Here are the recipes for the candies from the candy buffet, as well as the bar cookies we served to our families on Friday night. Enjoy!

Toffee with Milk Chocolate and Walnuts

This was a last-minute addition to the candy buffet lineup because I didn't think I could successfully make toffee without a really good candy thermometer or a lot of failed attempts. Then I found this recipe, which uses a very clever technique to tell when the candy when is done. I made ten batches for the wedding, and every single one turned out well. I'd say it's a pretty foolproof recipe.

Line a cookie sheet or large cutting board with foil. Do not grease.

Spread out the almonds on a plate near the stove. The almonds are not an ingredient in the toffee, but you will want them nearby, because you'll stop cooking when the color of the toffee matches the color of the almonds.

Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly with a clean, dry, wooden spoon until butter is melted. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 to 7 minutes or until the color of the candy is the color of the almonds. Immediately pour the candy, without scraping the pan, onto the foil. Spread it thinly with a level spatula or butter knife, working as quickly as you can, because it sets very quickly.

Melt chocolate however you wish — in a double boiler or in the microwave. Make sure to stir often so it does not burn. Spread chocolate mixture over cooled toffee and sprinkle immediately with walnuts. You could use almonds here if you prefer. Let cool until chocolate has hardened, then break into pieces.

Store in an airtight bag or container at room temperature.

Cinnamon Sugar Candied Pecans

I tried three different recipes for candied pecans until I came across this gem. The first one was an oven-baked version that just fell flat. It called for roasting the pecans for 15 minutes at a medium-high temperature, and it didn't give the pecans time to develop much flavor. My second attempt was a stovetop recipe that ended in one of my greatest kitchen disasters of all time. Think black, burnt sugar. After that, I went back to the trusty oven, using this recipe which cooked the pecans for an hour at a low temperature. In the end, I was glad I didn't give up on the candied pecans.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Your life will be easier if you use a cookie sheet with a lip.

Beat the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add pecans and cinnamon sugar mixture to egg whites. Stir with a spatula to coat the nuts evenly.

Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely, and store in an airtight bag or container.

Butter Mints

My grandma, Mary LoBue, used to have pastel butter mints every time I visited her house. I never realized how easy they were to make until I thought about making for them for the wedding. Even though you do have to roll the dough into logs and cut out the mints individually, the dough is so easy to work with that the process goes very quickly. I was pleasantly surprised to see how quickly this recipe went from start to finish.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat butter on high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl and add heavy cream and peppermint extract. Beat on low until thoroughly combined.

Add powdered sugar about one or two cups at a time, mixing on low until fully combined. Add a few drops of food coloring, if you wish. Turn speed up to high and beat for approximately 4 minutes or until very light and fluffy.

To shape the mints, roll some dough between your hands into a thin log. Line up four or five logs next to each other on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a butter knife or bench scraper to cut all the logs at once into mints of your desired size. If you find the dough to be sticky, you can coat your hands with powdered sugar.

Let the mints dry on the parchment-lined cookie sheet at room temperature for about 48 hours. Store mints in an airtight bag or container at room temperature.

Caramels

The secret's out. You know those caramels you ate at the wedding? I made them in the microwave. When you're making 65 pounds of candy in a week, you need to take some shortcuts, right? These caramels are incredibly easy and I love that there's no tinkering with a candy thermometer involved.

In order to make this recipe, you need a very large microwave-safe bowl and an oven mitt. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

In your large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. To the melted butter add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk. Stir until smooth. Place bowl in the microwave and heat on high power for 3 minutes and 45 seconds.

Using the oven mitt, remove bowl from the microwave, scrape down the sides incredibly well, and stir. It won't appear that much of anything is on the sides but if there are sugar granules that are not dissolved and fully incorporated into the bubbling mixture, they can cause graininess or crystallization in the finished caramels.

Return the bowl to the microwave and heat on high power for another 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Watch it carefully the whole time, as the mixture will bubble a lot. Using the oven mitt, remove the bowl from the microwave, set it on the counter, and very carefully add the vanilla extract. The mixture will still be boiling and when you add it, it will bubble up even more. Stir to incorporate the vanilla.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, without scraping the sides of the bowl. Cover it with another sheet of aluminum foil, and place it in the refrigerator to firm up for at least four hours, or overnight, before slicing. Lift the caramels out using the foil overhang and flip them over onto a parchment-lined cutting board. Peel off the foil and let the caramels sit for about fifteen minutes, otherwise they'll be too hard to cut. Cut them into 64 one-inch squares.

For storage, you have some options. You could eat them right away, wrap them individually in parchment or wax paper, or arrange them on a large plate so they aren't touching, and cover them with plastic wrap. They can be kept at room temperature, but will keep longer in the refrigerator. The consistency will also be different based on the temperature. If you like chewier caramels, keep them refrigerated. If you prefer softer caramels, eat them at room temperature.

Chocolate Covered Mint Oreos
Milk Chocolate Raisin Clusters
White Chocolate Craisin Almond Clusters
Dark Chocolate Nonpareils

These candies are mostly self-explanatory and really easy to make. The most difficult part by far was tempering the chocolate, which I wanted to do for the candy buffet to avoid unsightly white streaks and more importantly, to make sure the chocolate didn't melt at room temperature. You may be able to get away without tempering your chocolate, in which case all of these recipes would be a breeze.

I didn't measure ingredients for these candies, so if you want to make them, you'll just have to make the proportions to your taste. The oreos were as simple as sticking lollipop sticks halfway into mint oreos and dipping them in chocolate. I let them dry on a sheet of wax paper. Both types of clusters were made by melting the chocolate, adding what I deemed to be an appropriate amount of other ingredients, and scooping spoonfuls into paper candy wrappers. For the nonpareils, I spread out white nonpareils on a rimmed baking sheet, put melted chocolate into a piping bag, and piped out circles of chocolate into the bed of sprinkles.

If you temper the chocolate, all of these candies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight bag or container. Refrigeration will cause them to lose their temper. If you do not temper the chocolate, you will probably want to refrigerate them to avoid melting.

Lemon Bars

This is Mark's favorite dessert, so naturally, it's one of my favorites to make for him. I didn't actually believe I liked lemon desserts until I tried these. They are very lemony but also very sweet, and the shortbread crust is to die for.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, cream the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add 2 cups flour and combine until just mixed. Press the dough into a 9 by 13 glass pan, building up a half-inch edge on all sides. You're supposed to chill it for half an hour, but sometimes I skip this step if I'm in a hurry, and life goes on.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on. For the filling, whisk together the eggs, 3 cups sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1 cup flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set and the edges are golden.

Let cool and store at room temperature, covered.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

Some of my friends call these Janine Bars, as they are one of my signature desserts. I just love the flavor combination of oatmeal, caramel, and chocolate.

Heat oven to 350. Combine the first six ingredients in a stand mixer at low speed or with a pastry blender. Mix just until crumbly. Press half of the crumb mixture in the bottom of a greased 13 by 9 glass pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

While the bottom crust is baking, combine caramel with 3 tablespoons flour. Mix until flour is completely incorporated. This is also a good time to chop the walnuts. I try to get them so small that nut-haters won't even notice they are there.

After the bottom crust has baked for 10 minutes, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and walnuts, then drizzle evenly with caramel. I never measure the amount of chocolate chips I use — add to your heart's content. Top with the remaining crumb mixture. The top crust should not be pressed in, but should be very crumbly.

Bake 18 to 22 minutes more, until golden. Let cool and store at room temperature, covered.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

I'll admit I made this recipe entirely because I thought it looked pretty. It turned out to taste pretty good, too!

Prepare brownie batter, and add some chocolate chips if desired. You'll need enough for a 13 by 9 glass pan.

Combine the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour a bit less than half of the brownie batter into a greased 13 by 9 glass pan. Spoon some of the peanut butter mixture in small dollops on top of the brownie batter. Pour the remaining brownie batter to cover the peanut butter. Dollop some more peanut butter on top of that. I did not wind up using all of the peanut butter mixture, as it seemed like a lot, but if you are a real peanut butter lover, go for it. Use a butter knife to swirl the peanut butter and brownie batter together.

Bake according to the brownie's directions. Let cool and store at room temperature, covered.