**CAUTION** Molten candy is very hot and can CAUSE SERIOUS BURNS. This is NOT a suitable recipe/method for children. These would also make a very nice decoration to add to a halloween cake :)
I won't lie, these spiders can be time consuming, but the result is so awesome! A few of these candy spiders on a platter for a Halloween would be fun.
These are delicate and break easily and probably won't travel well. They start to melt a bit in a humid climate within 8-10 hours and will get sticky. These are best made and consumed the same day :)
You will need:
Werther's Original caramel candies (about 2 candies per spider)
Macadamia nuts
Whole peanuts
Brown food colour
Vodka or some other kind of clear alcohol
Place caramels several inches apart on a cookie sheet covered with silicone mat or parchment.
Bake at 325F for 5-6 minutes or until they melt into a puddle. I found that the best time to take them out was when small bubbles start to form in the puddles (but not too many). These will scorch and burn REALLY fast, so don't leave the kitchen when melting them. Set a timer or park yourself in front of your oven door and watch them.
Once melted you have a couple of choices:
-Use a toothpick to pull and draw the melted candy into little check mark ( L) shapes. I found that pulling the end of the leg into a very thin pointy shape looks best.
-Allow to cool until set and then remove legs
OR
- allow the caramel puddle to cool enough so you can mold it into a spider leg with your fingers. **BE CAREFUL MOLTEN CANDY CAN CAUSE SERIOUS BURNS** You will have sore fingers at the end of this endeavour, but you may end up with better looking legs.
Either way you will have to put the caramels back into the oven to soften for a few minutes as these harden super quick. ***MAKE MANY MANY MANY EXTRA LEGS, AS BREAKAGE IS INEVITABLE *****
You will use the caramel to attach the head (peanut) to the body (macadamia). You can use some of the melted caramel from your cookie sheet pieces or you can melt a couple in a small pot or skillet on the stove on low heat and just grab small dabs with a toothpick. If you have salted nuts just wipe them off a little to remove and salt and oil.
You can use a creme brule torch to heat the ends of the spider legs to melt them and attach them to the body. I just dipped the end of the legs into melted candy in my little skillet and pressed and held them to the body until set.
Mix a little bit (tiny, tiny bit) of brown food colour with a tablespoon or so of vodka and use a pastry brush or clean paintbrush to "paint" body and tops of legs. You can skip mixing it with the alcohol if you want, but diluting it allows you to use less and avoids having concentrated food colour on the spider (this can taste bad and make everyone have brown tongues and teeth, lol).
I found this idea here:
This lady is brilliant! Here is her book:
INFO ABOUT ME :)
My name is Tammy and I live in Northeastern Ontario Canada. I am a married, full-time working mom of one teenaged son.
Contact me here:
Twitter:
Instagram:
0 Comments