I’ve always said that I don’t have a sweet tooth. For the large part, that’s true. I’ll take a handful of salty pretzels over chocolate almost any day.

However.

Dulce de leche might be my undoing. It’s seriously so, so, so good.

I found myself tiptoeing over to the fridge with a spoon in hand. “I’ll just, um, taste it again to make sure it’s good enough to post on The Hungry Mouse.”

Yeah, right.

So, hello, sweet tooth. You might just be a baby, but I’m afraid you’re definitely here to stay. At least, as long as I have a jar of this dark brown, caramel-y goodness in the fridge.

What is dulce de leche?

Dulce de leche is a popular Latin American sweet that translates roughly into something like milk jam or milk candy. In French, that’s confiture de lait, which sounds way more appealing (or maybe I just like saying “confiture”).

Dulce de leche is a caramel spread that’s made by reducing milk, sugar, and vanilla until the concoction is so thick you can stand up a spoon in it or slather it on bread.

How to make dulce de leche

I made my dulce de leche from Alton Brown’s recipe. You need about 3 hours and precisely 4 ingredients: whole milk, sugar, a whole vanilla bean, and a little baking soda.

I think next time, I might try David Lebovitz’s method, which has you nestle a pan of sweetened condensed milk in a water bath, then bake it in the oven for an hour and a half.

You know, strictly in the interest of science.

What can you do with dulce de leche?

Drizzle it on ice cream. Add dollops of it into brownie batter. Swirl some into coffee or hot chocolate. Top cakes or pies. Spread it on toast. Heck, eat it with a spoon, standing in front of the fridge with the door open. It’s that good.

Don’t use skim milk

I know that there are a lot of people who balk at the idea of whole milk, and will always substitute skim milk or 2%.

Don’t do that with dulce de leche.

Seriously.

The fat in the milk makes this silky, sultry, and sumptuous. Plus, I honestly don’t know if this recipe will work with low-fat milk.

Oh! As with most things with only a few ingredients, use the best ones you can find. I used whole milk from one of our local dairies, Richardson’s.

Homemade Dulce de Leche

Recipe from Alton Brown

1 quart whole milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split & scraped
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Yields about 1 cup of dulce de leche

Scrape the vanilla bean

Grab a medium-sized, heavy bottomed pot. I used a 3-quart pot. Don’t use a lightweight pot for this (you know, like those fabulous, but thin, aluminum grandma pots), because you really risk scorching the milk mixture.

Toss the sugar in the pot.

Next, take your vanilla bean. I’m doing this on a white paper towel just so there’s a lot of contrast to help you see the vanilla seeds.

Split him carefully down the middle with the tip of a sharp knife.

You’ll see the vanilla seeds snuggled inside the pod, like sweet, fragrant caviar.

Run the backside of your knife (i.e. the side that’s not sharp) carefully along one half of the vanilla pod, scraping out all those glorious seeds.

Scrape the seeds into the pot with the sugar.

Don’t worry if you don’t get them all out. You just want to get most of them. Toss the vanilla bean husk into the pot with the sugar, too. (Want more fun with vanilla beans? Did you know you can make your own vanilla extract at home? All you need is vanilla beans & vodka.)

Give it a quick whisk to break up the bigger lumps of vanilla.

Add the milk.

Whisk to incorporate.

Set on the stove over medium heat. Whisk frequently until the sugar dissolves.

When the sugar has dissolved, toss in the baking soda.

Whisk to incorporate. When the mixture *just* starts to bubble, knock the heat down to low, so that it barely holds a simmer. Cook like this, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

(Warning: If your heat is too high, the milk can start to boil rapidly, which means that it can bubble up and possibly over onto your stove. Keep an eye on the pot until you’re sure that the heat is right.)

As it cooks, you’ll notice that it will start to slowly turn a lovely golden color. The surface of the mixture will also get a little frothy. That’s just fine.

You’ll also get some build up on the sides of the pot. Leave that there, don’t stir it back in.

Remove the vanilla bean after 1 hour

After the pot’s been on the stove for about 1 hour, remove the vanilla bean. Toss it. It’s done its job (and all of its little seeds are still in your pot).

Continue to cook for another 1 1/2 – 2 hours

Once you toss the vanilla bean, continue to cook the mixture (still on low heat, still uncovered), stirring occasionally, for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

As it cooks, it will continue to deepen in color.

When it’s almost done, it will be thick and syrupy.

When is it done?

To test what your dulce de leche will be like when it’s chilled, stick a small plate in the freezer for about 15 minutes. (This will be familiar to all you jam makers out there.)

When you think your dulce de leche is done, put about a teaspoon on the cold plate. Stick it back in the freezer until the dulce de leche is cold. Then, taste it and see if you’re happy. The consistency of the dulce de leche on your plate represents about how the entire pot will be once it’s chilled.

If you like it, take the pot off the heat. If you want it thicker, simmer it for another 5 minutes, then do the cold plate test again.

Strain the dulce de leche

When the dulce de leche is done, take the pot off the heat. Pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium-sized bowl.

The strainer will catch any odd, clumpy bits of milk solids.

Cool & bottle

Leave the dulce de leche on the counter to cool to room temperature.

It will thicken up considerably as it cools (which is why the cold plate test is always a good idea).

When it’s cool, bottle it and stick it in the fridge. It will keep for about a month. If, of course, it lasts that long.

Enjoy!

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If you know me, you know what I’m talking about. And if you have kids under five, chances are that I’ve told your wee ones a tall tale or two.

For example, if your kids think that squirrels grow on trees, they probably got that from me. (Everyone knows that if you plant acorns in the fall, they’ll sprout into squirrel trees in the spring.)

And the terrible tale of the eight-legged cat? That’s one of mine, too.

Which brings me to Peeps. Specifically, Peep trees. Much like squirrels, it’s a little known fact that Peeps grow on jelly bean trees. Topiaries, to be exact. It’s true. It must be. I have one in my kitchen right now. See?

I can’t make these things up.

If you look closely at a Peep tree, you can usually spot the leader.

If he gives you too much trouble, well, you know what to do.

Thankfully, a Peep topiary makes a fabulous (and delicious) centerpiece for your Easter table. Here’s how to make one of your very own.

It’s a fun, sticky, and totally ridiculous way to spend an afternoon. Make them with your kids. Just be careful with the toothpicks.

This table top idea is my contribution to the Kraft Breakstone’s Holiday Celebration Program. Check out a handful of other great Easter decorating ideas from the other program bloggers here.

About ingredients

Definitely switch up the candy to suit your taste. Here’s what I used.

A bag of seriously old-school jelly beans. (Think I’m kidding? Go to a drugstore and try to find regular, old-fashioned jelly beans. They’re, like, a rarity. At least around our parts.)

Boxes of Peeps, or any other festive marshmallow-y type confection. You’ll need 6 or 7 boxes. I bought a few different colors so I could make a flower-y pattern.

A styrofoam flower ball. You can find these at any big craft store.

A stake or dowel. Your Peep topiary is going to be heavier than you think by the time it’s done, so you’ll need a sturdy stick to hold it up.

A flower pot. You want it to be about the same size as your top topiary ball, so it’s stable enough to hold up the ball. So, for a 7-inch styrofoam ball, I grabbed a 6-inch pot. It worked out great. If you want to, paint the pot, cover it in glitter. Go nuts.

A box of regular old wooden toothpicks.

Here’s how I made my Peep topiary. It will give you the general idea. Improvise and change around the ingredients as you like. If you have any tips or tricks, definitely leave them in the comments. This was my inaugural Peep tree. I can only imagine that the next one will be even better.

I could see making these on the cone-shaped forms around the winter holidays with green and red, Christmas-y Peeps. (They make those, right? They must.) You get the picture.

In truth, there’s probably no limit to the marshmallow sculpture you can create.

Peep Topiary

Peep topiary
1 6-inch pot
1 7-inch styrofoam ball (for topiary top)
1 4-5 inch styrofoam chunk (for inside the pot)
1 12-inch wooden stake or thick wooden dowel
1 box of wooden toothpicks
6-7 boxes of marshmallow Peeps
1 bag of jelly beans

Other table decorations
Assorted foil covered chocolate eggs
Plastic easter eggs
Easter grass
Assorted silk flower garlands

Makes 1 Peep topiary that will knock your socks off

Assemble the topiary top

Pick your workspace carefully. It’s going to get covered in sugar.

Gather all your ingredients together on a workspace.

Poke the stake or dowel into the styrofoam ball, about into the center.

Give it a quick check to be sure you’re happy with the basic shape.

Wedge a piece of styrofoam in the bottom of the pot. You want it to be really snug, so it doesn’t move at all. This is going to anchor your topiary. I cut this piece of styrofoam from a larger piece to ensure a snug fit.

 

Cover the ball with Peeps

To begin, set the ball in the flower pot, so you can work on the center of the topiary.

Poke 3 toothpicks into the ball in a triangle, about an inch apart from each other. Insert them about halfway into the ball. This is the center of your topiary.

Insert 10 toothpicks in a large circle around the triangle. Make them about an inch or so apart. Don’t make yourself nuts with precise spacing. You’ll be able to adjust them later if you have gaps.

Do the outer ring first. Stick one Peep onto a toothpick. Do it so that the toothpick goes through the center of the Peep, up through his head. This will give him the strongest anchor.

Smoosh him down gently to be sure he sticks.

Repeat with the rest of the Peeps.

Next, do the center. I used the little purple guys.

Nestle them together. If you need to, remove and readjust the toothpicks so that there are no (or very few) gaps.

To do the rest of the ball, you’re basically going to place each layer of Peeps in between the Peeps on the previous layer. Like this:

Once you’ve completed each layer, start on the next.

When you’ve covered one side of the ball, it’s time to put it in the pot. Insert the stake or dowel into the center of the styrofoam in the flower pot. Stick it down far enough so that the topiary stands upright and is stable.

Work your way around the ball, alternating rows of Peeps until the entire ball is covered. I only did the flower-y face on one side of my topiary, but if you wanted to, you could do one on the other side, too. You get the idea.

A note on the very bottom of the ball. Some of your Peeps may fall off the very bottom. When the whole ball is covered, they do a nice job of sticking together and holding in place. However, if you do lose a few to gravity (I did), I think that’s just fine. When the whole thing is complete, the bottom of the ball is actually very hard to see.

When your ball is totally covered in Peeps, it’s time to finish the display.

Finish the Peep topiary

Cover the styrofoam with colored tissue paper or a few paper towels.

Pour in the jelly beans to cover.

And…voila! One Peep topiary! How about it?

Create your table top

Grab your Easter grass and your silk flower garlands.

Set the Peep topiary in the center of your table. Wrap the garland around in a loose circle. Fill in the area between the pot and the garland with Easter grass.

Fill a handful of plastic Easter eggs with candy and chocolate.

Nestle the filled eggs into the Easter grass.

Surround with more silk flowers, if you like. Forsythia are particularly Spring-y.

And there you have it! One Easter table top, complete with Peep topiary. (Who says the Easter isn’t fun for adults?)

Enter to win $2,500!

Don’t forget, Breakstone’s is hosting a big sweeps on Better Homes and Gardens, where one lucky winner will win $2,500! Enter today!

Please note: This is a sponsored post for Breakstone’s Sour Cream. All ideas, thoughts, experiences, photos are my own.

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These old-timey candies are kind of like Storck’s chocolate-covered riesen, but with strong notes of molasses. They’re one part treat and one part granny candy. If you like molasses, chances are, you’ll love these. They’re sweet, but not too sweet.

For this recipe, squares of chocolate caramel get all dressed up in chocolate. They’re chewy and chocolate-y and have a deep, sweet earthiness from a generous amount of molasses.

The caramel is really easy to make. Basically, you toss the ingredients in a pot over medium heat, and stir constantly until it reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer. Pour into a pan and cool for a little bit, then whack into squares. Enjoy as is, or take an extra step and dip them in chocolate.

This is my take on a recipe from 1881 that the New York Times recently reprinted. You can also download a PDF file of the original recipe from The Times’ website. According to the newspaper, the novel thing about the recipe at the time was the chocolate, which was hard to come by—not the molasses.

Temper the chocolate before dipping

For extra pretty candies, temper the chocolate for the coating when you melt it. Tempering chocolate is a way of raising and lowering the temperature of the chocolate as it melts to help stabilize the chocolate’s crystalline structure. This helps ensure a smooth, glossy surface and a nice snap.

Tempering chocolate also helps avoid that white “bloom” that chocolate sometimes gets (which is still perfectly edible, but not that attractive). Here’s a good video from Chow on how to do it:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Old-Time Chocolate Molasses Chews

Adapted from The New York Times

3 Tbls. butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
4 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup molasses
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, for dipping

Yields 80-100 pieces, depending on how large you cut them

Generously butter an 8-inch x 8-inch glass baking pan. Set it aside.

Make the chocolate caramel

Put 3 Tablespoons of butter, the bittersweet chocolate, milk, molasses, and sugar in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot. (I used a 3-quart pot.)

Set it on the stove over medium heat. Stir constantly until the ingredients melt together and are uniform.

Clip on a candy thermometer (I like to do this once the ingredients are completely melted. Makes it easier to get all the bits as they melt.) Keep the heat on medium. And keep stirring.

Eventually, the caramel will come to a rolling boil. Leave the heat on medium. (Resist the urge to crank it up! You risk scorching the caramel.) Continue to stir constantly, making sure to scrape at the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking.

As it cooks, the mixture will get thicker. Continue to boil, stirring, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees.

When it hits 248 degrees, yank the pot off the stove. The mixture will be very thick. Stir in the vanilla. (Be careful! Hot sugar is like napalm.)

Pour the hot mixture into your buttered baking dish.

Smooth the top down with a spatula. Let it sit on the counter to cool.

Cut the caramel into squares

When it’s cool enough to touch comfortably, run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the caramel. It will wrinkle up a little. That’s just fine. (You can smooth it out later.)

Flip the pan over and remove the square of caramel. If it’s sticking, nudge under one edge with a dinner knife to get it moving.

With a buttered butcher knife (or kitchen scissors), cut the caramel into 3/4-inch wide strips.

Then cut the strips into squares. (Give one a taste. They’re earthy and molasses-y. They were a little plain for my taste, kind of like a Tootsie Roll. This is when I decided to notch it up a bit and dip them in chocolate.)

The edges on the caramels will be a little raggy from cutting.

Just smoosh the edges down with your fingers to smooth them out.

Repeat with the rest of the caramel.

If you’re going to wait to dip them in chocolate (or skip that step altogether if you want to keep them plain), store them in an airtight container between sheets of wax or parchment paper.

Dip the caramels in chocolate

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Melt about 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips. (I do this in the microwave for about a minute on 50% power, stirring every 10 seconds or so. You can also melt them in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water.)

Temper the chocolate if you like (see above for more info on how to do that).

Take one of the caramels.

Put the caramel with the top facing down in the chocolate (that way, when you flip it over, you get a nice chocolate swirl on top of the candy). Press it down so it sinks in a little.

With a kitchen fork, turn the caramel over to coat the bottom, and lift it out of the chocolate. Set it on your parchment-lined pan. If you don’t like the swirl on top, just fix it with your finger.

Repeat with the rest of the caramels.

Let them sit overnight, uncovered, until the chocolate hardens.

Store in a cool place between layers of wax paper in an airtight tin. They’ll keep well for about a month.

Enjoy! (And watch your fillings!)

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I’m notorious for giving homemade goodies at the holidays—from bags of squishy marshmallows and freshly ground hot chocolate to bottles of velvety Irish Cream.

I’m not usually one to brave the pre-Christmas crush at the malls (and I’m not organized enough to get my shopping done months in advance)—plus, I spend most of my time in the kitchen, anyway. So it kind of works out.

Candied fruit peel is one of those miraculous acts of culinary alchemy.

You take tough, bitter fruit rind that’s packed with oil you could use to polish your furniture, and, thanks to the magic of sugar, transform it into heavenly, fragrant candy.

The result is one part fruit, one part sweet jelly—and totally delicious. They’re like those fruit slices that my grandmother used to love. (You know the ones I mean.) Only a thousand times better.

Candied fruit peel is easier than you might think to make at home.

Basically, you blanch thin strips of peel to remove most of their bitterness, then let them take a leisurely soak in a bubbling sugar bath.

Let them drip dry, then roll them around in sugar until they’re wearing sparkle-y little sweaters.

Leave them out on a rack overnight to cure, and package them up and start handing them around.

That’s it! The process isn’t instant, but it certainly is easy.

To me, the hardest part of this whole process is getting the peel off in nice, presentable pieces. I’ve included detailed instructions on how to do just that.

Should I remove the white pith from the peel?

I say no. Here’s why.

A little unscientific research on the interwebs reveals that there are differing opinions on how much of the papery white pith to remove from the peel.

Some folks recommend scraping off every last bit of it, because it’s bitter. Some say leave the pith on and blanch the peels.

I’m in the latter camp. A quick swim in boiling water soaks out a lot of that bitterness. The simmering sugar bath takes care of the rest. I never cut the pith off, and it’s never been a problem. Plus, it means there’s less prep—and more candy to love.

So, pith on or off: It’s entirely up to you.

This recipe will work with most citrus fruits

I happened to use oranges, but this technique will work with lemon, lime, grapefruit, and blood orange (etc.).

Candied fruit peel + flavored simple syrup = two treats in one

Once you cook the fruit peel, don’t toss the sugar syrup! It’s deeply flavorful and will make a wonderful addition to desserts, cocktails, and tea.

Just pour the sugar syrup through a strainer to capture any errant bits of peel, then toss it in the fridge and use within a month or so.

This recipe calls for equal parts sugar and water, just like regular simple syrup. The addition of the fruit peel and the long cooking time can throw your proportions off, though, which means that your syrup may wind up crystallizing a little—or a lot.

If that happens, just heat the syrup up to liquify it again and you’re good to go.

Candied Orange Peel

3 large oranges
4 cups water
4 cups sugar + 1 cup sugar for coating the peel

Yields about 3/4 – 1 lb. candy, depending on how big your oranges are

Peel the oranges

Grab your oranges. Give them a rinse under cold water, then wipe them dry.

Whack about a quarter-of-an-inch off each end.

You want about this much of the inside showing:

With a sharp paring knife, cut through the peel and into the white pith. Slice through the peel from the top of the orange to the bottom. Don’t cut all the way through the pith and into the fruit.

Make the same cut a few inches over.

Cut a shallow semi-circle into the top of the orange at the edge of the peel to connect the two cuts you just made.

Wiggle your finger under one edge of the peel. Work your finger down under the peel to separate it from the fruit.

Keep going until you’ve removed the whole piece of peel.

Repeat this process until you’ve removed all the peel in nice, whole pieces.

Then do the same with the other oranges.

At this point, if you’re like me, you may start playing with the orange rinds, like they’re Legos. Save the oranges, and do something yummy with them.

Slice each piece of peel into thin strips. Mine were about as wide as a No. 2 pencil, give or take.

Blanch the orange peels

Put a few inches of water in a medium-sized pot and set it on the stove over high heat to boil. (Sidebar: Look for a post soon on how to make an easy homemade polish for your embarrassingly tarnished copper pots.)

When it’s boiling, drop in all the sliced orange peel.

Give the pot a stir to soak them all.

Boil for about 20 minutes.

Drain the peel in a colander. Run under cold water until the peels are cool to the touch (this will take a minute or two). I should note that many recipes have you blanch the peel a few times. I’ve done it that way before, and I honestly don’t see any difference. Once is just fine with me.

At this point, your peels will be floppy and kind of sad looking. That’s just fine. Leave ‘em in the colander while you whip up the sugar syrup.

Simmer the fruit peel in sugar syrup

Put the water and sugar in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Whisk to combine. Bring the syrup up to a boil, whisking occasionally until all the sugar melts.

When the sugar syrup is boiling, carefully add the blanched peel to the pot. (Be careful! Boiling sugar is like napalm.)

Give the peel a stir. Lower the heat a little. You want to maintain a rolling (but not furious and bubbling over) boil.

Boil the peel for about 45 minutes like this. (Keep a good eye on the pot after 30 minutes. Your peel may take more or less time, depending on how thick it is.) Your kitchen will start to smell amazing after a few minutes.

The peel is done when it’s translucent.

It should look jellied and clear, like candy:

Drain the orange peel

Grab a baking sheet. Line it with a few paper towels. Set a rack on top of the towels.

A few at a time, fish the peel out of the syrup with a fork.

Set the peel on your prepared rack to drain. Repeat until all the peel is on the rack.

Let the peel drip dry for about 15 minutes.

Roll the fruit peel in sugar & dry out overnight

Remove the sticky rack with the orange peel from the sheet pan and set it aside on the counter. Put a clean rack in its place on the pan. (You don’t want to use the same, sticky one for the finished candy.)

After about 15 minutes, put 1 cup of sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Drop a few pieces of the peel into the sugar. (I do this a few pieces at a time to keep them from clumping together.)

Roll the peel around to coat on all sides.

You want each piece to be completely coated, like this. Give the peel a tap against the side of the bowl to knock off the extra sugar.

Set the sugar-coated peel on the clean rack.

Repeat with the rest of the peel until it’s all coated in sugar. Space them out so they’re not touching. Leave them out just like this, uncovered, to dry out overnight.

Save the syrup!

Don’t forget all that luscious syrup.

Run it through a strainer to remove any bits of peel that might be left in it.

Let it cool to room temperature, then pop it into the fridge and use it up within a month. Depending on how much liquid evaporated, it might solidify a little (or a lot) in the fridge. If that happens, just heat it up to dissolve.

Enjoy!

Don’t forget to enter this week’s giveaway!

The prize is a Nespresso espresso machine! The contest closes on Friday at midnight. Enter to win here.

Cheers!

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Happy October! Here in Salem, Mass., October 1 means the kick-off of our city’s month of Haunted Happenings.

Now, normally, Salem, Massachusetts is a relatively sleepy little seaside city. But come October, Halloween season officially starts, with flocks of tourists arriving to get their spooky on. Click here to check out our pictures from last year and read a little bit more about Salem.

If you’re in the area, be sure to visit our friends over at The Salem Insider, who’ll be keeping us all up-to-date on the latest events.

Three Delicious Homemade Candy Treats

What better way to get in the Halloween spirit than with a little candy making? Here are three of our favorite recipes for homemade treats.

1. Homemade Marshmallows

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial for making these heavenly white pillows at home. It’s easier than you might think. I usually cut mine in traditional squares, but you can pour the molten fluff into silicone molds—or use cookie cutters to carve out custom shapes.

Take them over the top by dipping them in chocolate. To make them even more Halloween-y, add orange and black sprinkles to the chocolate before it sets.

2. Maple Cream Fudge

Now sugaring season isn’t ’til spring, but maple is one of our favorite fall flavors. This fudge is a rich and creamy cousin to maple sugar candy.

3. Homemade Peanut Butter & S’mores Cups

These are so much fun to make at home. Take a peek at my basic recipe, then customize it to make your very own creation.

Use milk chocolate or white. Add a blop of jam on top of the peanut butter mixture for Peanut Butter & Jelly Cups. You get the idea.

You can even make a s’mores version with marshmallow fluff and graham crackers. (If you make my homemade marshmallows, save some of the fluff for these little guys.)

Stay tuned for more news on Halloween in Salem�as well as plenty of stick-to-your-ribs fall recipes. Cheers!

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