Monday, November 7, 2011

Homemade Butterfingers!! Crispy peanut butter center covered in chocolate!

 
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Mr. Wonderful loves Butterfinger and I thought “Why not try to make them? They can’t be too hard to make.” Wow, I was so wrong. I couldn’t get any of the recipes I saw online to work. I had 4 batches of mistakes. So, I tried my own version and I think I got it! I have tried it several times to make sure it wasn’t a fluke and I got great results every time. I hope you do too!
 
What you will need for Butterfingers:
· 1 cup of White Sugar
· 1/3 cup of Light Corn Syrup
· 1/3 cup of Water
· 1 ¼ cup of Creamy Peanut Butter
· Milk Chocolate Candy Melts for the Coating
 
Tools you will need:
· 2 quart saucepan with a lid
· A Candy Thermometer
· A microwave safe bowl
· A wooden spoon
· An oven safe pan
· Non-stick spray
· A pizza cutter or a knife (I found the pizza cutter works best)
· A fork or Dipping tool
· Silpat or Wax paper
 
Steps:
1) Spray your pan with non-stick spray (or rub with a little oil). Place in the oven on the lowest setting. You just want it a little warm.
2) Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in your saucepan. Place the pan with the lid ON over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3) Once the 5 minutes are up, remove the lid and raise the temperature to medium high heat. Place the candy thermometer in the saucepan. No need to stir!
4) While the sugars cook, place the 1 ¼ cup peanut butter in a bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. You want your peanut butter to be in a liquid stage. If you need to, heat for another 10 seconds.
5) Now, back to the sugar! You want your mixture to reach 290 degrees. Now, here is the trick. Subtract 2 degrees for every 1000 feet above sea level you live. I subtract 10 degrees (so, I went to 280 degrees). Yes, I live with the mountain goats!
6) Get your pan out of the oven.
7) The second it reaches 290 degrees (-2 for every 1000 feet), remove from the heat. Stir in the peanut butter as quickly as possible. Be careful! The sugar is super hot!
8) Pour the mixture onto the heated pan.
9) Score the mixture with a pizza cutter that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Try to have even sizes. I didn’t even come close!

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I have pieces missing. Mr. Wonderful couldn’t wait any longer!

10) Allow the mixture to cool and dry overnight.
11) Now, they are ready for chocolate! I used Milk Chocolate Candy Melts. Follow the instructions on the back of the package or follow mine.
12) Place the Butterfinger pieces in the chocolate one at a time and pull them out with your fork. Be sure to tap off the excess chocolate. Place on your Silpat or Wax paper.

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13) I did a little design with chocolate and a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.

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Enjoy them! I’ve been told that they are even better than a Butterfinger. I hope you get the same results!

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Do you have a favorite candy you want to know how to make?  Leave a comment and I will do my best to make it for you!!!

5 comments:

  1. Hi, I've decided to take you up on your offer in that last sentence. I have a large number of food allergies, so I can eat only what I make myself to be certain it's safe. I'm allergic to cow's milk, so I can't have milk chocolate. But I can have cow cream and butter since the protein I'm allergic to apparently separates into the other layer readily. So I can have dark chocolate--but only one brand. I'm allergic to soy, but so far the soy lecithin in Ghirardelli's bittersweet is okay; it must be the equivalent of pharmaceutical grade, i.e. highly purified. I'm interested in figuring out how to make Russell Stover's Raspberry Whip Egg (http://www.russellstover.com/jump.jsp?itemID=728&itemType=PRODUCT&cid=frooglesearch&kwd=), or even their Strawberry Cream Egg if that one seems easier. My main issue is with the tree nuts and coconut oil in so many things. Anyway, it just occurred to me that the Whip Egg is a kind of thin, fluffy nougat. Could you make it the same way as the recipe for 3 Musketeers nougat, only add jam instead of chocolate at the end? I wonder what that would do. I know Russell Stover uses real raspberries, as the filling turns pale purple, rather than staying pink. (I found that the anthocyanins are a good acid base indicator, and since egg whites are basic, it turns shocking purple!) I'm excited to hear what you come up with. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. I commented below. I'm on it!

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    2. Yay. I'm glad you found it interesting. :) I also forgot to mention I can't use corn syrup since I'm allergic to vanilla, and I can't seem to find any without it. :( (Otherwise, I could certainly use it!) I know Walmart usually has the strawberry ones, but the raspberry ones are a little harder to find. Walgreens usually has them both though. And almost any Hallmark store usually carries them also. Don't know if that helps you.

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    3. OK! I think I figured out the recipe for the raspberry and the strawberry cream eggs. Now, you actually find the time to type it up! One question, can you use pure same syrup?

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  2. Hmmm...I guess I will have to get some samples. Darn :-).

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