Halloween is around the corner.  Then the holiday season starts.  Valentine’s Day and Easter will be next.  Celebrating sweets is year- round.  Preparing these sweet treats is always better done at home rather than buying store-bought stuff…

Cupcakes have become all the rage recently.  2002, Cupcakes in Vancouver opened, establishing the Great White North into becoming fanatics of the mini frosted cake.  2005, Sprinkles gained fame in the US.  Now, North America has thousands of cupcakes created daily for those to purchase at the bakery, market, cupcake shop, or on the streets.  If you are addicted to these tasty indulgences, making them at home isn’t as difficult as they look.

We have all your cupcake needs available on the daily at our website!  Let’s look at all that you will need for creating cupcake excellence.

Cupcake Tools, Utensils, and Equipment

• Stand Mixer (with paddle attachment)
• Cupcake Liners
• Pastry Decorator/ Injector
• Muffin Pan
• Batter Dispenser
• Cupcake Corer
• Cupcake Carrier/ Protector

One of the most important tools in any kitchen in the stand mixer.  They typically come with a whisk, dough hook, and beater.  Making cupcakes and frosting using a stand mixer saves time and ensures proper mixing of the ingredients. The stand mixer also shreds chicken and pork, mixes meatballs, mashes potatoes, beats eggs, and kneads every dough you can form!

Our line of stand mixers is second to none in all of Canada!  From the home cook, to commercial grade stand mixers, we have them in stock! Breville, KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Waring Commercial, and Globe can all be found at the best prices available on-line.  Crafting cupcakes will be a breeze with one of these!

Cupcakes are cute, but candy is dandy!  Around the world, and for as long as man has been alive, concocting a sweet treat has always been cause for celebration.  Cavemen quickly figured out honey and honeycomb are delectable. The Egyptians of the 1500BC days created candy with honey, nuts, figs, dates, and spices.  Today, candy is a huge industry in many countries.

Like cupcakes, we too, love candy!  Chocolates, gummies, hard, licorice, caramels, and even gum can count as candy.  The names are plentiful.  The tastes of our own favorite candy bring us back to childhood and the simpler times.  Making candy with the family is now overlooked unfortunately…It is so much fun to start a new family tradition during the holidays: Making fudge.

The origin of fudge isn’t so clear. But it looks like in 1886 someone tried to make caramels and exclaimed “of fudge” due to fudging up the recipe.  This accident, like many in food history, turned out great!  In 1886, the first recoded selling of fudge happened in Baltimore.

The old-fashioned way of making fudge was difficult.  A “softball” consistency is needed to perfect this perfection. Constant stirring of sugar in boiling milk at a temperature between 224 to 238 degrees Fahrenheit wasn’t so easy back in the 1800s. Now, with the Maverick Digital Oil & Candy Thermometer, the old-fashioned way of making fudge is now down to a highly accurate science.

Using a double boiler safeguards an even temperature to allow melting, not burning. This method is great, and only takes around 12 minutes, yet proper temps need to be heeded. Butter, evaporated milk, and sugar at 236 degrees will be a perfect temperature to add the chocolate chips, vanilla, nuts, or marshmallows to the blend.

If all this sounds a bit complicated, have no fear, we have the easiest recipe on earth for some great fudge! Adapting your favorites into your own fudge makes it a real sweet time to celebrate.  Just three ingredients; Semi-sweet chocolate chips, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk produce fudge in the microwave.  Adding milk chocolate, nuts, and a dash of salt even makes it better!

Easiest Fudge Ever!

Ingredients

A bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Half a bag of milk chocolate chips

A can of sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon of salt

½ cup each of walnuts & pecans

Directions

In a glass bowl, stir the chocolate, salt, and milk together.  Nuke it at 50% for 30 seconds, then stir.  At about six times of doing this, the blend should be velvety smooth.  Fold in all remaining ingredients.  Pour into a Chicago Metallic Slice Solutions Brownie Pan.  Spread evenly with a Vollrath High Heat Spatula.  Allow to chill in the fridge at least two hours.  Pop them out of the brownie pan and enjoy!

Fudge is a great gift.  The gift of making fun food memories with the family during the holiday season (or anytime!).  Fudge is also a sweet gift to give during the celebration time of year.  It also freezes well.  Just seal up a batch, defrost at room temperature, then cut open the bag and eat up!

Remember, we are a “Candy Store For Cooks”!  Candy, cupcakes, and everything from A to Z can be found here for all your culinary aspirations.  Don’t forget to save $10 just by signing up today! And, always free shipping on orders over $99. Thanks for cooking with us!