Jelly Bean Food

JELLY BEAN FUDGE

Steps:

• Line a 9-inch dish with foil and grease lightly. Melt white chocolate according to package directions. Add frosting until mixture is smooth. Remove form heat to cool slightly. Mixture should be warm and "stir-able," but not too warm to melt the jelly beans. Add jelly beans and stir until evenly distributed. Spread mixture in prepared pan and cool to room temperature.
• Put in refrigerator and cool for two hours or more. Remove foil and cut fudge into small pieces. Enjoy yourself or give as a gift!

HOMEMADE JELLY BEANS

Steps:

• 1. 1. In a large saucepan on medium heat, combine 3/4 cup water, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and gelatin. 2. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly to ensure that no clumps of gelatin form. 3. As soon as the temperature reaches 230 F, take the pot off the burner - the syrup should still be quite liquidy. This should not take more than 25 minutes. If your syrup gets any hotter than 230 F, it will make your jelly beans too hard. 4. Set the pot in a bowl of ice to stop the temperature from rising. If you don't have a bowl bigger than your pot, just fill your sink with ice water and put the pot in there. 5. Quickly stir in the juice (or booze) and salt.
• 2. 6. Spray the jelly bean molds with non-stick spray and pour the syrup into the molds. I found that it was better to overfill the molds than to underfill them. The beans that I underfilled a little bit were harder to remove from the molds. 7. Let the jelly beans sit for four to six hours, or until the gelatin has hardened. It will still be gummy and sticky. 8. Pop the jelly beans out of the molds and transfer them to parchment paper. This part is a little bit tricky. I used a small spoon to dig them out. The great thing is that the beans are very forgiving. Don't worry too much about mangling them when you remove them, as they hold their shapes surprisingly well. 9. Lightly dust the beans with cornstarch to help them dry. Let them sit for another few hours. 10. To make the outer shell, mix 1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, and whatever food coloring you like.
• 3. 11. Pour the mixture into a jar along with the jelly beans, as shown above. 12. Seal the jar tightly. Tilt the jar at an angle (like a slide) and turn it in your hand (as you would a doorknob), preserving the angle. The goal is to make a mock version of a tumbler (a tool used for coating candy - that at $700 is cost-prohibitive for the average home baker) that allows the sugar to gradually build up and evenly coat the jelly beans. This step is extremely important. If the candy is not well-coated, it will not have a hard outer shell. Tumble for 10-15 minutes. This, my friends, is the workout portion of your candy making experience. 13. Fish the coated beans out of the liquid and place them on fresh parchment to dry and harden overnight. 14. Once the top side is hard, flip each bean and allow the other side to dry.

JELLY BEAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter 2 cookie sheets.
• Beat butter and sugars together using an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla extract. Stir in flour and oats until just blended. Fold in jelly beans.
• Drop rounded spoonfuls of the cookie dough about 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden, 9 to 10 minutes.

JELLY BEAN BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a medium bowl add the butter and sugar and cream them together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
• Add 1 egg and beat to incorporate, add 2nd egg and incorporate then add 3rd egg and incorporate (4th egg is used later).
• Beat in the vanilla then add the baking powder, salt and flour, beating on low speed until fully incorporated - you do not want to mix too long.
• Notice that the dough is very soft and sticky.
• Stir in the jelly beans.
• Using a spatula, scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface.
• Put flour on your hands and sprinkle flour on top of the dough.
• Then cut the dough in half. Next take one half and roll lightly back and forth making a thick rope - pick it up and place it on a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat.
• Don't be worried if the dough is so soft it bends when you pick it up. Once you place it on the parchment paper you can shape it a little more.
• Do the same with the second half.
• Flatten them out on top a little with your palm.
• Next beat one egg in a bowl and using a brush - brush them all over to coat them evenly.
• Then place in your preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown.
• When done remove them from the oven.
• Let them cool for about 10-20 minutes or until they are cool enough for you to handle.
• Place them on a breadboard and slice them crosswise on the diagonal into about 3/4 inch slices.
• Put them back on the cookie sheet and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the edges are turning slightly brown.
• Remove from the oven and transfer to wire rack to cool (dust with powdered sugar if desired) -- ENJOY!