Perfect soft butterscotch candy, flavoured with peppermint and covered in smooth dark chocolate.

1 recipe 2 ways

So I made some gorgeous little Butterscotch Mini Molten Lava Cakes recently and it occurred to me that the butterscotch sauce in the centre could be turned into some beautiful little butterscotch candy, just perfect for the holidays. I remade that butterscotch, added some peppermint then coated it in chocolate. This is the seriously gratifying result.

Yep, you heard me. If you’ve never had peppermint flavoured caramel or butterscotch candy before, you’re in for a real treat.

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No fancy equipment needed!

The butterscotch is so, so easy to make, pinky promise. A little time on the stove and all you need to do is give it stir every so often so it doesn’t catch. No thermometer required.

I poured mine into silicone chocolate moulds to get some cute shapes but you don’t need any fancy equipment here. You could just pour the butterscotch into a lined tin, let it set and then cut it into squares.

The beauty of this peppermint butterscotch is that is stays soft so, straight from the fridge, you can bite into these lovelies. The chocolate will crack and give way as you sink your teeth into soft, minty candy. And that’s the way they are best served IMO. At room temperature, the chocolate can become too soft and you don’t get that gratifying crack of chocolate. The butterscotch will also be too soft and you’re likely to end up with it all over your face and hands. Best eaten in private if you like them that way 😆

Some tips to make this recipe easier

• If you don’t have silicone chocolate moulds, just pour the mixture into an 8×8 inch baking tray lined with baking paper and freeze. Then cut the butterscotch into squares once set.
• Use toothpicks to make the candies easier to coat, then stick them in a piece of foam while they set. I used a polystyrene cake dummy but if you don’t have that or can’t find them, a small cardboard box would work too. This is the way I will coat everything with chocolate from now on.
• Keep the butterscotch candies in the freezer until you are absolutely ready to go. This helps them stay on the toothpicks while you’re coating them with chocolate.
• Do the coating in batches. This means the rest of the candies stay cold in the freezer. I’d suggest 8-10 at a time depending on how quickly you move.
• After coating a batch, reheat the chocolate a little. Keeping the melted chocolate nice and runny will mean a thinner coating on your candies at the end and it is also much easier to remove the excess chocolate.
• Use a deep bowl when spinning to remove the excess chocolate. I speak from experience. I ended up with chocolate flying all over me and the kitchen bench and the floor beyond the kitchen bench and everything in between.

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5 from 1 vote

Soft Chocolate Peppermint Butterscotch Candy.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 40 pieces

Author: Marie Roffey

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Soft Chocolate Peppermint Butterscotch Candy. Soft butterscotch candy, flavoured with peppermint and covered in smooth dark chocolate. 

Course: Desserts, snacks, Sweets

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar, packed
• 170 g (1 1/2 sticks / 3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup (165ml) thickened cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• Pinch of salt
• 300 g Dark 70% chocolate
• 30 g Cocoa butter (or vegetable shortening)

Tools to get the job done

Toothpicks, silicone chocolate moulds or a tin lined with baking paper, a deep bowl, a large piece of polystyrene or small cardboard box

Instructions

• Have your silicone chocolate moulds at the ready, sitting on a baking tray (or a baking tray 8x8 lined with baking paper).
• In a small heavy based saucepan over low-medium heat, melt the butter and sugar together until smooth. Allow it to come to a simmer and gently bubble for around 3 minutes until foamy, stirring every now and then.
• Carefully add the cream and immediately whisk it in. Let the mixture come to a rolling boil, stirring now and then, for around 10 minutes until thickened. You should be able to see the clean bottom of pan when dragging the spoon through.
• Add the vanilla, peppermint and salt and whisk well.
• Being careful not to get any on you, use a metal cookie scoop to fill the moulds (see note) with butterscotch sauce.
• Place in the freezer for 2 hours until frozen.
• Place the chopped chocolate (and optional shortening or cocoa butter) in a microwave safe bowl. Melt on high in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each, until it is totally melted and smooth. Stirring the chocolate well between each microwave burst will help it to melt and not burn by having to heat it too much.
• Line your foam or cardboard box with baking paper (to catch the drips, so you can reuse it later) Push the butterscotch out of the moulds onto a tray lined with baking paper, then put a toothpick in the bottom of each. Holding the toothpick, dip the candy into the chocolate then lift it out and  twirl it a little to get rid of the excess chocolate. Stick the candy into the foam or cardboard box by the toothpick to allow the chocolate to set. 
• Allow to set in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

Notes

If you don’t have silicone chocolate moulds, just pour the mixture into an 8x8 inch baking tray lined with baking paper and freeze. Then cut the butterscotch into squares once set.

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