Conference turris::cooks

    How about making a soft filling and using artificial liquor
    flavorings, such as rum?
    
    You get the flavor w/out the alcohol......

    I make a coconut filling that is very popular using those artificial 
    liquor flavors.  I don't really have exact measurements; I just kind of
    mix everything together until it tastes right.
    
    Basically you combine shredded coconut (the sweetened stuff you can get
    in bags) with confectioners sugar and mashed potatoes (I think the
    instant kind work best) made with a little extra butter.  You want it
    to be the consistency of the filling in a Mounds candybar - slightly
    gooey but holds its shape.  Divide the filling and flavor with some
    kind of extract (i.e. vanilla, rum, creme de menthe, cherry, etc.).  I
    have made this with real rum and creme de menthe, then coat teaspoonfuls
    with dark chocolate -- these are heavenly, but don't feed them to
    minors! ;^)
    
    Best,
    Michelle

    This reminds me of "Potato candy". Anyone have that recipe? Seems to me 
    it was topped off (after being pressed into a pan like fudge...) with
    melted dark chocolate. I've been wanting to make it using artificial
    sweetener. I tried it with every flavoring imaginable when it was "the
    IN thing".
    
    I think I will try the coconut and pot[ato] formula with unsweetened
    coconut and artificial sweetener -- when I have some time...like on
    vacation!!!
    
    Thanks
    
    Barbara

    I made that potatoe candy when I was a kid and I liked it.  It kinda
    felt healthy with the potatoe in it.  I don't remember the proportions
    so if someone could enter them I'd be more than thrilled.
    
    Ferne
    

    I don't know how healthy, but my grandmother used to make this for us
    and I always felt better when I ate it!
    
    		Potato Candy
    
    
    3/4 cup mashed potato [no milk or butter added]
    4 cups powdered sugar
    4 cups shredded coconut
    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
    1/2 teasoon salt
    4 squares unsweetend bakers chocolate
    
    Mix mashed potato and sugar together.  Stir in coconut, vanilla
    and salt.  Mix well.  Press in a large baking pan to about 1 1/2
    inch thickness.  Melt chocolate over boiling water and spread
    over candy.  Refrigerate to cool, cut into desired size pieces.
    
    Enjoy!!

    
    		Potato Candy
    
    
    3/4 cup mashed potato [no milk or butter added]
    4 cups powdered sugar
    4 cups shredded coconut
    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
    1/2 teasoon salt
>>>>>>>    4 squares unsweetend bakers chocolate
    
excuse...unsweetened chocolate is an ingredient I'd expect to see in a
savory recipe such as mole' - on candy, the bitterness would be quite
jarring.  I suspect this might be "semi-sweetened"?

    Thanks for the ideas so far. Putting potato into chocolate sounds like s
    strange idea but I'll give it a try!
    
    Re .1
    Make a soft filling, etc.
    
    How can I make a soft filling please?
    
    Thanks for the help so far.
    Cheers,
    
    Mary
    

    
    I'm looking for a recipe for peanut butter cups or peanut butter balls.
    
    Thanks..
    
    Michelle
    

        Michelle,
        
        	Have a look at note 2031 all sorts of neat stuff in
        there..8^}
        
        Dave

    Note 43.0 has the a great recipe for the bars that taste like Reese's
    PB cups.  Also 1171 has a few good recipes.
    

This seems like an appropriate place for this question.  I'd like to make
chocolates and truffles for Christmas gifts this year, but am wondering how
to store them after I've made them. I don't want to be doing all this the
week before Christmas, so I'm wondering if I can freeze them, or just stick
them in a container in the fridge.  I asked in the Chocolate conference, but
have not gotten any response there, so I thought perhaps someone in here can
help me.

Thanks,
Cathy

    Cathy,
    I do this regularly now, and most fillings have a pretty long life
    just in the fridge in an airtight container. Watch for big temperature
    changes though, there can be some "sweating" when you take them out.
    Freezing is not necessary.
    I ate one the other day that was a leftover (long forgotten in its
    little container in the back of the fridge. almost a year!). Tasted
    fine......
    
    Monica

    If you freeze or refrigerate real chocolate, it "blooms"; that is, the
    surface of the chocolate takes on a grayish-white appearance, almost as
    though the chocolate got dusty.  The low temperature is what causes the
    bloom, although I can't remember precisely what the bloom consists of.
    I do know that it doesn't affect the taste of the chocolate; however,
    if you're giving the chocolates as gifts, they won't look so great to
    the recipients.  
    
    Tempering the chocolate may prevent bloom--does anyone know for
    certain?   
    
    You're better off keeping the chocolates in a cool-but-not-cold
    environment, like your basement.  They'd probably keep very well for a
    month or so, 

    I make turtles every year and start at Thanksgiving and make them
    through Christmas (as I use these as gifts)  anyway I never store them
    in the fridge - just use the metal or plastic holiday containers and
    keep in the diningroom.  They stay fine.
    
    So have fun!!
    
    Kap

re: .14

How do you make turtles?  My mother loves those if they are what I think
they are.

Karen