Move the thermometer to the bowl with the butter and pour caramel over butter (do not scrape pan). Add vanilla, but do not stir. Cool caramel until it reaches 112 degrees F (about 1 hour 30 minutes).
Using an electric mixer, beat caramel until sheen just begins to disappear and mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Stir in chopped pecans. Cool mixture until thick enough to roll into balls (about 2 hours).
When mixture is cool, line three baking sheets with waxed paper. Using about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each mound, spoon mixture into forty-eight mounds on one sheet. Press or roll each mound between palms of hands into a ball, then refrigerate 30 minutes.
When balls are cool, stir chocolate in medium bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water until smooth and candy thermometer registers 115 degrees F (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Remove bowl from saucepan and drop one ball into chocolate, using a fork to turn it and coat all sides. When ball is coated, lift ball from chocolate, allowing excess to drip into bowl, and slide ball off fork onto second waxed-paper-covered sheet. Repeat with fifteen balls, rewarming chocolate as needed to maintain temperature of 115 degrees F. While chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with 1/4 cup sprinkles or chopped pecans.
Repeat with remaining fudge balls and sprinkles/nuts in two more batches, placing sixteen balls on each of remaining two unused sheets. Chill balls until coating is firm (about 30 minutes).
Can be made two weeks ahead. Refrigerate in covered containers and let stand 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.
13 ounces goat milk, frozen for at least 24 hours
6 ounces lye
12 ounces coconut oil
15 ounces olive oil
13 ounces palm oil or vegetable shortening
1 ounce essential oil (Lucy likes lavender)
pH strips for testing
Break up frozen goat milk into chunks and pour into a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Then put the bowl in a sink that is half-full with cold water and ice (it is important that the milk remains very cold).
Very slowly, add lye and “mash” it into the milk with a fork or stainless steel potato masher. Keep adding the lye until it is all incorporated, replacing the ice in the sink if it melts so that milk/lye solution stays very cold. The milk may turn orange or even tan to light brown, but if it turns dark brown, you will have to discard it and start over.
When the mixture is ready, keep it on ice while you heat the coconut, olive, and palm oils (or vegetable shortening). Measure them on a kitchen scale, then heat them slightly, until they are about 110 to 125 degrees F.
When the oils are ready, slowly pour the lye/milk mixture into them. Mix by hand for the first 5 minutes, then use an immersion blender until the consistency is like cake batter or pudding. When it comes to a trace (when everything has emulsified and there aren’t any streaks), add your essential oils and any additives and pour it into molds.
Wait 24 hours or more, then remove from molds and cut if desired. Let it cure for 3 to 4 weeks, turning the soap every so often so all sides have been exposed to air. The pH needs to drop to 8 to 10 so that it is gentle on skin. You can test the pH with test strips. Wrap soap when completely cured.
Notes:
Always keep goat milk frozen and the lye/milk mixture cold to keep it from scorching (turning dark brown).
Lye is caustic and can burn your skin. Wear long sleeves, gloves, and goggles (if you have them), and keep a bit of white vinegar handy in case you get any on your skin (the vinegar will neutralize the lye).
Use only stainless steel or glass bowls as plastic can pick up smells.
Acknowledgments
Thank you, as always, to my family (Helpful Spouse, Child #1, and Child #2, a.k.a. Eric, Abby, and Ian) for putting up with me (particularly during the grouchy bits), and the MacInerney Mystery Mavens for their support and suggestions! Thanks also to the amazing team at Thomas & Mercer for getting Lucy and Dewberry Farm out into the world and into readers’ hands; I am so thankful for all you do! Thanks are always due to Maryann and Clovis Heimsath for getting all of this started, and to Jason Brenizer for pounding the keyboard with me so many mornings at Trianon Coffee. Speaking of Trianon, I’m thankful every day for the wonderful coffeehouse community that keeps me supplied with coffee, community, conversations, and interesting ideas. Thank you to Dr. John Unflat of Barton Creek Animal Clinic for answering my questions regarding veterinary care—any errors are mine, not his—and to Amelia Sweethardt at Pure Luck Dairy for letting me tour the farm and fielding all of my questions. And most of all, thank you to my amazing readers, especially my incredibly supportive, witty, and fun Facebook community. I couldn’t do any of this without you.
About the Author
Photo © 2008 Kenneth Gall
Karen MacInerney is the author of numerous popular mystery novels, including the Agatha Award–nominated series The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries and the trilogy Tales of an Urban Werewolf, which was nominated for a P.E.A.R.L. award by her readers. When she’s not working on her novels, she teaches writing workshops in Austin, Texas, where she lives with her husband and two children. To receive subscriber-only free books, bonus stories, recipes, and deleted scenes—and to find out when new books are available—sign up for Karen’s newsletter at www.karenmacinerney.com.
Fatal Frost (Dewberry Farm Mysteries Book 2) Page 25
