Fall

Homemade Caramel Corn with Pecans & Candy Corn

A perfectly addicting, seasonal sweet snack
Filed Under > Desserts

Homemade caramel corn with pecans and candy corn, the perfect recipe for fall, @waitingonmartha

I get very nostalgic when it comes to homemade caramel corn.  Memories of my dad whipping up a big batch as soon as the leaves started to change.  Melting it all low-and-slow, and then shake-shake-shaking the mixture in a big paper bag before spilling out the warm, sweet, crunchy goodness on the table for Mom and me to devour until we literally made ourselves sick. 

Being one of my favorite fall treats, I wanted to try my hand at making homemade caramel corn myself this year.  It seemed simple enough…traditional stovetop popcorn (which in my humble opinion is the only way to make popcorn) + pecans + candy corn + homemade caramel sauce.  And it really is simple as long as you have a few tricks up your sleeve.  Tricks I’ve finally perfected after a few trial and error test batches.

First, you’ll logically want to put the candy corn directly into the popcorn, pecan, and caramel sauce mixture before baking it all together in the oven.  Don’t.  Since candy corn is essentially all sugar what ends up happening is the candy corn pieces completely melt leaving you with patches of yellow and orange dotted throughout your mixture. Instead, you’ll want to sprinkle on the candy corn pieces right when you bring the mixture out of the oven when it’s still warm.  That way, they stick in the mixture but don’t melt.  

Second, line your oven with aluminum foil to catch any rogue drips of caramel sauce.  If you’re heavy-handed with the caramel sauce like me, then your sauce will likely bubble over during baking.  Trust me when I say, sticky caramel sauce on the bottom of your oven is a major pain to clean up. 

Lastly, when making the caramel sauce, constant stirring and timing really is everything, so make sure you read the recipe at least twice before beginning and DO NOT walk away from the sauce.  It can all go terribly wrong in less than 30 seconds, just trust me on this!  Happy fall y’all!  Truly, MKR

P.S. When the homemade caramel corn comes out of the oven, it’s my favorite time to indulge since it’s so warm, gooey, and not too hard, but try to show a little self-restraint and set some aside to package up for neighbors, teachers, and coworkers!  xo

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Homemade Caramel Corn with Pecans and Candy Corn
Serves 8
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
45 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 5 QUARTS POPPED POP CORN COOLED (1 PREFER STOVETOP, BUT MICROWAVE WILL WORK AS WELL)
  2. 1 BAG OF CANDY CORN
  3. 2-3 CUPS OF PECAN HALVES
  4. 2 CUPS BROWN SUGAR
  5. 1 CUP LIGHT KARO CORN SYRUP
  6. 1 CUP ORGANIC BUTTER UN SALTED
  7. 1 TEASPOON SALT
  8. 1 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
  9. 1 TABLESPOON VANILLA
  10. NON-STICK COOKING SPRAY
  11. INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions
  1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 250 DEGREES.
  2. SPRAY LARGE SHALLOW TURKEY ROASTING PAN WITH COOKING SPRAY. ADD POPPED POPCORN AND PLACE IN PREHEATED 250 DEGREES F OVEN WHILE PREPARING CARAMEL.
  3. IN A LARGE HEAVY SAUCEPAN OR DUTCH OVEN MIX BROWN SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, BUTTER AND SALT. STIRRING CONSTANTLY, BRING TO A BOIL OVER MEDIUM HEAT.
  4. BOIL 5 MINUTES WITHOUT STIRRING. REMOVE FROM HEAT. STIR IN BAKING SODA AND VANILLA; MIX WELL.
  5. POUR SYRUP OVER WARM POPCORN, STIRRING TO COAT EVENLY.
  6. BAKE FOR 45 MINUTES, STIRRING OCCASIONALLY. DURING YOUR LAST STIR ADD PECANS.
  7. REMOVE FROM OVEN AND SPREAD ON PARCHMENT PAPER. SPRINKLE IN CANDY CORN AND MIX LIGHTLY.
  8. LET COOL THEN BREAK APART AND STORE IN TIGHTLY COVERED CONTAINER.
  9. NOTES
  10. CHECK POST ITSELF FOR PLENTY OF TIPS TO MAKE SURE YOUR BATCH TURNS OUT PERFECTLY.
  11. BY WAITING ON MARTHA
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

Pumpkin Spice Drop Cookies & Apple Cinnamon Fritters

The Trip to the Pumpkin Patch with Sweet Treats and Thermos, A Rye Family Tradition
Filed Under > Desserts

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This should come to most of you as no surprise, but I’m one of those people that look forward to pumpkin picking on a Saturday (or any day) in September just as much as waking up on Christmas day.  Well, okay maybe it’s not quite like waking up to Christmas coffee and a glittering tree chalked full of presents, but it’s definitely up there. And over the past few years, we’ve really turned the hunt for the perfect pumpkins into a full day adventure.  With the windows down and songs from Hocus Pocus playing in my head, we pile into our car, loaded up with a thermos or two of warm coffee and apple cider, and our favorite snacks en route to the pumpkin patch. 

To us, it’s the perfect amount of time out of the house, away from the computer, and the best way to breathe in the crisp fall air that’s finally here.  And of course, it’s an excuse to wear my favorite fall uniform (think a great plaid shirt and the coziest sweater) and break out one or two of my vintage plaid blankets.  Because I mean, what’s better than rolling out your blanket with a thermos and sweets in-hand after you pick out this year’s pumpkins?  All the feels. 

Since this annual ritual is meant to be a fun, enjoyable day, it will never do to be stressed in the kitchen before the trek to the patch.  So I usually pick up a good mix of treats from a local doughnut shop (Revolution Doughnuts or Sublime Doughnuts are my favorites).  When I do have a little time on my hands, however, I whip up some super easy cinnamon sugar doughnuts or stick to two tried-and-true recipes that cannot be beaten: pumpkin spice drop cookies and apple cinnamon fritters.

The second you bite into these, cake-like cookies with their warm, spicy pumpkin flavor, you’ll see why they’ve been some of my favorites for years now.  I’ve found they’re the perfect big-batch recipe this time of year…they’re seriously so simple to make and are ALWAYS a hit with a crowd.  And I’m not sure how golden brown apple cinnamon fritters with a white icing glaze could ever disappoint; they’re lightly fried to perfection with light, pillow-soft centers.  I use THIS recipe because why try to improve on something that’s already pretty dang fantastic?!  

Tell me friends, have you made a trip to the pumpkin patch?  What fall treats are always on your list?  Truly, MKR

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Photography, Kathryn McCrary for Waiting on Martha

Outfit: plaid shirt | wool hat | jeans | thermos | blanket | socks 

Baking: copper cooling racks | copper measuring cups 

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

This easy, 15 minute DIY Halloween Chocolate Bark is the perfect way to use up all that leftover Halloween Candy!
Filed Under > Desserts

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

When I was thinking about what I wanted to make to celebrate the haunting season I thought why not make a homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark with all of the Halloween candy I have sitting around tempting me on a daily basis.  I love Homemade Chocolate Barks for a multitude of reasons.  The main one being that chocolate barks look way more difficult to make than they actually are.  I also love that the possibilities of bark combinations are endless.  Plus candy barks make the cutest homemade food gifts! So for all those reasons and more, I’m thrilled to share my Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark with ya’ll today! 

As stated above, candy barks are incredibly easy to make. All you need to create this homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark for yourself is baking chocolate, candies of your choosing (I used Mini Kit-Kats, Peanut Butter Cups, M&Ms, Rolos, Sprinkles, and Candy Eyeballs), parchment paper and a sheet pan. 

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

When it comes to the actual creating, the trick to creating a perfect homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark every time relays on 3 different things.

First, have your candy prepared and ready to place because you’ll need to work fast so the candies don’t melt into the bark.  The easiest way to do this is plan out in advance what candies you want to use, color themes you want to stick with, and most importantly have everything unwrapped and ready to go.  

Second, when spreading the chocolate out to create the bark base make sure to go thin. You’ll want the chocolate to completely cover the parchment paper, but just barely. This was my mistake the first time in trying this recipe. I made the bark way too thick which makes the chocolate bark taste too sweet, difficult to cut into pieces and incredibly hard to eat. 

Lastly, you need to let the chocolate cool for just a few minutes. If you begin placing the candies the second you have your bark spread out they’ll begin to melt. Wait 2-3 minutes and start with the non-chocolate candies that won’t melt like the candy eyeballs in this case. Candy Corn is also one of those great non-melting candies to try.

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

After letting the bark cool in the fridge for at least 10 hours (I prefer overnight), you’re ready to cut it into pieces.  There’s no particular rhyme or reason to this, but I found the easiest way is to lay the bark out on a completely flat surface and with a very sharp knife start with the edges.  Your edges won’t have a finished look to them, and sometimes that works out to look great, but sometimes you’ll need to trim them. Next, cut the bark in half. It doesn’t necessarily have to be directly cut in half across, but by dividing the bark into two larger pieces it will make it easier to slice. Then try to either cut around the larger pieces or make it so you cut the larger pieces in half. 

And as best you can avoid touching the chocolate too much with your fingers.  Because the chocolate bark is thin your body heat will naturally begin to melt and smudge it if you touch it too much.

Once you’ve cut all the pieces, put the Halloween Bark back in the fridge for an hour to completely let the chocolate set and re-harden from any softening that may have happened while cutting.

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

And voila, the cutest, most festive homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark you’ve ever seen! I love whipping up a couple batches of this to gift to my neighbors and take into work. And how cute would this bark be served on this itsy bitsy spider plate!

See the recipe below, and if you’re reading this via Bloglovin’ you’ll need to click into the post to get the complete recipe. Happy Halloween friends! Truly, MKR

P.S. If baking isn’t your thing at all Williams Sonoma has some Mummy Halloween Bark that is almost as cute!

 

Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark
Yields 1
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. Baking Chocolate of your choosing, you'll need about about 25-30 oz for one bark
  2. Candy of your choosing
  3. 1 tablespoon canola oil
  4. parchment paper
  5. sheet pan
Instructions
  1. Prepare all of the candies, removing all the wrappings, and set them aside where you plan to create your bark.
  2. Cut out parchment paper to the size of your sheet pan, and place inside your sheet pan. Set aside.
  3. In a large pot over medium to low heat melt your chocolate and stir with a spatula or whisk. You'll want to stir the entire time the chocolate is melting, otherwise you'll run the risk of burning your chocolate.
  4. When the chocolate has completely melted, turn of the heat and add canola oil. The oil helps the chocolate shine.
  5. Pour the chocolate out onto your parchment paper and spread with a spatula to create a thin layer. Once spread out, lift the pan just slightly and carefully hit down onto your surface. This will remove any air bubbles and help even it out.
  6. Let chocolate cool for 2-3 minutes then begin placing your candies. Once your candies are placed put the sheet pan into the fridge and let cool a minimum of 8 hours. I prefer to let it cool overnight.
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