Toffee Blog

SHAYMEE'S PROMOTION

2007-04-07T17:13:00.001-07:00

Please come and join us at the 14th Annual KFOG KaBoom
Saturday, May 12, 2007, 4 - 10pm

Piers 30/32, San Francisco

The Shaymee’s company is very proud to announce that we will be the exclusive chocolate company for this event. We are offering great show discounts for our 1 pound assorted gift boxes for Mother's Day. Also look for our discount coupon in your souvenir bag at the show for other item's at our booth.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Cheers!

Exciting New Flavors!

2007-03-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

We have exciting news!

You can find our Aussie Toffee now under the Whole Foods Market Private label for their pre-pack clear stackable tubs.

Our new 55% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Espresso toffee, 55% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Macadamia toffee, and 38% Cocoa Milk Chocolate Pecan toffee, as well as our original 38% Cocoa Milk and 55% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Almond are available in the bulk area.

We are promoting a great new price for these handmade little beauties for Easter and Mother's Day. Look for us in a store near you! Whole Foods Market (entire West Coast)

Sampling events at Whole Foods Market:

SoCal WFM Demo Schdelue:

4/1 Tustin 12 - 4pm

4/2 SO East 12 - 4pm

4/5 W LA 11 - 3pm

4/6 Westwood 11 - 3pm

4/6 torrance 11 - 3pm

4/6 redondo 3:30 - 7:30pm

4/7 SO West 12 - 4pm

4/14th Thousand Oaks 11 - 3pm

4/25 Manhattan Beach - 11 - 3pm

WF Glendale 3/16 [11am -3pm

Hillcrest 3/18 11 - 2pm

WF Pasadena 3/19 [11am -3pm]

WF Fairfax 3/23 [11am -3pm]

WF W. Hlywd. 3/23 [3-7pm]

WF Brentwood 3/24 12:30 - 4:30pm

WF Valencia 3/24 2:30 - 6:30pm

WF Woodland Hills 3/25 11 - 3pm

WF Santa Monica 3/25 12:30 - 4:30pm

WF Porter Ranch 3/26 3 - 7pm

WF Torrance 3/28 12 - 4pm

WF Beverly Hills 3/30 11 - 3pm

WF La Jolla 3/31 12 - 4pm

Washington:

Portland Sat 3/31 3-7

Bridgeport Sun 4/1 3-7

Redmond Sat 4/7 3-7

Roosevelt Mon 4/2 11-3

Oregon WFM Demo Dates:

Portland Sat 3/31 3-7

Bridgeport Sun 4/1 3-7

Northern Caifornia:

Fresno Sat 4/7 10-2p

Sacramento Sat 4/7 10-2p

Walnut Creek 4/1 3:30-7:30

San Ramon 4/1 11-3

Cupertino 4/3 3-7

Campbell 4/4 11-3

Los Gatos 4/5 3-7

Palo Alto 4/6 11:30 -3p

Los Altos 4/6 3:30-7:30

San Mateo 4/7 11-3p

Redwood City 4/7 3:30-7:30

Monterey 4/2 3-7

Berkeley TBD

Mill Valley -Friday 4/6 11-3p

Petaluma - Friday 4/6 3-7p

SF Franklin Thursday 4/5 11-3p

SF Soma TBD

San Rafael - Thursday 4/5 3-7p

Santa Rosa Friday 4/13 3-7p

Sebastopol TBD

Stay tune for more demo dates coming soon!

Macadamia Toffee Chip Cookies

2007-01-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 Shaymee’s Macadamia Toffee squares (chopped coarsely)

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and beat to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk flours, baking soda, and salt until combined. Mix in chopped toffee bits and macadamia nuts. Blend well with wet ingredients.

Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, placing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake until golden and just set, rotating the sheets between the oven racks halfway through to ensure even browning, about 15 minutes.

Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool, about 5 minutes. Transfer cookies from sheet to rack to cool completely. Store in an

Bush Brownies

2006-11-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

· 1 1/2 cups self raising flour

· 3/4 cup butter

· 1/2 cup brown sugar

· 1 tp ginger

· 1 tp allspice

· 1 tp nutmeg

· 2 cups mixed fruit

· 1 egg

· 1 cup milk

Directions

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
Rub in the butter.
Add the fruit, mix in a well beaten egg and milk.
Pour into a greased tin, bake 30-40 minutes in moderate oven. Serve sliced and buttered

Shaymee's Aussie Toffee

2006-10-29T07:48:00.003-08:00

We would like to apologize to everyone that has tried to order our toffee on-line. Our system is having some technical difficulty and should be resolved shortly.

Thank you for your patience and support!

CARAMEL NUT POPCORN

2006-10-24T07:04:00.002-07:00

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn
½ cup pecans

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
Chop Pecans and sprinkle over popcorn, or any nuts you desire. I like to use Pecans because they have a slightly buttery taste to them.
Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

You family and friends will love this recipe. Great for any occasion!

Prep Time: 30 Min

Cooking Time: 1 Hour

Toffee Fudge Squares

2006-10-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3/4 cup butter (cold)
1 -14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped Shaymee’s Aussie Toffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and cocoa. Cut in butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Press firmly into prepared baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a saucepan heat milk, vanilla extract and 1 cup of the chocolate chips, stirring until smooth, and then pour over crust. Sprinkle the pecans, toffee bits and remaining chocolate chips; press down firmly. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Trick or Treat

2006-10-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Why not try Shaymee's Aussie Toffee this year for Halloween. A unique toffee candy that will surely give your little callers a great treat.

Macadamia Toffee Recipe

2006-09-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

Toffee Recipe

1 cup salted butter
1-1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 lb bittersweet chocolate
1 lb Macadamia’s – ground

Melt butter and sugar, add water. Boil over high heat till candy thermometer reads 300 F. Pour the toffee on to greased cookie sheet and while it is cooling temper the chocolate by boiling water and placing broken pieces of chocolate in a stainless bowl on top using the heat from below . Stir as it melts but be sure not to melt the chocolate too quickly. Once it is melted pour over the cooled toffee then sprinkle Macadamia’s or any nut you prefer to use. Then once it has set turn it over and do the same to the other side. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Shaymee's Toffee Experience!

2006-09-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

We hear all sorts of stories from our customers at sampling events about their experience with Shaymee's Aussie Toffee. Some of our customer comments were, “they bought some toffee to bring to a friend in hospital and on the way they opened up a pack to try it...it was so good that I kept it for myself”. Another story was, "I hide my stash of toffee in my cloths drawer to keep it from my family...it’s that good”.
Do you have a Shaymee's Aussie Toffee story you would like to share with us. If you do we would love to hear about it.

Traditional Aussie Dessert

2006-09-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

LAMINGTONS

Lamingtons, the staple of all good fetes (school or church fairs)
are said to be named after Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1895 - 1901

The cake is easier to handle if it is a little stale; day old cake is ideal. Sponge or butter cake can be used. Lamingtons can be filled with jam and cream, if desired.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
2/3 cup castor sugar
1/3 cup corn flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup self-raising flour
2 cups (180g) coconut, approximately

Icing:

4 cups (500g) icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
15g butter, melted
2/3 cup milk

Method:

Grease 23cm square slab pan. Beat eggs in medium bowl with electric mixer about 10minutes, or until thick and creamy. Gradually beat in sugar, dissolving between additions. Fold in triple-sifted flours. Spread mixture in prepared pan. Bake in moderate oven about 30 minutes. Turn onto wire rack to cool.
Cut cake into 16 squares, dip squares into icing, drain off excess icing, and toss squares in coconut. Place lamingtons on wire rack to set.
Icing: Sift icing sugar and cocoa into heatproof bowl, stir in butter and milk. Stir over pan of simmering water until icing is of coating consistency.

Makes 16 lamingtons

Shaymee's Aussie Toffee

2006-09-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

What is your favorite way to eat Shaymee's Aussie Toffee®?

You would think that we knew all the best ways to eat our own products, but our customers are constantly coming up with new, fun and delicious ways to enjoy Shaymee's Aussie Toffee®. Tell us your favorite combinations and recipes.

Toffee for the Holidays!

2006-09-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!
Shaymee's Aussie Toffee bars are a great addition to your Trick or Treat bag. Your little visitors will get a real surprise when they bite into this yummy treat from down under.

To the Erwin Family and their Friends!

2006-09-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Our heart felt thoughts and prays go out to all of you as you face the loss of Steve. A great Ambassador for Australia and the world! He will be remembered for his important work for wildlife conservation…and for his great love for his family and friends. His passion and enthusiasm was a big part of his persona, which made him so unique. He will leave a legacy that will live on forever in the heart of many. Steve will be missed!

Shaymee's Aussie Toffee

2006-08-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Where did you try Shaymee’s Aussie Toffee® for the first time?

We love to hear about where people encounted their first taste of Shaymee’s Aussie Toffee®. Was it from a friend, local store, or at an event? We need your feedback to figure out what works best, so that we can help everyone find Shaymee’s Aussie Toffee® Cheers!

Toffee Tasting

2006-08-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Shaymee's Aussie Toffee will be sampling throughout all Northern California Whole Foods Market the last 2 weeks of September 2006. I hope you are able to join us there.

On-line Purchasing

2006-08-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

We are currently working on making our toffee available for purchase through our website.

Thank you!

Shaymee’s Toffee Chip Fudge

2006-08-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

Shaymee’s Toffee Chip Fudge

Fudge Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 (6-ounce) package (1 cup) real semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 pieces of Shaymee’s Aussie Toffee (chopped)

Topping Ingredients:

3 pieces of Shaymee’s Aussie Toffee (chopped)

Combine butter, milk and chocolate chips in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high or until butter and chocolate chips are melted (1 1/2 to 2 minutes). Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla; beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth (2 to 3 minutes).
Stir in toffee bits by hand. Spread in buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons toffee bits over top; gently press into fudge.
Cover; refrigerate until firm (1 to 1 1/2 hours). Cut into squares.
Store refrigerated in air-tight container.

Anzac Biscuits

2006-07-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

Anzac Biscuits (Cookies)

During World War 1, the wives, mothers and girlfriends of the Australian soldiers were concerned for the nutritional value of the food being supplied to their men. Here was a problem. Any food they sent to the fighting men had to be carried in the ships of the Merchant Navy. Most of these were lucky to maintain a speed of ten knots (18.5 kilometers per hour). Most had no refrigerated facilities, so any food sent had to be able to remain edible after periods in excess of two months. A body of women came up with the answer - a biscuit with all the nutritional value possible. The basis was a Scottish recipe using rolled oats. These oats were used extensively in Scotland, especially for a heavy porridge that helped counteract the extremely cold climate.

The ingredients they used were: rolled oats, sugar, plain flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup or treacle, bi-carbonate of soda and boiling water. All these items did not readily spoil. At first the biscuits were called Soldiers’ Biscuits, but after the landing on Gallipoli, they were renamed ANZAC Biscuits.

A point of interest is the lack of eggs to bind the ANZAC biscuit mixture together. Because of the war, many of the poultry farmers had joined the services, thus, eggs were scarce. The binding agent for the biscuits was golden syrup or treacle. Eggs that were sent long distances were coated with a product called ke peg (like Vaseline) then packed in air tight containers filled with sand to cushion the eggs and keep out the air.

As the war drew on, many groups like the CWA (Country Women’s Association), church groups, schools and other women’s organizations devoted a great deal of time to the making of ANZAC biscuits. To ensure that the biscuits remained crisp, they were packed in used tins, such as Billy Tea tins. You can see some of these tins appearing in your supermarket as exact replicas of the ones of earlier years. Look around. The tins were airtight, thus no moisture in the air was able to soak into the biscuits and make them soft. Most people would agree there is nothing worse than a soft biscuit.

During World War 2, with refrigeration in so many Merchant Navy Ships, the biscuits were not made to any great extent. It was now possible to send a greater variety of food, like fruit cake.

ANZAC biscuits are still made today. They can also be purchased from supermarkets and specialty biscuit shops. Around ANZAC Day, these biscuits are also often used by veterans’ organizations to raise funds for the care and welfare of aged war veterans.

Here is a recipe you can try!

Approximately 3 dozen

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons Lyles Golden Syrup

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup boiling water

Baking Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, and coconut. Set aside.

2) In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with syrup. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water, and add to butter mixture. Stir to combine. (Be careful; if the butter is hot, it will bubble up considerably).

3) Add butter mixture to dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop, drop onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart (be sure to pack the scoop tightly so the mixture doesn’t crumble). Flatten cookies slightly with the heel of your hand.

4) Bake until golden brown and firm but not hard, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Australian Sticky Date Pudding

2006-07-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

Australian Sticky Date Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup Butter, room temperature
1/2 cup Butter
1/4 cup Whipping cream
1/2 cup Firm packed brown sugar PLUS
1 tb Firm packed brown sugar
1/2 ts Vanilla

Plus extra to butter pan
1 cup Chopped pitted dates
1 ts Baking soda

2 ea Eggs
1 cup All purpose flour
ts Salt
1 ts Vanilla
1/2 ts Baking powder
Directions:

This Australian recipe is a very moist cake, not what you would call a
pudding, is a great favorite for Aussies. You’ll find it on restaurant
and dinner party menus across Australia.

TO PREPARE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round
baking pan with sides at least 2 inches high, such as a spring form pan.

Place the dates in a saucepan and cover with water (about 1-1/2 cups).
Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Add the
baking soda (the mixture will foam) and set aside.

In a bowl, cream the cut up butter, sugar and eggs, adding the eggs
one at a time. Gently mix in the flour, salt and vanilla. Slowly stir
in the baking powder and 1/4 cup of the liquid from cooking the
dates, until the cake mixture resembles thick pancake batter. Drain
off remainder of date cooking liquid and discard. Stir in the dates.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked in the center.

TO PREPARE CARAMEL SAUCE: Combine the butter, whipping cream, brown sugar and vanilla. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer, and cook for 3 minutes. TO SERVE: Drizzle some of the sauce over the cake as it is cooling. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

What Causes Bloom in Chocolate?

2006-07-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

What Causes Bloom in Chocolate?

There are two types of bloom. One is caused when the cocoa butter, reacting to heat, separates from the other ingredients. It rises to the surface of the chocolate forming pale irregular spots or blotches. This is known as fat bloom. It can be wiped off with a paper towel but it is not necessary to do so. Sugar bloom looks similar but has a slightly gritty texture. It is caused by damp, humid conditions that encourage moisture build up on the surface. This “sweat” dissolves some of the sugar in the chocolate. When it re-crystallizes, a dusty coating is produced that cannot be removed.

Bloom has nothing to do with the age of the chcolate. It can happen to just purchased treats that are left in a hot car. When the partially melted morsels re-harden at home they are prone to get the characteristic white speckles of fat bloom. The same thing can occur when summertime temperatures soar up into the 90's. If you don’t have central air conditioning, your kitchen cupboards heat up, creating ideal conditions for bloom.

Putting a brand new partially used and loosely closed package of baking bars in the refrigerator can trigger sugar bloom because it’s such a moist environment. A long period of warm rainy days can have a similar effect on the chocolate in your pantry because the relative humidity in your home is likely to rise above 55%.

But bloom is only a change in appearance. It’s not a sign that chocolate is old or has gone bad. Now that you know there’s nothing wrong with chocolate that’s not picture perfect go ahead and use it to make something wonderful. Cheers!

Shaymee's Toffee Cookies

2006-07-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Shaymee’s Toffee Cookies

Yields: 6 dozen

Servings: 72

INGREDIENTS:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 Shaymee’s Aussie Toffee Bars (Macadamia, Hazelnut, Espresso or Almond).

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and Shaymee’s chocolate toffee (coarsely chopped). Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto greaseless cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

A Search for Chocolate...

2006-07-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Many Australians visit the island of Bali. It is only five and a half hours from Sydney by plane. One year I went with some mates on a surfing safari. It was in April and it was the time we found when the Balinese people celebrates their New Year. A local told us that in the old days they would have guards on patrol with swords in hand during these celebrations, and if they found anyone in the streets during this time they would cut off their head. They still patrolled the streets with sword in hand, but I don't think they go that far these days, anyway we didn’t want to find out.

It was also the time we Aussies celebrated Easter back in OZ so we got the idea to see if we could find some chocolate. The place that we were staying at was called Dewi Shinta in Kuta. The man in charge, Made (pronounced Ma day), said that we were not allowed to leave until the next day. We had no water that we could drink, no food, no air-conditioning and no chocolate, all we had was duty free whiskey.

So we made a desperate attempt to find all of the above. We would dodge the sentries that were on guard in the streets while trying to find a store that was opened, but there was none to be found. Then we heard people laughing so we went to investigate. To our amazement we found a place called the Bali Sunset Club. There was a great big pool and bar area with lots of beautiful people having fun. We made like we were guest at the hotel, and for the rest of the day and night we enjoyed all the amenities the hotel had to offer…including lots of chocolate. You Rippa!!!

Healthy Summer Shake

2006-07-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Chocolate and toffee is something I enjoy eating as well as making, but some times I like to make a fruit shake to curb my sweet tooth. A great Aussie pass time is going to the beach all day with friends and family. We love to surf, sail, swim; you name it, as long as it has something to do with water. After all that fun I like to go home and blend soy milk with what ever fruit I have on hand; throw in some frozen yogurt and ice and blend.

Bonza mate!

P.S. I was raised in Sydney and would surf Cronulla beach which was my home break. There is a movie you can rent known as “Puberty Blues” which was film on location in the Cronulla area. The movie was made in the 80’s, and it will give you a bit of a look at the way we would use the English language in our own way. Cheers!

New Outback Flavours

2006-07-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Shaymee's new line of chocolate toffee will launch fall 2006!