Pumpkin Spice Fudge

I love to try new recipes and this one was a hit! Details are below but you can find the recipe at this link 

Pumpkin Spice Fudge Recipe

Pumpkin lovers will adore this creamy confection. This is the go-to pumpkin recipe for fall.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 7 ounces marshmallow creme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line a 9 X 9-inch pan with aluminum foil and set aside.
2. In a 3 quart saucepan, heat milk and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Mix in pumpkin puree and spices and bring back to a boil. Stir in marshmallow creme and butter. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 18 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add white chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until creamy and all chips have melted. Pour into prepared pan. Cool, remove from pan, and cut into squares. Enjoy!

Tips for Caramel Dips!!

Making caramel apples is fun and rewarding! If you're an apple dipper novice you can easily get overwhelmed. Here are some basic tips to help you navigate the kitchen mess and exit gracefully as a dipping expert.

#1- DECIDE: What type of caramel you want?

I prefer to use homemade caramel, but if you want a quicker method you don’t need to unwrap tons of individual cubes of caramel. You can use a 5lb loaf of Peters Caramel (available at specialty food/kitchen stores). It covers around 25 medium sized apples. If you don’t need to use the entire loaf, just place the extra in an airtight container and it’s shelf stable for 12 months.

#2- CHOOSE: Pick your Poison...apple, that is!

The truth is that any good, firm apple will do. I like the tart granny smith apples and the sweet honey crisp. You’ll want to stay away from the softer apples like macintosh and summer rambo’s.

#3- WASH: Think Karate Kid - Wax on, Wax off!

The shiny finish on the apples you get from the grocers is called shellac. It is a waxy food grade finish coated on the apples to protect them until they make it to your home. This needs to be removed before dipping your apples in caramel. If not the caramel will slip right off the apple. More than just washing your apple, you must scrub the apple. I also use a vegetable wash that works wonderfully. Make sure the apples are completely dry before dipping. 

#4- POKE: With a sturdy stick!

Choose a sturdy, longer, heavier stick that can support the weight of the apple, caramel and other delicious toppings.  I set the apple on the table first and see how it sits. No matter what side the apple is leaning too I push the stick in (closest to the core) where it is straight, even if the apple isn’t.

#5- DIP: Just say no! to puddles.

After you dip your apple, shake, and then wait for just a few moments and make sure the excess caramel drips off just a bit. Then use a spatula and scrap the bottom 1/3 of the caramel off the apple. Set it down on a greased cookie sheet, the warm caramel on the top of the apple continues to flow down and cover the bottom without a huge puddle mess!

      #6- DECORATE: Yes, you can have it all
Before you start its a good idea to know what direction you want to go with the final toppings and candy decorations. Are you creating your apples by theme or for a particular colors scheme?  Once I have an idea of what I want my apples to feature I set up my workspace to look like a candy bar at an ice cream shop. Bowls filled with every little sprinkle, cookie, candy, chocolate variety, and nut available. This can be pretty massive because I've got a sprinkle fetish. When you're ready to decorate get creative and go for it! 

My Caramel Recipe with a dash of "just wing it"

I prefer to make homemade caramel for dipping, I realize it's a tad more involved than store bought options but I'll be honest, stirring a boiling hot pot of bubbly caramel really makes me happy (oh, and too preoccupied to notice which child is having a Wii meltdown!) But, trust me I do not frown upon the Peter's brick buyers or the "unwrappers" of individual caramel cubes.
With that being said, I do get a lot of requests for my caramel recipe and getting out of my head and into written form has taken a bit, so here ya go, finally:

Robyn's Caramel Recipe

Author: Robyn Baird - Chocolate Workshop
Recipe type: Dessert
Covers 12 Large apples 
Cook Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour

Ingredients
    
     1 Pint of cream
     2 Sticks of butter
     3 Cups of sugar
     1 Cup of light corn syrup
     1 Can sweetened condensed milk ((14oz))
     1-ish*  tsp  vanilla (*add your favorite small unit of measurement here) dash, nip, smidge, splash. 


InstructionsCombine the first five ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and stir constantly until boiling. Once boiling, turn down heat to med/low and continue to boil. Occasionally stir gently to check that it is not scalding. Careful not to over stir! Wash down the sides inside pot with a wet brush to dissolve every last sugar granule. Use a candy thermometer to check temperature and remove from heat at soft ball stage or your desired temp (all stoves/heat vary but my temps hover around 230-240*F, if you need that in Celsius, you're on your own!). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let it set for a couple minutes then start to dip apples. You can also pour this out into a prepared pan and cut in to bite size pieces when it cools entirely.   I like to cook caramel to a little softer consistency suitable for dipping apples. For the best results don't rely solely on candy thermometers but rather a combination including a cold water test to check your desired consistency.

• When the caramel mixture starts to boil it will bubble up quite a bit. So it's important to make sure you start with a large pot.

• Over stirring and agitation can make your caramel grainy.

• Stray granules of sugar that are left on the sides of the pot can mix into your perfectly smooth caramel and reform the molecular chains making your caramel grainy. For more info on this Alton Brown can give you all the grainy details.

• Extra humidity in the air can affect your caramel.

• Be careful, caramel is VERY hot!