Milk Toffee

This is a fairly easy but yummy candy to make. Some recipes call for sweetened condensed milk but you can make it just normal milk and sugar.

Ingredients

2/3 cups raw sugar
2/3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/3 cup chopped cashews

Method

1. Add milk and sugar to a small saucepan and heat and bring to the boil
2. Continue to heat on medium-high until mixture, whilst regularly stirring for about 7 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken.
3. Reduce heat to low-medium and heat until mixture reaches 240C on a candy thermomemeter. (Or until it forms a firm ball a drop of the mixture is placed in cold water).
4. Take of the heat and mix in the butter, vanilla, cocoa, and cashews.
5. Pour onto pan lined with baking paper.
6. Allow to set slightly (about 30 min) and cut into desired shape and then allow to set completely
7. Eat.

Microwave Coffee Pudding

This is a super simple microwave recipe, for coffee lovers.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Shot of coffee
1 cup of milk
1 egg
3 teaspoons sugar or more to taste

Method
1. Microwave milk for 1 minute and mix in sugar
2. Beat egg and then mix in milk
3. Mix in coffee
4. Pour into ramekins, or small glasses and microwave for about 2 minutes on medium setting.
5. Stop microwaving once pudding is set and starts bubbling on top.
6. Let it cool for at least 20 minutes.
7. Serve warm or put in the fridge to have it chilled later.

Notes

• The microwave time is variable just watch carefully to make sure it is set. Skewer should come out clean when it is set. You may have a bit of condensed liquid around the edges, which makes the pudding look as though it has not set. If the liquid is watery it is set if it is milky then you need to microwave it for a bit longer. 

Systematic Review of Marshmallows

Making marshmallows is relatively simple. But there are millions of varying recipes for it. Does it matter which recipe you use?
Personally, I don't think it does - you'll still end up with yummy marshmallows. Some recipes will give you gooey marshmallows whereas others will be light and fluffy but both will be delicious.

Fluffy Marshmallows - YUM!

So what are the bare minimum ingredients to make marshmallows?

Sugar - I've used both raw sugar and caster and it doesn't make a difference. You want to get your sugar to about 245F. It's fairly easy if you have a candy thermometer. If not you can have fun experimenting with your sugar syrup and cold water. Ideally you should reach the firm ball stage. This website has a good explanation of sugar stages.

Gelatine -  Marshmallows are really just toffee with more water and air. Gelatine is what keeps the water in your Marshmallows. Your Gelatine will generally have instructions on how much to use. I use one sachet which is enough to set 500mL of water.  However, my recipe only requires about 250mL of water.

Water - You have to add water to you sugar to make sugar syrup. Also, you require water for your gelatine.  The amount of water you add to your gelatine will largely determine whether you get gooey, sticky marshmallows or dryer, light and fluffy ones. It's largely personal preference. This is where you can vary things to get the perfect marshmallows.

Optionals are

Vanilla essence - Flavouring. I've never tried to make marshmallows without this but you can. You could always use some other flavouring

Eggs Whites - Often recipes will call for egg whites. Theoretically, egg whites should make your Marshmallows that extra bit fluffier but I haven't noticed this.

Corn syrup - This is a type of Inverted Sugar. Basically, it's sucrose broken down into the smaller sugars fructose and glucose, which are less likely to crystallise when the sugar syrup cools down. However, I've never used corn syrup and have never had issues with the syrup crystallising.

Icing sugar/Corn flour - A mixture of icing sugar and corn flour is often used to coat marshmallows

Grated coconut - Toasted coconut is another alternative for coating your marshmallows.

Colouring - For more fun!

So my recipe?

Ingredients
1.5 cups sugar
1 cup water
20g gelatine
1 teaspoon vanilla
Food colouring
1/2 cup Icing sugar
1/2 cup Corn flour

Method

1. Add gelatine to 1/2 cup water, mix and set aside.
2. Line a tray with baking paper, and dust baking paper with icing sugar
3. Add sugar and 1/2 cup water to saucepan and bring to boil on med-high heat.
4. Check temperature with candy thermometer and reduce heat to low-medium as temperature goes above 235F
5. Remove sugar syrup from heat when 245F is reached and place saucepan on cool surface (e.g. sink) to stop heating
6. Let sugar syrup cool for a minute and then mix in the gelatine
7. Pour sugar gelatine syrup into a mixing bowl and beat with mixer for about 10 min until the mixture has cooled down and is no longer rising
8. Add flavouring and colouring and pour into tray
9. Allow at least 4 hours to set.
10. Cut up marshmallows and coat with mixture of icing sugar and corn flour

So recipes I've reviewed include. 

• http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/07/marshmallow-recipe-candymaking/
• http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/06/springy-fluffy-marshmallows/
• http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/204/marshmallows
• http://www.joyofbaking.com/candy/HomemadeMarshmallows.html
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe/index.html

Marshmallows

Marshmallows for Australia day

Making marshmallows was easier than I had expected. I used a slight variation of this recipe. It's a fairly easy recipe but these are my tips.

Ingredients
1.5 Cups Caster Sugar
20g Gelatine (2 table spoons)
Vanilla Essence
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup icing sugar
Food colouring

Recipe
1. Mix gelatine in 2/3 cup cold water and let it sit for at least 10 minutes
2. Add sugar and 2/3 cups water to sauce pan and heat on medium heat.
3. Keep stirring sugar until the syrup forms a firm ball. Alternatively heat it until it reach 250°F on a candy thermometer. (See this for more info)
4. Take sugar syrup off heat and combine with gelatine mixture.
5. Beat sugar/gelatine mixture using a beater for about 10 minutes until it is quite thick.
6. Beat in vanilla essence
7. Separate marshmallow mixture into two bowls and add desired colouring
8. Line a large tray with baking paper and dust paper generously with icing sugar.
9. Pour marshmallow mix onto tray
10. Let it set overnight
11. Colour coconut with desired colour
12. Toast coconut on a frying pan for a few minutes until it starts to brown.
13. Combine coconut with icing sugar
14. Slice up marshmallow into pieces and coat with the coconut mixture.

My first attempt (or perhaps it was my 2nd)