Autumn Dessert Charcuterie Board with Karo® Syrup

Thank you Karo® Syrup for sponsoring this post. Celebrate sweet moments together with Karo®!

Oh no! It’s your turn to host the PTA’s monthly meeting and after Kendall’s wine & cheese soiree last month, these bad mamas are going to have high expectations. Why does she have to be so good?! You remind yourself that you are a capable, fully functioning adult and come up with a plan. An autumn booze-inspired dessert charcuterie board! We’re going to need a massive jug of Karo® Syrup to pull this one off.

I swear to you, no joke, I always have about 4 of these gargantuan Karo® Syrup jugs on hand. Seriously, it’s the most versatile thing in my pantry. Lollipops, pizza, sauces, cookies, jam, cake… I  use it in most of my kitchen creations. The high quality of the syrup gives your recipes a smooth texture with a balanced sweetness. This allows all your ingredients to shine! Maybe I should get a few more jugs, you know, for emergencies.

Alright, your time has come to put together a killer charcuterie board. These are some hard-working, dedicated mamas so you can’t just put together any old board. The ladies deserve to be spoiled and what better way to do that than with desserts and booze?! So you’re going to need not one, but two autumn booze-inspired recipes for the centerpiece of the charcuterie. Who’s up for some Hard Cider Marshmallows and Ginger Stout Button Cookies?!

Hard Cider Marshmallows

Prep: 30 minutes; Total Time: 9 hours; Yields: 10-20

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Karo® Syrup (Light)
• 2 tablespoons hard apple cider
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1-2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup water (divided)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Optional: Festive sprinkles for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grease an 9 x 13” glass pan and then dust it with confectioners’ sugar.
2. In a stand mixer, combine ½ cup of cold water and the gelatin. With the whisk attachment, mix on a low speed. Let stand.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the Karo® Syrup, granulated sugar, salt, and ½ cup of water. Stir and cook over medium heat until the ingredients are dissolved (approximately 3 minutes). Raise the heat to high and then place a candy thermometer in the pan. Stir continuously and cook until the temperature reaches 240°F (approximately 5-8 minutes). Immediately remove the pan from the heat.
4. With the stand mixer on low, slowly pour the heated sugar syrup in with the gelatin mixture. Place the mixer on high until a thick, sturdy marshmallow whip has formed.
5. Add the hard cider to the stand mixer and mix another 2-3 minutes until the marshmallow thickens a bit more.
6. Pour the marshmallow whip into the dusted pan. Even it out with a spatula and add the optional sprinkles on top. Lightly dust to set with confectioners’ sugar. Then, let it sit for 8-9 hours to harden at room temperature.
7. Remove the marshmallow slab from the pan and cut into squares with a sharp knife. Coat the squares generously with confectioners’ sugar. 

Seriously, if the ladies aren’t impressed with your marshmallow-making skills, then you’ve got a backup. Ginger Stout Button Cookies, baby!

Ginger Stout Button Cookies

Time: 1 hour; Yields: 20-30

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Karo® Syrup (Light)
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2/3 cup butter (softened)
• 3 tablespoons stout beer
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup candied ginger (diced)

DIRECTIONS: 

1. In a stand mixer, cream the Karo® Syrup, butter, sugar, salt, and stout. 
2. Slowly mix in the flour until a thick dough forms.
3. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to harden.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then, take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll into golf-ball sized pieces. Place on the cookie sheet about 1-inch apart.
5. Push a piece of the candied ginger into the top of each dough circle. 
6. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.
7. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and enjoy!

All that is left is putting together the board with other seasonal fruits and desserts (just pick up more sweets from the store, your time is precious).

Make sure to grab a few jugs of Karo® Syrup at the market and get to planning out your PTA party planning supremacy. Happy Autumn!