Whenever someone sends me a chocolate box, guess which ones are gone first?

We decided to make our own at home and wrap them up as little goodie and hostess bags to give away this holiday season.

You can too…

The boys are also bringing them as gifts to school…though they’ll be bringing them without nuts, we’re all nut free facilities around here.

Homemade Holiday Caramels

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes  Cool Time: 2 hours

What you need:

Candy Thermometer

Parchment Paper

Cooking spray

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup evaporated milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

½ t salt

1 T vanilla extract

optional

Fancy Sea Salt (i.e. Fleur de Sel)

Chopped toasted pecans

Chopped peanuts

Gift Bags

Wax Paper

Ribbon or Raffia

What to do:

Line a 13×9 baking dish with parchment paper.

Lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a medium pot combine sugars, corn syrup, evaporated milk, whipping cream, butter, and salt.  Mix well.  Heat over medium heat.

Using your candy thermometer watch the heat and when it reaches 250 degrees remove from the pot.  Stir in your vanilla then pour into baking dish.

Cool in the fridge.  Once cooled cut into small pieces and wrap in wax paper.

Place in gift bags and tie with ribbon and raffia.  Optional….top your caramels with sea salt, or chopped nuts.

Related posts:

• Holiday Gift Week Holiday Bark
• Homemade Marshmallows
• Holiday Gift Week – Soup in a Jar
• Holiday Gift Week – Hot Cocoa in a Jar
• Fairy Wands

Here’s a sweet treat for your honey today.

These are perfect for you Valentine’s party!

Serves: 12                        Prep time:  20 minutes                        Cook time: 20 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED:

24 pretzel rods

2 11 oz  white chocolate chips

24  caramel candy squares

1 T  vegetable oil

red colored sugar sprinkles

WHAT TO DO:

Pour white chocolate chips and oil into a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 2 minutes stirring once halfway through, set aside.

Using the heat from your hands roll a candy square between them until it is pliable.  Once easily workable wrap the caramel around the top of the pretzel rod and wind around leaving a 2 inch space at the bottom.  Dip the caramel covered part of the pretzel and roll in the white chocolate to coat.  Then sprinkle with red sugar sprinkles.  Place on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet to set.  Cool in fridge for 20 minutes.  Repeat with remaining pretzels.

While those arrows are cooling, head over to Fitness Magazine to see Alex’s Cupid’s Arrows featured as a great Valentine’s Day treat, as well as Alex’s advice for working off all of those Valentine’s calories.

Related posts:

• Magic Wands
• Fairy Wands
• Homemade Holiday Caramel
• Snyder’s of Hanover Taste Test
• Holiday Gift Week Holiday Bark

Fairy Wands

Serves: 12                        Prep time:  20 minutes                        Cook time: 20 minutes

24                                     pretzel rods

2 11 oz                                    white chocolate chips

24                                     caramel candy squares

1 T                                    vegetable oil

colored sugar sprinkles

chopped nuts

mini chocolate chips

Pour white chocolate chips and oil into a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 2 minutes stirring once halfway through, set aside.

Using the heat from your hands roll a candy square between them until it is pliable.  Once easily workable wrap the caramel around the top of the pretzel rod and wind around leaving a 2 inch space at the bottom.  Dip the caramel covered part of the pretzel and roll in the white chocolate to coat.  Then sprinkle with sugar sprinkles, chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips.  Place on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet to set.  Cool in fridge for 20 minutes.  Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Tasty Tidbit:  Decorate these with green and red sprinkles or blue sprinkles for Christmas and Hanukkah, or the pink, green and yellow you see here for easter.  Or you can make them in your kid’s soccer team colors.  Everyone will ask you to bring this one to parties for years to come!

Meaty Morsel:  They also make a great gift wrapped up in cellophane and a ribbon!  Or they’d be a best seller at your next bake sale!

This recipe is always a huge hit.  My sister in law got this idea from her sister in law and around holiday time none of us can go a party without the hostess asking us to whip up a batch of “THE pretzels.” You’ve been warned, be careful who you make them for because they’ll be asking for them all the time too.

Related posts:

• Snyder’s of Hanover Taste Test
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