Thursday, December 28, 2006

it has what in it??

this is a candy that i make maybe once every year or two. it is terribly sweet and only good when eaten in small amounts. you can keep it well wrapped in the freezer to take out every now and again when you get the urge. the best part of all is that it is basically a no-cook recipe.

it contains potato, of all things, and is remniscent of a very old type of confection which is rolled with peanut butter in the center like a sort of pinwheel and then sliced. this is popular in some places here in quebec and is a type of old world candy. the version i am showing here however is a more modernized one and quite different.

i also make this at passover when we are limited to very few baking ingredients due to the many restrictions of the holiday. luckily, there is now a passover version of icing sugar available with contains potato starch instead of cornstarch [which we cannot use].

note that i doubled the recipe and used vanilla [the person i made it for doesn't like peppermint!] at the time i made and photographed this. the recipe below is for the regular smaller amount.

peppermint & lime coconut fudge

ingredients:

1/4 c cold mashed potato
1 1/2 c or more icing sugar
1/2 - 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
1 - 1 1/2 c unsweetened dried coconut shreds
1 tbsp lime zest

1/2 of a 300g bag chocolate chips
1 tbsp vegetable oil

you will need a large loaf pan. pyrex is preferable.

method:

boil small potato and mash it well while warm and let cool. do not use a food processor.

using a fine meshed strainer, push the potato through it. you do not want little chunks of potato.

put it in a medium bowl and add the peppermint extract and the lime zest.

now add 1/2 c of the icing sugar. it will turn liquidy. as you add more it will turn white.

add the rest (or enough) of the icing sugar until you get a very thick fondant like mixture.

add the coconut and stir well until it is well mixed.

you should get a ball. if it does not form a ball either add a bit more coconut or icing sugar. it should be hard to stir which is what you want.

press this into a large loaf pan to get an even layer. and put this in the refrigerator.

in the microwave on medium low to medium heat, melt the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl. be careful to do it in 30 second intervals. mix with a spatula until all is melted. make sure absolutely no water comes in contact with the chocolate or it will seize and you can say goodbye to it. mix in the oil and stir well.

remove the pan from the fridge and pour on the melted chocolate. make an even layer and return it to the fridge.

carefully cut the candy into small pieces. it is much easier to cut successfully when cold. actually, let me correct myself by saying that you should score it into which serving sizes you want when cold and then after it has sat out for a bit and softened, then cut it. use a very sharp knife.

these can also be shaped into balls and dipped in the melted chocolate and placed on parchment to set. use double the amount of chocolate to coat them.

here is another recipe for a similar version making these into small small candies.

check out tschoerda's success with the recipe in her blog, dinner for one. glad you now found a way to simulate your favourite treat, tschoerda!

enjoy in small amounts and then call the dentist :-)

16 comments:

Allergic Girl® said...

looks delish! totally reminds me of the coconut patties you get in florida but ho'made!

Chanita Harel חני הראל said...

Wonderful !!!

נפלא ,אני אוהבת
אם אתה קופץ לבקר, השארתי לך בבקה טרייה
:-)

Emily DeVoto, Ph.D., said...

In New England we call these Needhams (get it?): http://www.recipezaar.com/83228. I've never tried them with peppermint but that sounds nice.

Beenzzz said...

Even though it has potatoes in it, it still looks completely delicious. I bet you can't even tell that potatoes are an ingredient.

burekaboy — said...

allergic girl - lol, forgot all about those florida ones. :-) thanks for reminding me.

chanit - it's very good but VERY, VERY SWEET. אני קופץ לבקר תכף

emily - hey there! couldn't remember what they were called but thanks for telling me. i was going to add that they could be rolled and dipped as an alternative. i'll add the link to that recipe at the bottom of this one. i like the peppermint in it cause it goes very well with the chocolate.

beenzzz - you can't even taste it at all. i have a feeling it's there to "glue" everything together. it's strange because the minute you add the sugar it turns soupy and liquidy and then it thickens with the addition of more sugar. anyway, they are très good :)

Anonymous said...

Here I am!!!!! (You called for a dentist right ?????) :P

Potato in chocolate Fudge!!!!! Great recipe!!!! What is a lime zest?????

www.mykhazanaofrecipes.wordpress.com

burekaboy — said...

hey R - coffee?? since when?! LOL. i hope you have your drill ready for all the cavity repairs :)

lime zest is another way to say the grated peel of the lime.

tschoerda said...

oh yes, i think i'd love this candy! it might taste just like bounty bars, right?

i am a total fan of the bounty bars but i hardly ever allow myself to buy them because the go straight to my hips (i think they even bypass my stomache and settle right ON my problem area *lol*).

ach, nevermind. this recipe sounds just too good not to try. i bookmarked it and i'll try that soon. very soon. very very soon, in fact!

Cheryl said...

These do sound yummy. Tho' I confess a bit of squeamishness about the potato, my fondness for peppermint and chocolate are sure to overrule! (And you say "very, very sweet" as if it's a bad thing. LOL)

Here's a semi-related question for you, burekaboy. I have a recipe for peppermint patties that is pretty much just icing sugar and egg whites, but haven't made it for a number of years because of the warnings about using raw egg. What would you suggest as a work-around? Or is it just the yolks that cause concern?

Anonymous said...

OMG, Fantastic, seems simple to make, i hardly ever make sweetmeats, maybe i need to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

burekaboy — said...

tschoerda - lol, you're a funny girl :) there is even a silly saying in english, "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips". yikes!

you're right, this is bounty-ish. i didn't even think about that when i wrote this. i have to say though that the texture of the coconut mixture is not as soft as a bounty bar but then again, who knows what they put in there to make it that texture. maybe using less icing sugar in this recipe could solve that. you'll have to play around with it and see. fun experiment, though!

ostara - LOL. umm, well, i know my dentist likes it when i eat all that stuff -- repeat business.

you don't taste the potato at all. i was concerned about that when i first made it but it's fine.

as for your question about the egg whites, i know there is a product used in cake decorating which is made from cooked and dried eggwhites. it is used in royal icing to substitute for the raw egg whites. it is readily available online or at cake decorating stores.

personally, i have never had a problem nor have i known anyone who has been affected by using raw eggwhites. the only thing is that i would not give it to a pregnant woman or someone whose health is compromised. better safe than sorry as they say.

dilip - this is an easy preparation for people who don't make many confections as it involves virtually no cooking apart from the potato and melting the chocolate.

vasilisa said...

This looks so delicious. Coconuts and chocolate are my two favourite guilty pleasures... Can't imagine combining them... Yum yum...

Cheryl said...

Thanks for the suggestion, burekaboy. I've never had a problem using egg whites, either (merangue, on lemon pie, for instance, isn't cooked through). It's more a concern because I make the candy to give as gifts and wouldn't want to give more than I intended!

tschoerda said...

right now i am working on your coconutfudgiebabieyummiebounty-recipe and while i am not sure if i converted all the cups into grams correctly i have another question: why is sugar turning a potato liquid? that's really strange! is it because of the starch of the potato?

weird.

now let me get back to melting the chocolate! i'll write a post about that by the way and i'll link back to your recipe (metric system versus english unit really kills me sometimes ...)

burekaboy — said...

tschoerda - yes, it's the reaction with the starch. it looks really gross at first but when you add more sugar it will change to a nicer, more appetizing mixture like fondant. then add the coconut. adjust things to your taste. looking forward to your results. e-me if you need help. you can check your measurements and conversions with gourmet sleuth; it's a fantastic tool to use.

burekaboy — said...

vasilisa - lol, yes it's a great combination :))

ostara - you're welcome and, yes, i wouldn't want any problems either, especially when given as gifts!