‘Candy’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Five Minute Fudge {Wreath}

January 4, 2018 · Narrative

A fudge recipe that is delicious AND doesn’t require the use of a candy thermometer is pretty much the only kind of fudge recipe I make.

A million years ago (thirteen to be exact!), I was in a Supper Club. We would rotate houses and meet once a month over a potluck meal. Sometimes there was a theme, and sometimes it centered around a particular cookbook or cook. I first discovered this recipe for a Five Minute Fudge Wreath when someone brought it to one of our supper club gatherings, and I’ve been making it ever since. In fact, I even taught how to make it in one of my December kids cooking classes.

Although the traditional recipe is for a wreath form and shape, you are certainly not obligated to make it that way. Because why should you miss out on this deliciousness the other eleven months of the year?! Just put it in an 8×8 square pan and it’s all good.

My oldest kid still loves to lick the dregs from a can of sweetened condensed milk, so the fact that this recipe uses it is a bonus! Just a few other ingredients, mix it up, pour it into the pan, decorate, and let it sit.

If you use just the red cherries to decorate it, it would be perfect for Valentine’s Day, and a sweet treat to cut up and distribute to neighbors, teachers, bus drivers, and the like.

Are you familiar with Chunky bars? I swear I lived on them during my teen years, and this recipe reminds me of the taste of Chunky Bars.

So good!

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Recipe: M&M Cookie Pie

November 11, 2015 · Narrative, Sweets

When you’re looking for a simple dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth, this M&M Cookie Pie is perfect (especially if you have leftover Halloween candy!).

Do you happen to be staring at an overflowing bag of Halloween candy too?

Raise your hand if you can relate.

Even though the kids donated a record TWELVE POUNDS of candy to the Halloween Candy Buy Back program, we still have a rather large Target-sized bag of “favorites” in our home.

Which is dangerous.

Mostly for me.

So when the kids aren’t looking, I sneak a few packages of candy into a new recipe.

Not that they mind, of course, when they get rewarded with something like this M&M Cookie Pie.

It’s quick enough that you can easily make it after dinner (only dirtying one bowl!), and with the colorful M&Ms popping through, it’s a sure-fire winner. If you happen to be looking for something a bit more demure, you can replace the M&Ms with chocolate chunks – use up those Hershey bars! I personally love the chew that the additional of oats gives this pie, and the addition of oatmeal practically makes it healthy, right??

And if you really want to gild the lily, serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup over the top.

Divine.

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Celebrating Halloween {2015}

November 4, 2015 · Narrative

This past weekend was a whirlwind of Halloween festivities, and perfect weather to boot. Given that previous years’ of Halloween celebrating have included Hurricane Sandy and Snowtober (two years with no power), we were loving life, let me tell you. Trunk or Treat at Madeline’s school, a Halloween party with the Girl Scouts, a Halloween party, and, of course, trick or treating. Madeline decided right after Halloween last year that she wanted to be a cat, and didn’t waver for one second for the entire year. She is most definitely a girl who knows what she wants, in every aspect of her life.

As for Nick, he decided what he wanted to do, seriously, at the 11th hour, and, luckily, a quick text to a creative friend took care of his shirt, and his friend’s. As he is 13 now, I had almost resigned myself to the fact that he might not be interested in dressing up or trick or treating, but luckily I was rewarded with another year of him participating. I know the time will come where he will likely take a few years, and I’m ok with that, of course, just not quite ready for it…

I love this picture a friend captured for me. I was watching the Halloween parade at Madeline’s school, and this was the exact moment she saw me in the crowd and made the decision to run and give me a hug.

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Visit: Chocolate Monkey {Tennessee}

August 21, 2014 · Narrative

Need to satisfy a sweet tooth while in Tennessee? The Chocolate Monkey is just the place.

When I was compiling a list of things to do, see, or eat for our Spring Break trip to Tennessee, a few people suggested that we visited the Chocolate Monkey, billed as the #1 chocolate shop in the Smokies. And since my six-year-old is our resident chocoholic, it was a given that stopping here was pretty high on her list.

During our week long stay in Tennessee, it felt like we saw Chocolate Monkey locations everywhere we went, which stands to reason since they happen to have five locations in the areas that we were visiting. We ended up visiting the Sevierville location, which happened to be near one of our hotels, and chose this one because of its cute outdoor area that resembled something out of the 1950s, complete with a canopy and picnic tables.

When you walk into the store, it is definitely sensory overload. There are bright colors, sweet smells, and, well, monkeys everywhere. Fun, but dangerously teetering into that too much category.

Originally started as a candy and fudge shop only five years ago, it has expanded to include a wide selection of creamy and delicious ice cream as well. And those candy apples were something else. Huge.

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