Butterfingers

These vegan delights are also gluten-free and soy-free.

These turn out to be very close to the crunchiness of actual Butterfingers, though they are less shale-like. Don't let the cornflakes put you off. They are barely noticeable in the end-product, unless you are particularly sensitive to their taste.

What you will need:

- A Candy Thermometer (with “soft crack” marked on it)

- A Typical Rectangular Cake Pan

- Parchment Paper
- A Double Boiler

- A Whisk

- A Rubber Spatula

- Stirring Tools

- A Scoring Tool (I use a pastry scraper/pastry cutter)

- 2/3 Cup Corn Syrup (or suitable substitute)

- 2/3 Cup Water

- 2 Cups Sugar

- 2 Cups Peanut Butter

- 6 Cups Corn Flakes

- 4 Cups (or so) of a Chocolate of your Choice (chips melt quickly, but other forms will work)

What to do:

1. Combine the corn syrup (2/3 C), water (2/3 C), and sugar (2 C) in a sauce pan.
2. Whisk these ingredients together, then place the pan on a burner set on medium heat.
3. Clip the candy thermometer onto the side of the sauce pan (making sure the tip of the thermometer is in the sugar mixture, but that it does not touch the bottom of the pan).
4. Let this mixture continue to heat up, stirring occasionally, until it reaches “soft crack” stage ( 275º F).
5. While the sugar mixture is heating, combine the peanut butter (2 C) with the corn flakes (6 C). Mix this thoroughly. Don't worry about breaking the flakes. This is fine.
6. Line the cake pan with parchment paper. (It doesn't have to be perfect.)
7. When the sugar mixture reaches the “soft crack” temperature, remove it from the burner immediately.
8. Quickly add the peanut butter mixture to the sugar mixture, and stir them together.
9. Pour this mixture into the lined cake pan, and spread it around so it is reasonably level.
10. This is the point at which you will be deciding on the size of the pieces you will end up with. This mixture hardens pretty quickly as it cools. Score the mixture, before it gets too hard. It may self-heal a little, after you score it. Just run your scoring tool over it again (and perhaps again after that) if necessary.
11. When the mixture is completely cool, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Start with 2 cups of chocolate, and add more if you run low (in step 13).
12. Break the peanut-butter mixture along the score lines (getting the pieces ready to coat with chocolate).
13. When the chocolate has melted, toss the bars into the chocolate, one at a time. Roll the bar around to coat all sides. Remove the bar from the chocolate (forks work well for this). Scrape off any excess chocolate. Place the coated bar on a cookie sheet (I cover my cookie sheet with parchment paper first).
14. Continue with step 13 until all the bars have been covered. If you have to add more chocolate, let it melt completely before continuing (it will melt pretty quickly).
15. Turn the burner off, and place extra chocolate where it can be used the next time you make these.
16. Allow the bars to cool completely before eating.