Making candies can seem like a daunting task for any home cook, but with recipes like this one, it can be simple! Usually, when you make candy you need to bring sugar up to a precise temperature and the whole thing can be very fussy. But making these tootsie rolls is as easy as melting some chocolate and mixing a few ingredients into it. When you make homemade candies though, I think it's important to put your own spin on them. That’s why I added some cinnamon and chile and used a local stone ground chocolateas the base. Yum.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 packages Taza Dark Chocolate (3 disks)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon arbol chile powder (you can sub cayenne)
- pinch of salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup nonfat milk powder
Dan Whalen
Directions
- In a double boiler over medium heat, add the chocolate, honey, and butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted and combined.
- Stir in the cinnamon, chile powder, and salt. Use the chile powder to your taste. You can start light and add more later if needed.
- Remove the top bowl from heat and add in the powdered sugar and milk powder. Stir well. At first, it will seem like it's not going to come together. After a few minutes, switch to using your hands (it will be hot at first). Knead the mixture until it comes together. Continue to knead until the flecks of milk powder have mostly disappeared.
- Rip off a piece of your mixture and taste. Knead in more chile powder or salt if desired.
- Cut 3-inch squares of parchment paper. Rip off a tablespoon-sized piece of the tootsie roll mixture. Form a log and place it into the parchment paper. Roll the treat into the paper and twist up the sides in that classic tootsie roll shape.
- Repeat until all of them are sealed. This is the longest part of the recipe and could take up to an hour, so gather some friends to help, or put on an episode of Game of Thrones.
- Put in a serving dish for your family, friends, or coworkers to grab at their leisure.
