What do you buy people who have everything? Or, when there is actually
something they want, they just go out and buy it themselves.
That is the dilemma we experience with my parents. They are the hardest people to buy for. Oh, it's not that they're ungrateful. Far from it. They are the most giving people. Ever. And they want nothing in return.
My dad recently celebrated a birthday. And as always, we asked, "What are going to get him???" There's always the Barnes & Noble gift card option. He does a lot of reading. A lot of reading. People often give him gift cards so we wanted to pick something different this time. Another gift we often fall back on is dress shirts. Between work (he's a chiropractor) and church, my dad wears a lot of dress shirts. My mom suggested we go this route. But a couple of dress shirts (they have to be Staffords from Penney's) just seemed so boring . . . and typical.
Then I thought of Butterfingers. They are his favorite candy. In fact, it's really the only candy he ever eats. There is always a bag of fun size bars in the freezer. Somehow, they taste even better frozen. Instead of just picking up a bag from the store, I thought, "Hmm, I bet there's a recipe to make them myself." And you know what? There is! So that's just what we did.
I looked at the recipe in 4 different places. And while the ingredients were always the same, I found 4 different variations for the ratio of them. After comparing and brainstorming, I settled on my own ratio.
The first ingredient is probably not what you would expect.
Candy corn.
Candy corn?
Yep. Candy corn.
That is the dilemma we experience with my parents. They are the hardest people to buy for. Oh, it's not that they're ungrateful. Far from it. They are the most giving people. Ever. And they want nothing in return.
My dad recently celebrated a birthday. And as always, we asked, "What are going to get him???" There's always the Barnes & Noble gift card option. He does a lot of reading. A lot of reading. People often give him gift cards so we wanted to pick something different this time. Another gift we often fall back on is dress shirts. Between work (he's a chiropractor) and church, my dad wears a lot of dress shirts. My mom suggested we go this route. But a couple of dress shirts (they have to be Staffords from Penney's) just seemed so boring . . . and typical.
Then I thought of Butterfingers. They are his favorite candy. In fact, it's really the only candy he ever eats. There is always a bag of fun size bars in the freezer. Somehow, they taste even better frozen. Instead of just picking up a bag from the store, I thought, "Hmm, I bet there's a recipe to make them myself." And you know what? There is! So that's just what we did.
I looked at the recipe in 4 different places. And while the ingredients were always the same, I found 4 different variations for the ratio of them. After comparing and brainstorming, I settled on my own ratio.
The first ingredient is probably not what you would expect.
Candy corn.
Candy corn?
Yep. Candy corn.
Wait, do they sell candy corn in the spring???
Surprisingly, I found 3 containers full of candy corn in the bulk section of Meijer. Three whole containers 6 months after Halloween! Either these candies are really stale or the store keeps them stocked year-round.
I'm hoping it's the latter.
Melt them down and admire the pretty colors.
Add some peanut butter.
Peanut butter and candy corn???
Just trust me.
Mix it all together and admire the pretty colors again.
Plop the mixture into a pan lined with wax paper and let cool.
If you're totally intrigue to find out if candy corn and peanut butter really taste like a Butterfinger and you can't wait for it to cool, go ahead and scrap some off the spoon. I give you permission.
Cut up your bars. A real Butterfinger is about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, but with sloped ends.
Yes, I measured.
Yes, I'm compulsive like that.
Melt your chocolate.
I prefer candy melts because they melt and coat better than chips, but I didn't have any.
But I always have chocolate chips! I melted the chips in a makeshift double boiler (pan with a couple inches of water with a metal bowl resting in it.) I also added about a tablespoon of vegetable oil to thin the chocolate and make it easier to coat.
Coat your bars with the chocolate.
If you have any leftover chocolate, put it in a small dish and hand it and some mini marshmallows to your kids. They'll think you're the coolest mom.
Finally, time for a comparison!
Pretty similar in size.
Comparable in shape.
A couple shades off in color.
Almost double the thickness. (I changed the pan size in my directions.)
Filling color is spot on.
Texture is crunchy, yet chewy.
Taste?
Taste???
Taste is nearly identical! Oh, it's crazy. The chocolate is a tad too rich (just like when we made the mock Girl Scout peanut butter patties), but the filling tastes like the real thing. It's no wonder the kids love them. Jake even asked if we could make them every week. Yeah, they're good. Crispy, crunchy, peanut-buttery!
A couple of boring dress shirts and yummy homemade Butterfingers - happy birthday, Dad!
Butterfingers
Ingredients:
2 cups candy corn
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips or candy melts
Directions:
1. Melt candy corn in microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Continue to heat for 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until completely melted.
2. Add peanut butter and mix until combined.
3. Pour mixture into an 9x13 inch pan lined with wax paper. Let cool for 1 hour.
4. Cut into bars
5. Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave. Coat bars with chocolate and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet to set.
Surprisingly, I found 3 containers full of candy corn in the bulk section of Meijer. Three whole containers 6 months after Halloween! Either these candies are really stale or the store keeps them stocked year-round.
I'm hoping it's the latter.
Peanut butter and candy corn???
Just trust me.
Yes, I measured.
Yes, I'm compulsive like that.
I prefer candy melts because they melt and coat better than chips, but I didn't have any.
But I always have chocolate chips! I melted the chips in a makeshift double boiler (pan with a couple inches of water with a metal bowl resting in it.) I also added about a tablespoon of vegetable oil to thin the chocolate and make it easier to coat.
If you have any leftover chocolate, put it in a small dish and hand it and some mini marshmallows to your kids. They'll think you're the coolest mom.
Pretty similar in size.
Comparable in shape.
A couple shades off in color.
Filling color is spot on.
Texture is crunchy, yet chewy.
Taste?
Taste???
Taste is nearly identical! Oh, it's crazy. The chocolate is a tad too rich (just like when we made the mock Girl Scout peanut butter patties), but the filling tastes like the real thing. It's no wonder the kids love them. Jake even asked if we could make them every week. Yeah, they're good. Crispy, crunchy, peanut-buttery!
A couple of boring dress shirts and yummy homemade Butterfingers - happy birthday, Dad!
Butterfingers
Ingredients:
2 cups candy corn
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips or candy melts
Directions:
1. Melt candy corn in microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Continue to heat for 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until completely melted.
2. Add peanut butter and mix until combined.
3. Pour mixture into an 9x13 inch pan lined with wax paper. Let cool for 1 hour.
4. Cut into bars
5. Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave. Coat bars with chocolate and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet to set.
Yum! I am definitely going to try this! Candy corn? Who knew?
ReplyDeleteOh, my! No wonder I like butterfingers so much. Candy corn and peanut butter. Like Emilee said Who Knew? This, I have got to try. It will be a great Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen. If I can find candy corn. NOT that easy around here to find it out of season.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing on Throwback Thursday Blog-Style. I can't wait to see what you share this week.