This Easy Pecan Roll could just as accurately be called "Cheater's Pecan Roll." Traditionally, pecan rolls feature a homemade nougat center, covered in caramel and rolled in chopped pecans. This candy checks all the right boxes, but the "nougat" in the center is actually a mix of marshmallow cream and powdered sugar--a "cheater's" version if ever there was one! It's still light, fluffy, and the perfect match for chewy caramel and crunchy nuts, but it takes a fraction of the time of traditional nougat, meaning you can go from candy-making to candy-eating much sooner! You could also use this simple mix as a cream filling in dipped chocolates, or as part of a layered candy bar. And the taste? This recipe has been rated 5 stars by users and is "easy to make" and "tastes great," so what are you waiting for?

Get the recipe: Easy Pecan Roll

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Easy Pecan Roll Photo ©2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

I may be the only person on the planet who buys malted milk powder but has never tasted malted milk. It's a little ridiculous. I just checked my cupboard and I have three--THREE!--different types of malted milk powder, all in various states of aging, but none of them have ever been mixed with milk (or water? I don't even know how to make malted milk!) and enjoyed as a beverage.

Instead, I prefer to use malted milk powder in recipes. I've made a mean chocolate malt cookie, and of course in the candy sphere we have Malted Chocolate Bark and Chocolate Malt Truffle Cups. But today we shall talk about Malted Milk Chocolate Nougat. The name is kind of a mouthful, and it doesn't sound too tasty right off the bat--"malt" is kind of an old-timey flavor without a lot of sex appeal. But the springy texture and light chocolate taste of this nougat will be instantly familiar to anyone who has ever enjoyed a Three Musketeers bar. Unlike some other nougats that require serious chewing technique, this is a soft nougat with a slightly crumbly texture. It's good by itself, but I personally prefer it dipped either partially or completely in chocolate. Now tell me--why would I waste my time with malted milk when I could have chocolate-dipped Malted Milk Chocolate Nougat?

Get the recipe: Malted Milk Chocolate Nougat

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Malted Milk Chocolate Nougat Photo ©2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

If you're like many people, your only exposure to nougat comes in the form of candy bars. I am here to tell you that the rubbery filling inside a Snickers or Milky Way bar is a far cry from traditional nougat. Acquaint yourself with the pleasure of REAL nougat, chock full of three types of nuts and scented with fragrant honey, by following this step-by-step tutorial showing how to make nougat. The procedure is similar to making marshmallows, but the final product has a unique taste and texture all its own. And if you are already a nougat fan, you will be pleased to know that this recipe is similar in taste to Torrone, the famous Italian nougat. If you know how to make nougat, you can skip straight to the recipe on which the tutorial is based, traditional Almond Honey Nougat.

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Almond Honey Nougat Photo ©2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Happy Easter! It may seem perverse to be featuring yet another homemade Easter candy today, when many folks are probably swimming through rivers of jelly beans on flotation devices made of chocolate bunnies, but there is a method to my madness, and it is this:
1. lots of people buy jelly beans to put in plastic eggs and Easter baskets.
2. Jelly beans aren't the most exciting candy, and are probably second fiddle to various types of chocolates available
3. Ergo, at the end of the day, you are likely to have a surplus of jelly beans around. What to do?

You could just eat them plain. Bo-ring. You could throw them out. Sacrilege! You could use them in your famous three-alarm black bean chili and see if anyone notices the difference. Creative, but probably a bad idea. Instead, consider recycling your used jelly beans and putting them in Jelly Bean Fudge. I'm not going to try and convince you this is at all a necessary candy recipe to make, but it's pretty and bright and fun and since you probably have jelly beans bouncing around the house anyhow, why not? I've made worse decisions on flimsier reasons in my life! Oh, and one more thing--have a happy Easter!

Get the recipe: Jelly Bean Fudge

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Photo ©2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.