After lots of recipe testing and way too much taste testing, the clear winner was a chewy caramel dusted with pistachios – Kind of like baklava in candy form. At this point, I have to give a shout out to the Santa Barbara Pistachio Company and their superior pistachios. I used the shelled, roasted, unsalted kind for the caramels. I kid you not, these pistachios are the best I've ever had. Far superior to Trader Joe's stale, muddy brown counterpart. I only wanted to use the best ingredients so it was an easy choice. I also love the pop of the vibrant lime green.
So the goal was to make 400 packages at three pieces per package. Yup, that's 1200 pieces. Lots of caramel making, so I got a jump start on them mid-week. There I am pouring the umpteenth batch (in my snowflake apron – you caught me).
Making the caramels was the easy part. Wrapping, well now, that's a whole other story. Thank goodness for friends with nimble, origami-skilled fingers (thanks everyone! I owe you a lobster dinner). I had to crack the whip a few times, but it was all for a good cause. Now you see why they started calling me a slave driver. Imagine that. Sweet, innocent, charity giving me, a slave driver?
18 Comments
cheff jonny
29 Apr 2008 10:04 pm
[this is good] Your great. What a nice (right) thing to do! You inspire and ignite with your pics and posts.
Ivysgrandkid
29 Apr 2008 10:04 pm
[this is good] you are a god in the kitchen wow!!!!!!!!!
Patricia Scarpin
30 Apr 2008 06:04 am
Oh, Julie, send some of these my way, please? 😉
Candy Sparks
30 Apr 2008 07:04 am
so looks so yummy…
candy
♥ Lady M ♥
30 Apr 2008 11:04 am
[this is good] yummy…are mine in the mail? LOL
MoOgooGuypAN
30 Apr 2008 11:04 am
Haha. They look like little “joint” packages. Hope the hospital doesn’t get the wrong idea. The wrapper and cards are amazing though. Gee, it looks like you could start your own candy business.
Da Tin Man
30 Apr 2008 11:04 am
[esto es genial]
You ust be a bonifide chef, baker, candy maker, & food photographer… What’s the name of your candy co.? Keep up the excellent work you are doing…send some of those candies to Hawaii….
DTM
Food Rockz Man
30 Apr 2008 07:04 pm
Awesome! Candy making is so “in” these days . . . you rockz! Your caramels are beautiful.
hp
30 Apr 2008 08:04 pm
Wow, what an accomplishment! Beautiful project on so many levels.
Purplesque
30 Apr 2008 09:04 pm
[this is good] What a brilliant, generous idea. I’d love to do something similar..
shippouchan
01 May 2008 06:05 am
[this is good] Oh, that is awesome. Now I want to eat pistachios. And caramel. Hehe.
Alisha
03 May 2008 09:05 am
[this is good] Gorgeous work, Julie, as always!
bb
09 May 2008 10:05 am
These look amazing at each step in the process, not to mention the finished product.
julie
10 May 2008 02:05 pm
The next batch I make is definitely going out to the blog community… once my thumb stops being sore from all that twisting.
julie
10 May 2008 02:05 pm
Thank you, Cheff Jonny! That comment just makes my day.
julie
10 May 2008 02:05 pm
Ha! joints… that’s what we all kept thinking too. I hope I don’t falsely get anybody’s hopes up.
julie
10 May 2008 02:05 pm
You’re the true candy guru/fad starter! If I made stuff half as yummy as you, I’d probably be 500 lbs!
♥ Lady M ♥
11 May 2008 02:05 pm
thanks hon!
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