Paper Palate

Sunset magazine knows what Halloween is all about - sweets. In the spirit of the Halloween season, it offers a slew of fun and festive Halloween treats. There are Chocolate Candy Corn Truffles, Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed Brittle, Bite-Size Honey Popcorn Balls, Chocolate-Pistachio Marshmallows, Peanut-Raisin Bark, Chocolate-Pistachio Apricots, Butterscotch Caramels, and Coconut Haystacks.

Now if all those treats are a little overwhelming, have no fear. Sunset also offers some candymaking tips so you can get the best results possible. Here are few excerpts to help you out:

Melting chocolate: Be gentle. Fill a saucepan with 2 to 3 in. of water. Put finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl that will fit over pan (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water); set bowl aside. Bring water to a boil, turn off heat, then set bowl over pan. Use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to stir the chocolate frequently and encourage even melting. Once the chocolate is melted, stir well and use immediately.

Caramelizing sugar: Watch closely. Sugar cooks quickly once it begins to brown, so have your ingredients measured and your tools assembled before you start. Before bringing your sugar mixture to a boil, make sure you completely dissolve the sugar and melt the butter: Stir the mixture with a flexible heatproof spatula over medium-low heat, running the spatula around the inside of the saucepan a few times to thoroughly mix everything together.

Using a candy thermometer: It can be tricky to know when a sugar mixture has reached the temperature that will yield the texture you’re after. Thankfully, candy thermometers eliminate the guesswork. You’ll find them at supermarkets and some hardware stores; make sure to choose one that measures temperatures up to 400°.