Hot Chocolate on a Stick

This is a wonderful gift to give to teachers, friends or any one on your gift list. It is so pretty made up and it taste wonderful on a cold day. I will package up several, get a really cute mug. Make some homemade cookies and then put it all together and you have a really nice homemade gift to give someone. I will say this always gets a WOW from any one that sees it.

Marshmallows

Step #1
4 packages of unflavored gelation ~ Knox
3/4 cup water

In a standing mixer with your whisk attachment on, pour 3/4 cup water and sprinkle gelation over water and let stand for 5 minutes. Go on to your next steps.

Prepare a 13 x 9 baking pan with cover. Butter well and then put a sheet of parchment paper to hang out over sides. This will help with removal later. Butter the parchment paper as well.

Step #2
3/4 cup water
3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups powdered sugar ~ only for dusting

Put all in a heavy sauce pan water, sugar, corn syrup and salt heat over high heat and until candy thermometer reaches 238 degrees this will take about 9 minutes.

Once the candy reaches 238 degrees, turn mixer on very low setting and pour the hot mixture over the gelation mixture in a slow steady stream trying to keep off side of bowl. BE CAREFUL it will burn!

Gradually increase speed until you have your mixer on high and you will have to beat on high for about 12 minutes.

Once this is done add your vanilla and mix in well.

Very quickly pour mixture in your prepared baking pan and smooth with offset spatula.

Let set up over night.

Once they have set up I put out a nice large piece of parchment paper and dust it with a very generously with 10x sifted powdered sugar.

I flop out the marshmallows on the powdered sugar then dust the other side with the sifted powdered sugar.

I cut into long strips about a 2 inch size ~ wash knife, dry and cut another strip until all have been cut. Washing knife each time. Otherwise you do not get a nice clean cut.

Then I cut strips into 2 inch squares dusting each side in the powdered sugar so they will not stick to each other.

Chocolate ~ Fudge

1/2 cup of heavy cream
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
22 oz semisweet chocolate chips or 1 lb 6 oz

Line a 8 X 8 pan with parchment paper, set aside. In a large pot I used the le creuset keeps candy from burning or scorching. Combine the cream, condensed milk and chocolate turn on a low heat and continually stir.

Leave on heat until all has melted and incorporated together.

This should not take long. Once all is melted and together pour into prepared pan. Let this sit over night in the refrigerator. Remove and then cut into desired size.

I do cut the chocolate a little larger than the marshmallows.

I stack the marshmallows on top of the chocolate, matching them up to make sure they are the same sizes.

Then you stick the lollipop stick through the marshmallow and chocolate. I got the lollipop sticks at Michael’s Craft stores, some grocery stores even have them. They are a Wilton Brand.

Wrap them up nicely in cello bags with pretty ribbons.

I had left over marshmallows so I wrapped them up to give away and share.