Butterfinger

My favorite candy bar, for as long as I can remember, is the Butterfinger.  It is a crispy, chocolate, peanut butter goodness, in a yellow wrapper.  Butterfingers are so yummy and in a milkshake you make something even more amazing.  When I was in High School, I worked at Hogi Yogi, a sandwich and yogurt fast food restaurant.  We used a special blending machine to add toppings to frozen yogurt.  One of the toppings was Butterfingers.  Mixed into frozen yogurt it was truly dessert Heaven on Earth.  I have been mulling over this candy bar and how to make it at home.  While searching for a recipe, I learned a majority of the recipes on the World Wide Web included Candy Corn as a main ingredient.  My goal is to make a Butterfinger without one of the ingredients being processed candy already.  Finally I stumbled upon a recipe that didn't include Candy Corn, so I knew I had found candy making gold.

 This Butterfinger is so much better than the store-bought version.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

1 cup smooth Peanut Butter
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 cup Cane Sugar
1/3 cup Light Corn Syrup
1/2 cup Water
1 cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

 In a clean medium sized sauce pan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water.  With clean hands, 
mix these ingredients together until no grains of sugar remain.  Wipe down the sides of the pan 
with a little more water to remove any sugar crystals.

On a medium-high heat, cook the sugar until it reaches 290 degrees Fahrenheit  

 Mix peanut butter, salt, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.  Microwave the peanut butter 
for 30 seconds.

 When the sugar mixture reaches 290 degrees Fahrenheit, quickly pour the warm peanut butter 
mixture into the sugar mixture.  Stir well.

  Pour into a buttered pan.  Spread with an offset spatula.

 Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes and top with the chocolate chips.  Allow them to 
melt and spread with an offset spatula.

 Cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Remove from the pan and cut into desired squares, rectangles, or eat all of it at once!

Enjoy!

Butterfinger

Printable Recipe Found Here

1 cup smooth Peanut Butter
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup Cane Sugar
1/3 cup Light Corn Syrup
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Butter an 8 inch square pan.  

In a clean medium sized sauce pan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water.  With clean hands, mix these ingredients together until no grains of sugar remain.  Wipe down the sides of the pan with a little more water to remove any sugar crystals.

On a medium-high heat, cook the sugar until it reaches 290 degrees Fahrenheit  

Mix peanut butter, salt, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.  Microwave the peanut butter for 30 seconds.

When the sugar mixture reaches 290 degrees Fahrenheit, quickly pour the warm peanut butter mixture into the sugar mixture.  Stir well and pour into a buttered pan.  Spread with an offset spatula.

Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes and top with the chocolate chips.  Allow them to melt and spread with an offset spatula.

Cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Remove from the pan and cut into desired squares, rectangles, or eat all of it at once!

Enjoy!

Popped Brown Rice Treats

I think Rice Krispies is a trade mark name, but just so you know, that is sort of what I made today, but in a whole new way.  I learned how to make popped rice this weekend.   When I tried it out, and told some friends, they immediately asked about Rice Krispie Treats.  One friend even mentioned making butter and marshmallows too.  I took their words as a challenge.  My inner Curious George culinary novice brain, said yeah lets do this.  Today was the day.   Well actually, last night started the day.  Last night I steamed 3 1/2 cups of short brown rice (Nishiki Sushi grade rice is what I used).   I rinsed it till the water ran clear and put it in the rice cooker pot with enough water to reach my first knuckle with my finger touching the top of the rice.  I set the rice cooker to brown rice and let it do it's job, steaming the rice of course.  After the rice was cooked, I spread it on a long sheet of parchment paper on my kitchen table to dry over night.  

 Popped Brown Rice Treats, like the Rice Krispie Treats we all grew up eating but better.

 This morning I placed the rice in my dehydrator, on the screens included,  and set the temperature
to 105 Fahrenheit and dried it for several hours, rotating the two layers once half way through.
When the rice is dry, you are ready for the next step.  You could also dry your rice on cookie
sheets for a couple of days.   The rice should be dry all the way through for this to work.

 Ingredients to make popped rice are: dried rice, peanut oil, mesh sieve, and stock pot or wok.

 Place rice in a mesh sieve, something that will fit in the pan you have oil in.

 Here is my trick that a friend asked me about. I fry my rice in peanut oil, peanut oil heated to
400 Fahrenheit in a wok on my stove.

 Let the popping commence. Before...

 After!  When the the bubbles have stopped between the rice in your mesh sieve you know
you have cooked all the rice.  I drained my rice on a paper towel lined plate.

 Ingredients you will need for marshmallows: 3 packages unflavored gelatin, 1 cup ice cold water,
12 ounces white sugar (about 1 1/2 cups), 1 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 teaspoons salt,
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 1/4 cup confectioners sugar.

 Pour gelatin in mixing bowl with 1/2 cup cold water, let bloom.

 Pour 1/2 cup water, white sugar, corn syrup, and salt into sauce pan.  Place over medium high
heat and cover with lid.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. 

 Uncover and clip on candy thermometer.   Cook until the mixture reaches 240 Fahrenheit,
about 7 to 8 minutes.   Remove from heat immediately.

 Turn mixer onto low.   Drizzle mixture down the side of the bowl.  When all the mixture
has been poured, turn mixer speed to high. 

 Mix for 12 minutes.   After 10 minutes add the vanilla extract.

 You only need 1/4 of this for our treats.  Mix cornstarch and powdered sugar together.   Sprinkle
 half on small cookie sheet.  Spread the marshmallow mixture on pan.   sprinkle the other
half the sugar/cornstarch.  Allow marshmallows to set on counter over night, then enjoy
homemade marshmallows. 

 Ingredients for this recipe are: popped rice, 1/4 cup coconut oil, and marshmallow.

Heat marshmallow in mixing bowl on low, on stove, while mixing in coconut oil, this will take
seconds since we didn't let this marshmallow set like the rest.  Add marshmallow/coconut oil
mix to popped rice and stir.  Pour everything into desire greased dish, and allow to cool.

I don't have a rectangular pan so I used my cake pan.  They were delicious just so you know.

Enjoy!