Classic Snacks Made from Scratch (17 page)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ounce milk or semisweet chocolate chips (a scant 1/4 cup)

vegetable shortening (for bunnies)

MAKE THE MARSHMALLOW:

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper and shake a thin, even layer of granulated sugar across the waxed paper.

Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over 1/4 cup water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Don’t bother to whisk; the gelatin will absorb the liquid on its own.

In a high-sided saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar with the corn syrup and remaining 1/2 cup water until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid no longer feels grainy. Clip a candy thermometer to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. When the sugar syrup reaches 245°F (firm-ball stage) on the thermometer, remove it from the heat.

Carefully pour the hot syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Using the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk at low speed for 30 seconds. Gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for about 6 minutes, adding the vanilla during the last minute. The liquid will turn from syrupy and frothy to a light, fluffy, and shiny white marshmallow mixture that forms soft peaks when the mixer is stopped and the whisk is lifted.

FORM THE CHICKS:

Fill the pastry or gallon-size zip-top bag with marshmallow (see How to Fill a Pastry Bag,
page 187
). Working on the sugar-dusted baking sheet, make chicks by piping fat teardrop shapes about 1 inch across to form the fat bodies. Pipe a circular blob on top of each body, then quickly move your hand back toward the tail and flick the goo forward to make the head and the beak.

If your Peeps are spreading rather than setting, wait a few minutes between steps. The marshmallow will set up more firmly the longer it sits, so if it’s still too warm and liquid, give it a few minutes.

Sprinkle the finished chicks with sugar and let sit on the sheet for 6 to 8 hours to set.

MAKE THE EYES:

Once the Peeps are set, melt the chocolate over low heat in a small saucepan, stirring constantly, just until smooth. Dip a toothpick into the melted chocolate and dot eyes onto both sides of each Peep’s head.

Like fresh Peeps? Eat immediately. Like stale Peeps? Let them sit out for up to a week, but don’t refrigerate unless you like soggy, gooey Peeps. And I don’t think anyone does.

FOR BUNNY PEEPS:

Instead of sprinkling a rimmed baking sheet with sugar, grease the bottom and
sides of an 8-inch square glass baking dish with vegetable shortening and dust with granulated sugar, shaking the dish to coat evenly.

Instead of filling the pastry bag with the marshmallow goo, use a spatula to spread it into the prepared dish. Dust the top with granulated sugar. Let sit overnight, then remove the set marshmallow in a single block onto a clean cutting board. Cut into bunny shapes using a cookie cutter and roll in additional sugar to coat the sides. Dot on eyes as directed above for chicks.

Sour Patch Kids are the ultimate movie theater snack for most people, and I’m no exception. Only most people probably don’t eat an entire 30-ounce bag of the astringent gummies so quickly that they have a stomachache before the movie is out of its introductory scenes, as I did when watching
Ghost
as an impressionable tween. My mom gave my dad hell for allowing me to see the racy flick, but truth be told, I had barely any recollection of the steamy pottery scenes. I was too focused on my stomach’s contortions and how I was going to make it through the movie without letting on how much pain I was in. Sorry, Swayze.

YIELD:
about 6 dozen candies

TOTAL TIME:
2 hours 30 minutes, including setting time

DIFFICULTY:
2

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
candy/oil thermometer

JELLIES

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime, lemon, or orange juice, or bottled cherry juice

1/2 teaspoon citric acid (see
page 13
)

1/2 cup water, divided

4 (1/4-ounce) envelopes powdered unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup (3-1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

COATING

1 tablespoon powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon citric acid

MAKE THE JELLIES:

Whisk the fruit juice and citric acid with 1/4 cup water in a 2-quart straight-sided saucepan until the granules are fully dissolved. Sprinkle the gelatin as evenly as possible over the surface; it will absorb the liquid on its own without whisking or stirring.

Whisk the sugar with the remaining 1/4 cup water in a separate straight-sided saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, uncovered, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. When the liquid starts to bubble, stop stirring and attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook undisturbed until the sugar reaches 300°F on the thermometer. You’ll notice the liquid thicken to a more syrupy texture as the boiling slows and the bubbles become less “furious”—but a thermometer is the most surefire way to know when you’ve reached the right
temperature without undercooking or overshooting.

Carefully pour the hot sugar into the gelatin and place the saucepan over medium-low heat. The sugar will form a big, scary, hard clump when it hits the gelatin, but don’t worry: gently and continuously stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, and it will soften and dissolve until there are no more clear lumpy bits. If the liquid starts to boil, lower the heat.

Pour the mixture into an 8-inch square glass baking dish and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

COAT THE CANDIES:

Whisk the powdered sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl, and whisk the granulated sugar and citric acid together in another small bowl. Set aside.

Set a wire cooling rack in a rimmed baking sheet, making sure the rack fits comfortably inside the “walls” of the sheet.

Lightly dust a cutting board with powdered sugar, spreading it with your hand to make an even dusting. Carefully lift a corner of the set gelatin block and peel the candy out of the pan onto the cutting board. Flip over once so that both sides have a fine coating of sugar. Slice into a dozen 1/2-inch strips and cut each strip into 5 candies, each about 1-1/4 inches long.

If the candies are starting to “weep” and get goopy and sticky, first dredge them in the cornstarch–powdered sugar mixture, a few at a time, tapping on the side of the bowl to remove excess powder. Then toss them in the sugar–citric acid mixture. If the candies are dry to the touch, simply coat them in the citric acid mixture.

Let the coated candies dry for 8 hours on the cooling rack until the coating is hard and crunchy.

Store the candies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.

Are they breakfast or dessert? Do they taste better hot or cold? The only for-sure conclusion about these cookies, pies, and tarts stuffed with sweet and tangy goop is that they’re the perfect compromise when you know you should be eating a piece of fruit but would much rather be snacking on something else.

Luckily, with homemade Fig Newtons, toaster strudels, or strawberry Pop-Tarts, at least you know there’s real, in-season fruit tucked between those flaky layers of pastry. Use any of these soft and crumbly treats to justify your cravings on those days when chocolate just won’t cut it.

FIG NEWTONS

HOSTESS/DRAKE’S CHERRY PIE

MCDONALD’S APPLE PIES

CHERRY TOASTER STRUDEL

STRAWBERRY POP-TARTS

CINNAMON POP-TARTS

TABLE TALK LEMON PIE

Even though spunky kid-lit heroine Ramona Quimby once referred to Fig Newtons as being filled with chopped-up worms, that hasn’t stopped legions of fans from devouring the soft little sandwiches by the handful. Part of me wonders how the mass marketers of cookie-dom have gotten away with feeding kids healthy figs for so long—but it also sweetens the adult realization that we’ve been enjoying the fruit’s subtle charms since childhood.

Feel free to take another page from the Nabisco playbook and fill your Newtons with homemade jam—raspberry, strawberry, rhubarb, and blueberry are all tried-and-true choices.

YIELD:
4 dozen cookies

TOTAL TIME:
1 hour 45 minutes, including cooling time

DIFFICULTY:
3

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
stand mixer, mini food processor, pastry or pizza cutter or bench scraper

COOKIES

2 cups (8-1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) whole wheat flour (either traditional or white whole wheat)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

12 tablespoons (6 ounces) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup (3-3/4 ounces) packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup (1-3/4 ounces) granulated sugar

3 large eggs

FILLING

8 ounces dried Mission figs, quartered, with tough stems removed

2 cups fresh orange juice (from about 6 oranges)

1/4 cup (1-3/4 ounces) granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH:

Sift the flours, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed, until the mixture is fluffy and light beige in color. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly in between. Add the dry ingredients gradually to make a soft, sticky dough.

Pat the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

MAKE THE FILLING:

While the dough is chilling, stir the figs, orange juice, sugar, and ginger together in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the figs are soft and the liquid has a jamlike consistency, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Transfer the fig filling to a mini food processor and pulse until puréed. Cool to room temperature.

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.

On a floured work surface, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Rewrap and refrigerate 3 of the pieces and roll the fourth piece into an 8 by 10-inch rectangle approximately 1/4 inch thick. Trim the edges evenly, using a pastry or pizza cutter or a bench scraper.

Spread a quarter of the fig filling onto half of the dough rectangle using your moistened fingers or an offset spatula. Fold the uncovered half over to make a 5 by 8-inch sandwich cookie.