Pumpkin Spice Toffee: FREE Virtual Cooking Class

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Pumpkin Spice Toffee with Pecans

Yield: about 16 pieces

1 lb (4 sticks) butter, unsalted

2 cups granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, divided

¼ teaspoon salt, kosher

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups white chocolate, finely chopped (or mini white chocolate chips)

1 cup chopped unsalted pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat, parchment paper, or foil. Spread chopped pecans on top and toasted for 6 to 8 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. Toss with 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and set aside.

Cover another large baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper, or a silicone mat. Butter generously. In a medium to large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, and salt over low heat until the butter is melted, whisking constantly. Bring to a steady (not rolling) boil over medium-high heat, and cook until the mixture has reached 290°F.

Remove the toffee from the heat and stir in vanilla and pumpkin spice. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the chocolate over the top and let the it soften for a few minutes. Spread the chocolate into a thin, even layer. Sprinkle with pecan mixture, if using. Refrigerate until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.

Do Before Class

  • Measure and weigh all ingredients.

  • Chop and toast pecans with pumpkin pie spice, if using (see Toffee recipe)

  • Chop white chocolate, if needed (see Toffee recipe)

  • Boil water in a saucepan to calibrate the thermometer at beginning of class.

  • Have tools and equipment within reach.

  • Review recipes and have questions ready!

Equipment List

  • assorted mixing bowls

  • assorted mixing spoons and whisks

  • candy thermometer

  • heat resistant spoon

  • nonstick cooking spray

  • heavy-bottomed saucepan, medium-large

  • large baking sheet tray with silicone mat, foil, or parchment

  • whisk

  • off-set spatula, optional

Shopping List

  • 1 lb unsalted butter

  • 1 lb granulated sugar

  • 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

  • ¼ teaspoon salt, kosher

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 cups white chocolate or mini white chocolate chips

  • 1 cup unsalted pecans pieces or whole, optional

Bonus: Decorative Packaging and Gift Giving Ideas

Beyond the creative cooking process and fun in the kitchen, the art of giving food gifts involves imaginative packaging the final flourish. Fanciful or restrained, your gift and how it is wrapped expresses an act of caring. After all, homemade gifts from the kitchen are gifts from the heart. Packaging doesn’t need to be expensive or elaborate; it just needs to be inspired and inventive. Below are a few ideas on how to jar, bag, wrap, tie, and label the food gifts in this recipe packet.

Bags

Petite, small, or large cellophane bags, whether clear, candy striped, or imprinted with seasonal motifs, are ideal for packaging many baked gifts as well as confections and chocolate gifts. Petite cellophane bags, often used for candies and marshmallow. Cinched with a seasonal ribbon, make them the perfect holiday gift.

Jars

Recipes for items like home-preserved jams, marmalade, chutneys, sauces, pickled foods, and spiced fruits require canning jars. Dry mixes, like the Hot Chocolate Mix, or spiced nuts look nice in jars as well. Try glass jars with rubber-rimmed lids and screw-top bands are the standard for home canning. Not only do the jars optimize shelf space, but they are also more unusual and gift-worthy. Alternatively, glass canning jars with a hinged metal clamp and airtight, replaceable rubber gasket also work well for preserving and are very decorative.

Tins and Boxes

At holiday time, stores sell tins and laminated boxes in all shapes and sizes as festive packaging for homemade sweet treats and baked goods. Often, you’ll see rolls of decorative waxed paper for sale to coordinate. If you plan ahead, you can even have your monogram imprinted on boxes. Another idea is to buy tins in solid colors and pick up special art pens that allow you to write on metal. Consider buying white tins and writing in gold ink or red tins and writing in white ink. Clear paint cans, from a crafts store or ordered online, look great wrapped in decorative paper and are perfect as a year-round gift packaging option. Or buy laminated Chinese takeout boxes. They are available in many colors at your favorite craft store.

Ties

Let your imagination run wild and have coordinating raffia, ribbon, and other ties such as butcher’s twine or thin wood rope. Look in hardware stores, crafts stores, stationery shops, and fabric centers with a large selection of cloth ribbon and trimmings. Wide, white ribbon with big red, green, or blue polka dots can double as holiday ribbon and later for a birthday gift.

Labels and Cards

Using unexpected materials to make labels and gift cards is another way to decorate a food gift in a delightful, nontraditional, and crafty way. A little Elmer’s glue or fabric glue can go a long way toward turning layers of household paper, such as cut-up brown grocery bags and corrugated cardboard, into clever cards. Use a hole punch and ribbon tie to attach a homemade card to your food gift! Use rubber stamps and plain labels purchased at office supply stores to create decorative labels. Gel drawing pens work well for hand-painting borders. With children to help, it becomes a fun family project.

 

Stacy Horn