, this was a FAIL for me. No fault of the recipe though. I may try it again sometime and it sounds like it would be yummy, so even though it didn't work out for me, go ahead and try it. 

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup superfine sugar

3 eggs, beaten

7 tablespoons strong coffee

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons superfine sugar

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

chocolate-covered coffee beans, to decorate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 8-inch round cake pans. The original recipe calls for lining the bottoms with waxed paper, which I did not do. Sift flour three times and set aside. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs a little at a time. Fold in flour and coffee, a little of each at a time. Divide batter between your pans and bake for 30 minutes, until slightly shrinking from the sides of your pans. Cool in pans for five minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

For the frosting, warm half and half and butter in a saucepan. In another pan, heat sugar over low heat until it dissolves and turns a golden caramel color. Turn off the heat, stir in warmed half and half. Take care, as it may splatter. Return to heat and stir until the caramel has dissolved. Remove from heat and slowly stir in powdered sugar. Beat until frosting is smooth for spreading. 

To decorate, lay one layer on a cake plate and frost the top. Gently lay the 2nd layer over top and spread the frosting on top and around the cake. Decorate with the coffee beans.