Caramel Buckeye Candies Recipes

Steps:

• Cream peanut butter and butter.
• Add sugar and vanilla and mix well.
• Form into 1 inch balls and refrigerate.
• Melt chocolate chips with parafin wax in a double boiler.
• Dip balls into chocolate with a toothpick about 3/4 of the way covered.
• Place chocolate side down on waxed paper.
• Let set at room temperature or refrigerate.

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment. Beat the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until well combined. Scoop 2-teaspoonful mounds, and roll into balls; arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Microwave the chocolate and shortening in a microwave-safe medium bowl in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Stick a toothpick or skewer into the top center of a peanut butter ball. Dip the ball into the melted chocolate, leaving a circle of peanut butter visible on top. Let the excess chocolate drip off, then return the buckeye to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining peanut butter balls and chocolate.
• Chill the buckeyes until firm, about 30 minutes. Smooth out the hole left by the toothpick with an offset spatula. Serve at room temperature or well chilled. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Steps:

• Lightly brush bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides; lightly brush parchment with oil.
• Bring cream, sugar, butter, and corn syrup to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramel reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes.
• Immediately remove caramel from heat, and stir in salt and vanilla. Pour caramel onto baking sheet, and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
• Lifting by parchment overhang, transfer caramel to a large cutting board. Cut into 3/4-by-1 1/4-inch pieces; wrap each piece in waxed paper or cellophane.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.
• Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth.
• Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar, white sugar, butter, corn syrup, cream, milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, to 250 to 265 degrees F (121 to 129 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball. Pour into an 8x8 inch pan. Let cool before cutting.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream peanut butter and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add confectioners' sugar until combined. Roll into 1/2-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm., In a shallow bowl, combine cereal and walnuts; set aside. In a microwave, melt caramels and butter; stir until smooth. Dip balls in caramel; allow excess to drip off. Roll in cereal mixture; return to baking sheets., In a microwave, melt chips; stir until smooth. Drizzle over candies. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Melt the white chocolate chips in a medium glass heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water on medium-low heat. Stir until melted. Remove from the heat but keep the bowl over the warm water. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the melted white chocolate and beat on medium until smooth, about a minute. Place the bowl in the freezer until the mixture is firm enough to form a ball, about 30 minutes.
• Using a small scoop or spoon, roll the peanut butter mixture into about the size of a golf ball. Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining mixture. Freeze until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and roll the scoops into smooth balls. Plunge lollipop sticks or short, thick skewers into the centers of the balls. Freeze for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Melt the dark chocolate in a medium glass heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water on medium-low heat. Stir until melted. Sprinkle in the espresso powder and stir. Taste the chocolate; if you want more coffee flavor, add more espresso powder 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Keep the bowl over the pot of hot water to keep it hot while dipping.
• Holding the balls by the skewers, dip the balls only three-quarters of the way into the melted dark chocolate, leaving a quarter inch of exposed peanut butter at the top (this way, it looks like a real buckeye). Let the excess chocolate drip off, then quickly sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt or pink salt right on top. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Remove the skewers from the buckeyes. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Grease an 8 by 4-inch (20 by 10 cm) loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling so that the paper comes up all the sides and has about a 2-inch (5 cm) overhang on each side. Grease the parchment paper.
• In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan (the caramel will bubble up quite a bit once it starts cooking, so it's important to have a deep pan) over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt, stirring very gently to combine while trying to avoid getting any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Cover and bring to a boil, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is clear, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Uncover and cook until the sugar has turned light golden and reaches 300ºF (150ºC) on an instant-read thermometer, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until deep golden (340ºF or 170ºC), about 4 to 5 minutes more. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the heavy cream and butter (the cream will foam considerably, so be careful pouring it in).
• Return the pan to medium-high heat and cook until the caramel reaches the desired stage, stirring frequently, 4 to 7 minutes. For soft, melt-in-your mouth caramels, cook until 248ºF (120ºC), and for firmer caramels with a bit more chew, cook until 252ºF (122ºC). Stir in the vanilla off the heat. Let the caramel sit for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bubbles subside.
• Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Let the caramel cool completely, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.
• Using the parchment overhang, lift the caramel out of the pan. Peel away the parchment paper and cut the caramel in half lengthwise, then cut each half into twelve 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, for 24 rectangular pieces. Candies can be left as rectangles, or cut again into squares, for a total of 48 pieces. Individually wrap each caramel in wax paper or cellophane, twisting the ends of the paper closed. The wrapped caramels can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.