Grenades: A Confection, Not an Explosion

I don't know if she remembers it, but I met the owner of Butter, a bakery in Vancouver, in a very sweet way. I was the "artist of the month" at Seattle knitting shop Hilltop Yarn--that makes sense if you consider the fact that I do artwork like this:

So, said owner happens to be in Seattle that day and happens to walk in. We get to talking, given our mutual interest in sweets, and forever and ever on since then I've taken a deep interest in the goings-on at Butter. So I was so delighted when they came out with their great book, Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes From a Little Neighborhood Bakery. I've already shared with you their marshmallow recipe, and now it's time to make it count, because you're about to get a new recipe that uses those marshmallows. But this is even better, because they are paired with cereal, chocolate, and sugar sugar sugar. Here's the 411 on Grenades:

This is a treat my young friend Kate introduced me to. The original version used Kraft marshmallows and melted Mackintosh’s Toffee, and it really was delicious. Our Butter version has a few more steps involved, but I think the end result is worth the effort. We had great fun coming up with different riffs on the classic combination. To date my favorite is a banana marshmallow rolled in peanut butter and Rice Krispies, then dipped in milk chocolate—proving once again that you are only ever limited by your imagination.

Grenades

MAKES: About 24 to 30 grenades

YOU WILL NEED: candy thermometer, cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Prepare a batch of Butter’s Famous Marshmallows. You only need half the batch so will have lots left over.

From Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes From a Little Neighborhood Bakery

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 batch Butter’s Famous Marshmallows
• 4 cups Rice Krispies
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1⁄2 cup whole milk
• 1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 cup light corn syrup
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 2 pounds dark chocolate (about 4 cups chocolate chips)

Procedure

1. Place the Rice Krispies in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, both sugars, salt, butter, corn syrup and water. Clip the candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan to monitor the temperature. Use a whisk to stir the caramel mixture constantly until it reaches 220°F. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute (don’t wait too long or the caramel will start to firm up.)
3. Use a fork to dip each marshmallow into the caramel mixture and gently move it around to coat the whole surface. Lightly tap the fork on the side of the bowl to remove any excess .
4. Immediately drop the marshmallows into the Rice Krispies and roll them around until completely coated. Place on the prepared cookie sheet.
5. Temper the dark chocolate (need a primer? Check on this post I did for Craftsy).
6. Use a fork to dip each marshmallow in the tempered chocolate. Lightly tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to help remove any excess. Place back on the cookie sheet, lined with fresh parchment paper.
7. Allow the chocolate to set for at least 1 hour before you enjoy (or place in the refrigerator to speed things up).