Hairy Eyeball

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Recipe of the Day:
Give ‘Em the Eyeball, Homemade Halloween Candy

Give 'Em the Eyeball Halloween is just around the corner (can you believe it’s already October?), so here at the HCP we’re gearing up for candy and other sweet treats. Of course, we’re always ready for candy and sweets, but Halloween makes us even readier. If you are feeling creative this year, get into the Halloween spirit by trying Dede Wilson’s Give ‘Em the Eyeball Candies from A Baker’s Field Guide to Holiday Candy & Confections. You can either pass these out to trick-or-treaters on the big night, or just keep them all for yourself! Hey, big kids deserve candy, too.

Give ‘Em the Eyeball Candies

When we say, “Give ’em the eyeball,” or, more usually, “Don’t give me the eyeball,” it usually carries a negative connotation, one of giving someone a look of disapproval or disdain. Here it is perfectly acceptable to hand someone one of these candies, which is a peanut butter “eyeball” decorated with “bloody” red-tinted chocolate. My son Freeman came up with this idea.

Okay, these are not health food, nor do they feature fine expensive chocolate or other ingredients. They are best made with the white chocolate coating, as suggested, as it is easier to work with. And this candy is all about the look, although if you like peanut butter, you will thoroughly enjoy the taste.

Yield: 20 eyeballs
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup hydrogenated peanut butter (such as Skippy)
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
* 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
* 6 ounces white chocolate coating (see below), finely chopped
* 20 round brown candy-coated chocolate candies (such as M&Ms)
* Red paste or gel food coloring

Directions

1. Line 2 jelly-roll pans with aluminum foil, smoothing out any wrinkles. Coat foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat peanut butter, butter, and confectioners’ sugar until creamy and smooth.
3. Roll into 1-inch balls between your palms and place on prepared pan; freeze for 30 minutes.
4. Melt chocolate coating in a double boiler or microwave and stir until smooth. Dip balls into chocolate one at a time until completely coated, using your fingers, 2 forks, or chocolate dipping tools. Remove balls from chocolate, let excess chocolate drip back into pot, and place balls back on pan. Press 1 brown candy into each ball; these are the eyeball’s irises. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
5. Tint the remaining chocolate coating with red coloring. Scrape into a zipper-lock plastic bag. Snip a small opening in a bottom corner of the bag and pipe bloody squiggles onto each eyeball. Chill until red chocolate is firm, about 15 minutes.

A variation: You could use any color of the candy-coated chocolate candy for the “iris.” I just think the dark brown adds to the sinister look of the bloody eyeballs.

A word on chocolate coating, or confectionery coating: This is a chocolate-like product that comes in white, milk, and dark varieties, but it does not contain any cocoa butter. Its fat content comes from various oils instead. It does not have the rich flavor of high-quality chocolate made with cocoa butter, but it is very easy to melt and use, does not need to be tempered, and has practical uses in child-friendly confections.