Pink Marshmallow Cornflake Candy Heart with Cinnamon

Pink Marshmallow Cornflake Candy Heart with Cinnamon




My husbands favorite Christmas treat is the Cornflake wreath, made with marshmallows and green food coloring.  I've been hearing about his favorite Christmas treats for years, but never got exactly what they were called.  Finally, Christmas 2010, he tells me that its the Rice Krispie treats he loves, colored green, with red cinnamon candies.  My little boy and I made a big batch of Rice Krispie treats, colored green, with red cinnamon candies.  We were very proud that we made Daddy's favorite Christmas treat.  When Chris came home we proudly showed him our creation.  To which he says, that's not like Mom makes it.  Oh. Really.  Just HOW does Mom make them?  He informs us that she uses Cornflakes, not rice krispies.  I remind him, HE said, Rice Krispie treats.

 Flash forward to Christmas 2011.  Again.  All we hear about is the favorite, elusive, Christmas treat his Mom makes.  The year before, his Mom made him some, but they were eaten before we were able to get there, in her defense; she does live 5 hours away, and they are really good......
I let him know, since he can not decide what the treats are called, the ingredients, or how they are made,  he will need to produce a recipe, or there will be NO favorite treats for him unless his Mom makes them and he goes to retrieve them before they are eaten.
Finally, a few days before Christmas, I received two e-mails from him each with a recipe attached.  He assured me the recipe is the one his Mom uses.  I, unfortunately, did not get around to making them for him.  I have felt bad about it, so I decided I would make them for him for Valentines day.  A real surprise, don't you think? He better like them. Just kidding. Okay. No. I'm serious.  (grin)

Here's what you will need.

Pink Marshmallow Cornflake Candy Heart with Cinnamon

2 small jars of marshmallow creme
1 stick of butter
1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract
Cinnamon hard candies
Pink decorating sugar crystals
red food coloring
4 1/2 cups cornflakes

In a *double boiler combine the  marshmallow creme, butter, and a couple cinnamon hard candies
Melt together then add the vanilla,
2 drops of red food coloring,
shake some pink sugar crystals then
mix well until a lovely pink color
Add the Cornflakes gently stirring to mix well

Spoon into a heart shaped pan, or onto a cookie sheet and form into a heart shape
Sprinkle more pink sugar crystals and arrange the cinnamon candies into heart shapes
Let cool and serve

You could also make small heart shapes instead of one big one, pipe a frosting bow on the hearts and shake pink sugar crystals on it

*Note:  If you don't have a double boiler, you can use an ovenproof or stainless steel bowl and a large pot.  Place water (don't fill it up, just about 1/4 way) in the pot.  Put the bowl on top (it must fit on top, and not IN the pot).  Heat the water until it steams then you'll see the butter and marshmallow creme melting.

Handmade Cinnamon Broken Glass Christmas Candy

I enjoy watching the Cupcake and Cake wars on Food Network.  I find it fascinating when the chefs make their own candy and spin them into fabulous designs.  I may not be able to craft a candy cane, or fantastic flowers or spinning fairies with candy wings, but I can make some delicious cinnamon candy.  I got the recipe off a friend and co-worker who called it Rock Candy.  He would bring bags of it around Christmas and we would all go crazy for it.  He wrote the recipe on a torn piece of paper, that is much stained from years of use.  I suppose I'll print off a new one after I blog it to you all.

I do have some warnings to go with this candy, I learned the hard way.

Warning 1: Try as hard as you can not to have your face or any other body parts close to the hot sugar when you add the cinnamon oil.  A facial is nice, but having pure cinnamon oil infused into your open pores is miserable. It's much worse if it goes up your nose, much worse.  Trust me, I tried to stay away from it tonight and a little got on my face.  My cheek is a little hot, and my hand is red and tingling a bit.  I smell very nicely of cinnamon though.

Warning 2: Try to use a very deep pot, or make sure you have on a shirt you don't mind to ruin with the food color.  Once you drop the food coloring into the hot sugar, it will start sputtering and erupt like a volcano of red dye.


NOTES:
The past few years I used a wooden spoon and was so disappointed that my candy didn't have a nice cinnamon, well honestly, any cinnamon taste to it. This year I used a stainless steel spoon, and  my candy is so nice and Cinnamon flavored.

Ok, with the warnings out of the way, lets move on to the good part.  Making candy!  YUMMY.



Rock Candy or Broken Glass Candy

3 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup white corn syrup
1 cup water
1 small bottle of Cinnamon oil (find in Pharmacy or bulk food store)
Red Food Coloring
Candy thermometer
Sheet pan with sides
aluminum foil (optional)
butter/oil
Powdered sugar

Have the sheet pan prepared before you start boiling the sugar, also have the cinnamon oil bottle opened and close by as well as the bottle of food coloring.  Things move quickly once hard crack stage is reached, be prepared.

Mix sugar, corn syrup and water and bring to a boil
Stir constantly until thermometer reaches 300-310 degrees

Remove from heat
Immediately stir in cinnamon and food coloring
Pour into sheet pan that has been oiled (or place a piece of aluminum foil on sheet pan and butter it)

Let cool
Once cool take the handle of a butter knife, or case knife and crack the candy into pieces

Place in a bowl or zip lock baggy and Roll in powdered sugar

This recipe is very versatile, you can use any sort of flavored oil you like.  Peppermint, wintergreen, anise....likewise, you can use any color food coloring you like as well.

If you are making a Gingerbread house, you can pour the candy into pre-made little molds to make the window glass and "glue" it in with royal icing.  Place a light inside the house (single corded lights can be found at craft shops all around.  They have one socket for a Christmas light bulb) and you've made a magical gingerbread house for Christmas.

You can also form foil into a circle and pour the candy into it to make a lovely pond for skaters to skate upon in front of your gingerbread house or Christmas village.  Simply tint the candy blue instead of red, once cool dust lightly with powdered sugar to look like snow covered ice.  My Mom always did those things when she made our Gingerbread houses. She really is creative.