Hands-on holiday sweets

Atlanta native Kristen Hard is the founder and owner of Cacao Atlanta, the hip-haute Inman Park chocolate and confections shop, where she imports and processes rare cocoa beans to make fancy “bean to bar” truffles and other treats. But long before she became a professional chocolatier, Hard was dreaming of being a little Oompa-Loompa in Willy Wonka’s factory.

Some of those earliest memories show up in a trio of sweets — chocolate-covered peppermint patties, peanut butter cookies topped with dark chocolate kisses and cinnamon caramels — perfect for giving in a holiday gift tin.

“I began making sweets in my mother’s kitchen when I was around 6 years old,” Hard said. “I was fascinated by the fact that I could take ingredients from the cabinet and make things like fudge or lollipops. That’s probably when I first worked with chocolate and sugar.”

Hard graduated from the University of South Carolina with thoughts of going to law school. But she’d always been drawn to the culinary arts. After spending time traveling and working as a barista, restaurant chef and manager, and enjoying a stint as a chef on a private yacht, she returned to Atlanta to start her first chocolate company, K Chocolat.

“Traveling and living around the world, I wasn’t always super proud of being from the South or being a Southern woman,” Hard said. “But coming back to Atlanta, I’ve really gotten back to my roots and thought a lot about where I came from.

“One of the real traditional things is giving holiday gift tins. For me, it’s a nostalgic thing. It’s about sharing. I love opening up a tin and finding all these little treats. It’s a feel-good thing that reminds me of family and friends. It brings it all back to what’s important at the holidays.”

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Cinnamon Holiday Caramels

Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 30 minutes, plus 2 to 3 hours for cooling Makes: Up to 60 caramels, depending on size and shape

“When working with sugar, a candy thermometer is imperative to reach the proper temperature,” Hard cautions. She says you can use this caramel recipe with a holiday touch of cinnamon for more than just candy — including adding it to brownies or melting it on top of ice cream. And she suggests dipping some of the finished caramels into the tempered chocolate used for the peppermint patties. “Sprinkle them with a bit of sea salt and prepare yourself to fall in love,” Hard says. You can wrap them in parchment paper or cellophane squares to give as gifts.

2 teaspoons cinnamon (preferably Kashmir)

3 cups granulated sugar

3 cups evaporated milk

1 vanilla bean

11/4 cups heavy whipping cream

21/2 cups light corn syrup

21/2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

To prepare the caramels: In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon with enough water to moisten it completely. Set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk, scraped vanilla bean and seeds, cinnamon slurry and heavy cream. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Add the corn syrup and continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture reaches 230 degrees, stirring constantly. Add the butter and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture reaches 248 degrees.

Add the salt; remove the vanilla bean. Stir once more to combine and pour caramel onto an oiled sheet of parchment paper with a 12-by-12 metal frame or jelly roll pan.

To assemble the caramels: Cool completely at room temperature. Slice to desired shape using an oiled knife. Dip in chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.

Per caramel: 116 calories (percent of calories from fat, 24), 1 gram protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 3 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 12 milligrams cholesterol, 72 milligrams sodium.

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Peanut Butter Cookies Topped With a 75 Percent Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Kiss

Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour for chilling Makes: 34 cookies

This is a recipe that was passed down to Kristen Hard from her mother and grandmother. Hard added a twist by using her own Cacao Atlanta ganache and infusing it with cinnamon and honey. “Once you place the kiss on top, the heat from the freshly baked cookie melts it just enough to be perfect,” she said.

For the chocolate kisses:

1 cup Cacao Atlanta or other 75 percent dark chocolate chunks

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cookies:

11/4 cups flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 cup granulated sugar (set aside in a bowl)

To prepare the kisses: Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place in a double-boiler and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Combine the cream and butter in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Stir in the honey and cinnamon, remove from heat, and cool to 90 degrees. Stir the cream and butter mixture into the melted chocolate until fully incorporated. Allow the ganache to cool and firm a little. Place the ganache in a piping bag with a medium metal piping tip. Pipe the ganache into the form of a “kiss” onto a wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Allow to set at room temperature or in a refrigerator. To eliminate a step, pipe a ganache kiss directly onto each of the warm cookies.

To prepare the cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking powder and set aside. In a second bowl, cream butter, peanut butter and granulated and brown sugars. Beat in vanilla and egg. Stir in flour mixture, blending well. Shape mixture into 1/2-inch balls and roll in the sugar bowl. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake cookies at 375 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes.

To assemble: Place the ganache kisses on top of the warm peanut butter cookies. Press gently to adhere the two. Allow to cool and firm up.

Per cookie: 147 calories (percent of calories from fat, 47), 2 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 8 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 19 milligrams cholesterol, 99 milligrams sodium.

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Fresh Peppermint Patties

Hands on: 20 minutes Total time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours for chilling Makes: 24 patties

Peppermint patties are always a favorite during the holidays. This easy rendition makes a flavorful and unique gift box treat. The fresh mint leaf imprint is a simple addition that gives it an artistic finish. For an even more festive look, dust the leaf imprint, once dried, with pearl powder available at Michaels arts and crafts shops.

For the patties:

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

11/2 teaspoons peppermint extract

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

For the chocolate covering:

3 cups dark chocolate, chopped

2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Fresh mint leaves

Pearl powder (optional)

To prepare the patties: In a large mixing bowl, combine condensed milk and peppermint extract. Add small amounts of sugar at a time until a firm dough forms that is not sticky to the touch. Form into 1-inch balls. Flatten the balls between 2 sheets of wax paper. Allow patties to dry for 2 hours, turning halfway through.

To prepare the chocolate and cover the patties: In a double-boiler, melt the chocolate with shortening while stirring. Remove the mixture from the heat and dip the patties one at a time using a fork. Place the patties on wax paper and immediately place a clean mint leaf in the center of the patty. Press gently and allow to set. Once the chocolate has set, peel off the mint to reveal its indentation. If desired, dust with pearl powder.