Enjoy the sweets season

Tempering chocolate is probably required for candy sold commercially, but most small-batch chocolate candies eaten at home or passed along as personal gifts don’t necessarily require tempering.

Charity Ferreira, author of “Brittles, Barks, & Bonbons” (Chronicle Books, $16.95), writes that although she works with chocolate all the time, “I almost never temper my chocolate. It’s a multistep process involving several different precise temperatures, and it’s difficult to do with small amounts of chocolate.”

Melting chocolate gently so that it never gets hotter than 91 F helps ensure that it never gets hot enough to fall out of temper, she writes. When selecting chocolate for melting, look for cocoa butter in the ingredients.

Ferreira chops chocolate very finely, puts it in a glass bowl and sets a pan of water on the stove. She brings the water to a simmer, turns off the heat and sets the bowl over the hot water. Be sure the bowl does not touch the water and that no water enters the chocolate. Stir frequently to encourage even melting.

If moisture does get into melting chocolate, try stirring in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and warm it again.

To melt a heaping 1/2 cup of chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, stir after each short 15-second burst in the microwave, usually at medium (50 percent power). Two to three 15-second bursts should do the trick. Stir the melting chocolate until the bowl no longer feels warm and the last morsels melt.

Remember: The idea is to melt the chocolate, not to heat it up.

Chocolate-dipped candy held longer than a day or two goes in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate firm and fresh, Ferreira writes. She lets it return to close to room temperature for eating.

— Martha Sheridan

Candymaking has a reputation for being time-consuming and difficult, but with shortcuts, it can be easy.

Even without candy molds, a candy thermometer or a free afternoon to devote to the enterprise, candy can become part of the modern home cook’s repertoire.

“I do think people made candy more back in the day,” says candymaker Sharla Perry of Garland, Texas. “It was part of being a homemaker. I think that now people tend to bake more. I don’t know if candy seems daunting.”

Spring is a season for sweets. Wedding showers, receptions, Easter and more call for confections that can be color-themed to the event. Making special-occasion candy is doable even for beginners.

But choosing the right recipe is key. Look for ones that can be customized to taste with favorite nuts, fruits or flavorings. A hands-on candymaking class at Central Market in Dallas tackled Salted Butter Caramels that cooked for some 25 minutes to reach a precise 257 F. Even under a professional’s guidance, one batch was too soft, and the caramel leaked through the shiny and crisp tempered-chocolate coating.

While watching perfect Chocolate-Covered Cherries pop out of their molds, some students agreed they wouldn’t be trying that at home. Hand-formed truffles and white chocolate candies with almonds, however, were doable and delicious.

For a toffee coating that cooks quickly, the Hershey Co. suggests heating Bits ‘O Brickle chips and corn syrup, and pouring it over snack mix. After it cools, you can customize the mix with seasonal candy-coated chocolates.

Many home cooks are familiar with microwave peanut brittle. A nut brittle also can be made in the oven. New Orleans chef John Besh’s version, which he uses in a fall greens salad, is almost irresistible to chileheads thanks to a kick of cayenne pepper.

Remove wrappers from 28 milk-chocolate Kiss candies. Place in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons whipping cream. Microwave on medium (50 percent power) for 1 minute. Stir until smooth and creamy. If chocolate is not melted after stirring, microwave at medium 15 seconds and stir. Cover; refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or until firm. Remove wrappers from 10 caramel-filled Kisses. Use about 1 tablespoon chocolate mixture to cover each caramel Kiss, rolling in hand to make a ball. Roll in ground pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Allow truffles to soften at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes before eating. Makes 10 truffles.

SOURCE: Sandra Lee

There are plenty of shortcut truffle concoctions and fudge recipes. Fudge dipped in a good melted chocolate outshines one dipped in some of the waxier, less-flavorful melting barks.

Fondant sounds fancy, but easy no-cook versions can be flavored with quality extracts, colored and wrapped around bits of fruit or nut and dipped in chocolate.

One caution: Candymaking can become addictive. In 2006, Perry attended a two-week Valrhona class in France and decided to take her interest to the next level. She has sold handmade truffles and saltine almond toffee at the Four Seasons Market at Firewheel Town Center, drawing attention during the holidays for a confection she calls Peanut-Butter Pyramid. Her business is getting a new name, the Chocolate Craft.

It’s rewarding to see people enjoying candy she has made, Perry says.

“You see people trying a piece, and you see the expression on their face change when they realize it’s more than just a piece of chocolate,” she says.

It’s a treat that was custom-made — and that makes it special.

Easy Macaroons

Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Cookies and Candies (1966)

1 (14-ounce) package shredded coconut

1 (14.5-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Green food coloring (optional; see Note)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Mix ingredients, adding food coloring until mixture is desired intensity. Drop from a teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly; remove to rack.

Note: Turn these cookies into Easter nests by adding green food coloring to the mixture. Gently push Easter egg candies, such as candy-coated malted milk eggs or speckled jelly beans, into center of each macaroon.

PER PIECE: Calories 92 (36 percent fat) Fat 4 g (3 g sat) Cholesterol 3 mg Sodium 42 mg Fiber 1 g Carbohydrates 14 g Protein 1 g.

Toffee Popcorn

Makes about 12 1-cup servings.

Source: Hershey Co.

8 cups popped popcorn (microwave reduced-fat butter flavor works fine)

2 cups miniature pretzels

3/4 cup peanuts

1 (8-ounce) package Bits ‘O Brickle Toffee Bits (no chocolate added; toffee bits only)

1/2 cup light corn syrup

Candy-coated chocolate Kisses or Easter eggs (optional)

Preheat oven to 275 F. Grease a large roasting pan. Place popcorn, pretzels and peanuts in prepared pan.

Combine toffee bits and corn syrup in a heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until toffee is melted. This takes about 12 minutes.

Pour mixture over popcorn mixture in the greased pan. Stir until evenly coated.

Bake 30 minutes, stirring frequently to distribute toffee coating and to keep it from sticking to the pan. Remove from oven. Stir mixture every 2 minutes until slightly cooled, about 10 minutes. Cool completely. Stir in optional chocolate candy. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.

PER SERVING: Calories 261 (40 percent fat) Fat 12 g (5 g sat) Cholesterol 5 mg Sodium 410 mg Fiber 1 g Carbohydrates 37 g Protein 4 g.

Fruit And Nut Balls

Makes 18.

Adapted from Children’s Quick & Easy Cookbook (DK Publishing, 1997)

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup blanched almonds

1/3 cup raisins

5 ounces white chocolate

1/3 cup dried coconut

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Chop the apricots, almonds and raisins very fine or grind them in a food processor.

Melt white chocolate (see “Tempering chocolate”). Then stir in chopped fruit, almonds and coconut.

Gather together about 18 bits of the mixture to form into small balls. Put the balls on the cookie sheet and let them set for 1 to 2 hours. If mixture seems runny at first, chocolate may have been overheated; wait for mixture to cool and it will gather together more easily to be rolled into balls.

Note: Other add-in options include cornflakes, rice cereal, chopped dried fruit to taste. Drizzle balls with additional melted white chocolate, if desired.

PER PIECE: Calories 93 (47 percent fat) Fat 5 g (2 g sat) Cholesterol 2 mg Sodium 9 mg Fiber 1 g Carbohydrates 11 g Protein 2 g.

Oven Nut Brittle

Adapted from “My New Orleans: The Cookbook” by John Besh

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or 4 ounces pumpkin seeds

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.

Mix sugar, cayenne, salt and nuts in medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg white until foamy, but not stiff. Fold egg white into seed mixture. Mixture will be crumbly.

Using a spatula or hands, spread the mixture evenly on pan. The thin layer will measure about 6 by 10 inches.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until completely golden brown. Mixture will foam, rise and expand as it cooks, then flatten as it cools.

Cool completely and break into pieces.

No-Cook Fondant Creams

Makes 34 creams.

Adapted from Children’s Quick & Easy Cookbook, DK Publishing (1997)

1 egg white

3 cups powdered sugar

A few drops extracts, such as peppermint, orange, maple or lemon

Food coloring

2 ounces white or bittersweet chocolate

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

Whisk egg white lightly in a bowl until it is frothy but not stiff.

Sift powdered sugar into the bowl, then stir it into the egg white until mixture is stiff.

Turn out onto board and knead with hands.

From here, you will be kneading in extract and food coloring, which will provide enough moisture for the fondant dough to gather, if it hasn’t already.

Divide fondant into 3 balls. Cover 2 with plastic wrap to prevent hardening.

Knead extract and food coloring into one of the 3 balls, then roll the mixture into small balls, place on cookie sheet and flatten with a fork.

Add extract and food coloring as desired to remaining balls of dough, form into small balls and flatten.

Let set 24 hours, covered, at room temperature.

Melt chocolate and dip some of the creams; these look nice dipped halfway.

PER PIECE: Calories 51 (10 percent fat) Fat 1 g No cholesterol Sodium 2 mg No fiber Carbohydrates 12 g No protein.