Friday, October 26, 2012

Budget Candy Treats . . . from your own kitchen!

When my children were very small, we didn't always have the extra money for special treats. Fortunately, I liked to bake so something could always be managed and the children never really knew when we were struggling financially. A favorite was a simple candy recipe that only required melting, stirring something into it, and letting it harden.

Although you can use your choice of chocolate chips for this, I watched for the sales of the chocolate melts at the craft stores. Besides chocolate, it came in a variety of colors. It is easy to gently melt in the microwave and you can stir in just about anything to come up with a crunchy treat. You just add enough so it holds together when you drop tablespoons onto some waxed paper to harden.

Some ideas . . .
Peanuts and raisins.
Candied fruit.
Chow Mein noodles (the dried, ready-to-eat variety)
Coconut.
Crisped rice cereal.
Tiny marshmallows and nuts.
Pretzels

As you can see, the list is as long as your imagination. Just make sure you don't use any 'wet' ingredients as it will seize up the chocolate and turn it into a grainy mess. Also, there are candy molds available if you want to be really fancy and, as they are reusable, it is a great investment of a couple of dollars.

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