#MEwx Downright warm, rain, snow and Chocolate-dipped Buttercrunch

Good morning Augusta.

If you want to se weather readings from my personal weather station in real-time click here.

This morning we have areas of fog and rain. Highs around 40°F with light and variable winds.

Tonight we'll have rain during evening hours. Snow accumulating 5 to 8 inches. Lows around 15°F with north winds around 10 mph.

The wind direction is West Northwest between 0.0 MPH and 0.2 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 30.12, the Absolute pressure is 29.92 and falling with a weather graphic indicating clouds and rain/snow.

We didn't receive any snow here over the past 24 hours.

Our outdoor temperature is 38.7°F, the humidity is 99%, the dew point is 38.5°F and our wind chill is 38.7°F. 

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with overcast and wet skies.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, the moon is 7.0% illuminated, the moon phase is Waxing crescent, sunrise is 6:54 am↑ 112° Southeast, Sunset is 4:51 pm↑ 248° West, Moonrise is 8:39 am↑ 104° East, moonset is 7:50 pm↑ 260° West and we'll have 9 hours 57

Minutes of daylight today.

 

Chocolate-Dipped Buttercrunch

Be sure to make multiple batches of this stuff.

Buttercrunch, a caramel coated in chocolate and ground nuts, keeps for over a week and makes a great gift. You can double the recipe, but if you want to make more than that, don't multiply the recipe by three or four – simply keep doubling.

Serves 6 to 8; once you taste it, it's hard to stop!

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon light Karo syrup

2 tablespoons water

2 large (about 7 or 8 ounce) chocolate bars*

About 1 cup very finely chopped walnuts

Buttercrunch can be made successfully with regular, grocery store, milk chocolate or chocolate chips, but the better the chocolate the better the buttercrunch. Try to find good quality bittersweet or semi-sweet, 60% cocoa chocolate.

You can use walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachio, or any type of nut so long as they are finely chopped to properly adhere to the chocolate.

Instructions:

Line a cookie sheet with a piece of well-greased aluminum foil or parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, sugar, Karo syrup, and water over low heat, stirring frequently. The mixture will caramelize and is ready when it hits 290 degrees on a candy thermometer, which will take at least 15 to 20 minutes. Watch it carefully, particularly toward the end of the cooking process; the mixture can burn easily. Reduce the heat to very low and stir constantly if it seems to be cooking too quickly or turning darker than pale, golden brown.

When the candy hits 290 degrees, remove from the heat and pour out onto the greased sheet of foil or parchment. Carefully spread with a spatula in an even layer. Let cool and harden. (If you are really impatient, you can place the cookie sheet in a cold, protected place so that it will harden more quickly.) The caramel layer is ready when it's no longer soft to the touch.

If you choose to let the buttercrunch harden outside or in a very cold spot, you must bring it back to room temperature before spreading with the chocolate. If the buttercrunch is too cold, or too soft the chocolate won't adhere properly.

When the buttercrunch and chocolate are ready, use a soft spatula to spread a thin layer of chocolate over the entire front side of the caramel. Sprinkle with half the nuts, pressing down lightly so that they adhere. Again, if you are the impatient type, you can let the chocolate harden in a cold spot. The chocolate is ready when it is dry—no wet spots to the touch. Carefully lift the buttercrunch off the sheet and remove the foil or parchment from underneath. Flip the buttercrunch over onto the bare cookie sheet. Spread the remaining chocolate on top of the other side of the buttercrunch and then sprinkle with the remaining nuts, pressing down lightly. Let the chocolate set in a cool spot.

When the buttercrunch is thoroughly dry and hard, break it into small pieces. You can keep the pieces in a cool, dry cookie tin or in a tightly sealed plastic bag for up to three weeks.