What thoughts does Valentine’s Day conjure up in your mind? Are they about diamonds, flowers, perfume, champagne, fancy bon bons, or all of the above? Don’t get me wrong; I like all of those things too; however, because I love to cook, I think of tasty sweet morsels dressed up in lace, doilies, red cellophane and ribbons. I prefer the simple recipes I can whip up without too much thought or effort. I usually make four or five, but because of the limited space here, I don’t want to stress you out with too many recipes. I’ll concentrate on just two. The other cookies in the Crocante photo below are Molasses Nutmeg Crisps and Austrian Fruit Cookies. I may include those recipes in a later cookie article.

Lots of people think that recipes for fine sweets must also be very difficult and complicated to follow. I used to feel that way about cooked recipes for divinity or toffee; however, I tend to steer clear of those and stick with the easy ones. I’m going to show you how making candy doesn’t have to be painful. You may have read through some fancy dessert cookbooks, and seen some recipes that even require special equipment, but more importantly, lots of patience and time stirring a pot over a hot stove, and then more measuring and more stirring.

Like I mentioned before, I always seek out the easiest recipes, try them once, and then vary to make them easier and better. That’s what I’ve tried to do here today. If you take some pride in what you turn out in the kitchen, you can have some fun, and at the same time create an eye-pleasing and tasty sweet. You may choose to wrap it up and give it as a gift, or enjoy sharing it after dinner with your family, or co-workers. If you’re not much of a cook, just think how surprised and happy your children will be to find a piece of mom’s homemade candy in their lunch box.

Ok, let’s begin with my Crocante recipe. Crocante is an Italian crunchy and nutty brickle. “Crocante” translates to “crunchy”. My mom made this with apricot seeds and walnuts. Since I had some apricots and we saved the seeds, I made it with the seeds one time. It was delicious, but since the seeds aren’t always readily available at your supermarket, you can substitute almonds, or walnuts. I’ve made it with both and they were equally good. Actually, I can’t think of a reason why any nut would not be a good substitute. I personally think this recipe is a winner.

CROCANTE

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup water

1 shake of salt

1-1/2 cups chopped nuts (apricot seeds, almonds, walnuts, etc.)

Prepare your surface by pouring a little oil on a cutting board—or any flat surface. This will keep the aluminum foil in place. Then place a piece of foil on top so it sticks to the surface of the board. Now also spread a few drops of oil onto the foil. This will prevent the candy from sticking to the foil when you turn it out.

Place the sugar, water and salt into a small heavy skillet. Cast iron works well if you have one. Actually, any small pan will do. Over medium heat, melt the sugar and water, but don’t stir it. If you stir, the sugar will crystallize along the sides of the pan. As it cooks and melts, swirl the pan a little so it melts evenly. It will turn a light golden caramel color. Now you can stir and pour in the nuts. Stir until the nuts are all well coated with the golden mixture. It’s done.

Pour it immediately onto your prepared surface, spread it out and allow it to cool. This takes about 10 or 15 minutes to cool completely and harden up. Then break it into bite-size pieces. Store the candy in a covered container.

There’s a second use for this great stuff. You can chop it smaller and use it as a topping for ice cream, pudding, or even a cake. To chop into smaller bits, place them in a small plastic bag. So as not to damage your countertop, place a kitchen towel under the plastic bag. Bang them with a rolling pin or meat hammer. Store in a sealed jar until ready to use.

And now for my simple chocolate recipe. What speaks more about Valentine’s Day than something chocolate? Even your friends who think you can’t even boil water will be surprised and impressed with this one! It’s so easy and you’ll see how good it is.

EZ CHOCOLATE FUDGE

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup canned evaporated milk

13 marshmallows (regular size)

½ cup butter (1 stick)

1/8 tsp salt

1 6-oz package chocolate chips

1 cup walnuts (coarsely chopped)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Use a non-stick spray on the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan. You can use butter if you prefer. Either glass or metal pan is fine.

Place the first five ingredients into a large saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter and marshmallows have completely melted and blended with the milk. (This takes about 4 or 5 minutes.) When it reaches the full-boil stage, it will be light golden in color and bubbles will appear over the top. Set the timer and keep stirring on medium heat for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the chocolate chips, walnuts and vanilla and blend well until all the chips have melted. Pour the mixture into the greased pan and spread it out evenly. The fudge will set firm in about 1 hour, or sooner if it’s a cool day. To speed up the set, you can place the pan in the refrigerator.

After it’s set, cut the fudge into 1-inch squares (or larger pieces if you wish). It’s ready! How simple was that? If you’re going to arrange the fudge on a candy serving dish—like I did in the photo below—you could sprinkle it with a little powdered sugar.

Enjoy, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

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