Welcome October! With a new month comes a new Sally’s Baking Challenge. This challenge recipe is brought to you by popular request, a quick homemade candy recipe to celebrate the Fall season. Perfect as we prepare for the holiday season! Before we get started, let’s review what the baking challenge is:
MONTHLY BAKING CHALLENGE
On or around the 1st of every month, I post a new recipe complete with a how-to video, plenty of tips, tricks, and photos. I want you to bake the recipe yourself during that month, then come back and tell me how it went. Share your photos throughout the month using #sallysbakingchallenge on Instagram or email me, tweet me, or upload a photo of your recipe to my Facebook page. If you don’t like a particular flavor in that month’s recipe, there is an alternate challenge recipe. Here is where you can find all the recipes that have been baking challenges: Sally’s Baking Challenge page
LOOKING BACK ON SEPTEMBER
September Baking Challenge recipe: Choux Pastry
Every month shows more participation than the last! September 2018 brought in the most bakers, all trying their hand at homemade pâte à choux. And what delicious creations you all made! I witnessed hundreds of you challenge yourself with this delicate French pastry, whipping up such indulgences as eclairs with pumpkin mousse, churro cream puffs, salted caramel apple cream puffs, fig jam cream puffs, cheesy gougères, and cookies ‘n’ cream profiteroles. You had complete creative control and totally ran with it. This was a more involved challenge and I loved hearing about your sense of accomplishment after you finished. A GIANT thank you everyone who participated. I hope you’re all so proud of yourselves!
Take a look at some of your photos on Instagram. And here’s a bunch that are either there, sent to me, posted on my Facebook page, or in my Facebook group.
Giveaway winner for September is Caitlin and she has been notified. 
OCTOBER BAKING CHALLENGE
October 2018 Baking Challenge: Pumpkin Spice Toffee
My 2nd cookbook, Sally’s Candy Addiction, was published in Fall 2015. I wanted to draw attention to this cookbook as we celebrate its 3 year anniversary, so I took a recipe straight from its pages. Many readers haven’t attempted homemade candy before, so I knew this would be the perfect challenge for October. Like September’s Baking Challenge for choux pastry, homemade toffee has the reputation of being difficult. While it definitely requires you to carefully read the instructions before beginning, you don’t need to be a candy expert to prepare it. Requiring only about 20 minutes of cook time, homemade buttery toffee reminiscent of your favorite Heath bar candy bar is totally doable. And we’re flavoring it with pumpkin spice, white chocolate, and toasted pecans. I made this toffee dozens of times at cooking demos on my Sally’s Candy Addiction book tour and samples were gone in minutes. I literally couldn’t make enough of it!!!! You’re going to flip.
GIVEAWAY
Everyone who participates in the October Baking Challenge and shares their photo on my Facebook page, in my Facebook group, emails it to me, or on your public Instagram account using the hashtag #sallysbakingchallenge is automatically entered. My assistants and I will keep track of your photos and randomly select a winner at the end of the month. This giveaway is open to the whole world. Giveaway ends on October 30th 2018. A winner will be selected at random and posted on the November Baking Challenge blog post on October 31st.
1 winner will receive: $250 Amazon Gift Card
Check my blog tomorrow for the Pumpkin Spice Toffee recipe + video tutorial and the alternate October Baking Challenge recipe!
Sally I love all your cupcake recipes with some good frosting in my mouth and I love all the chocolate of the world recipes you provide us ,especially dark chocolate melting in my mouth yum 🙂
omg, pumpkin spice toffee sounds absolutely fabulous. And easy too 🙂
Perfect for fall. I can’t wait to try it!
So happy you’ll join the challenge this month!!
omg, pumpkin spice toffee sounds absolutely fabulous. And easy too 🙂
Perfect for fall. I can’t wait to try it!
It’s seriously amazing! Thanks for joining the challenge this month 🙂
This will be a big challenge for me.
Pumpkin spice toffee sounds FABULOUS! Want to hand out toffee for Halloween….or Halloweiner as we call it around here because we raise and and rescue Dachshunds! Can you imagine how popular out house would be with your toffee recipe and maybe some hot mulled cider? I’m dressing up as a bee this year =)
http://www.raiseyourgarden.com
Your Halloween celebration sounds incredible!!
I have your fabulous cookbook, I just couldn’t decide which recipe to try first…This is it ..Thank you!
Hope you love this toffee!
This will be the first challenge I participate in (I just found these challenges) and I am so excited! I cannot wait for the recipe!
I’m thrilled you’ll be joining the challenge this month! Welcome 🙂
I can’t wait to try this!!!! I love making toffee, especially your chocolate peanut butter saltine toffee!
That chocolate PB toffee is so good- and so addicting!!
Been following you for awhile and have tried some of your fabulous cupcakes. Never attempted toffee before so bring on the challenge.
Anything pumpkin! This sounds pumpkin toffee sounds delish!
Thank you!!
This toffee recipe is perfection!! I make dozens of batches every year to give as gifts and take to parties as a hostess gift. It’s also very versatile…sometimes I use cashews, coat with dark chocolate, top with sea salt, top with Christmas sprinkles for the holidays….so delicious! Thank you Sally for all your hard work on so many amazing recipes!!
This will be my first baking challenge that I am participating in. Its perfect that it is pumpkin. Cannot wait to give it a try. Going to a dinner party this weekend and I think the toffee along with a bouquet of flowers will make a great hostess present!!
Oh how sweet! What a perfect hostess gift- I’m thrilled you are joining the challenge this month!
Someday I hope you’ll publish a recipe for penuche candy. Love it!
Congrats to Caitlin on winning the September challenge! I can’t believe how many people participated. They all look great! This month’s challenge will be the first time making candy for me. That’s why I love these challenges. Always trying something new that I never though I would.
I’m so happy you love these challenges, Kristine! Thanks for participating 🙂
I love toffee! Wish autumn never ended, all these delicious calories to be baked 😀 Cannot wait to try it!
Yay, something gluten free! Thanks, Sally!
Is baking challenge open to canadian residents ? Last giveaway was only open to Amercians so I figured I would ask. My new years resolution was to try to cook/bake out of my comfort level / new things to try and your monthly challenge has been great excuse.
Hi Cora! The America’s Test Kitchen giveaway was only open to the US, you’re right. The baking challenges that I host on my website are open to the whole world, so please participate if you’d like!
This is the recipe from your candy book I’ve made over and over again. It’s such a unique treat to bring to holiday gatherings, and I love the combination of white chocolate and fall spices.
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Hi Patricia! There is no recipe today, it’s coming tomorrow 🙂
I think that I will choose this one to be the first challenge I participate in!!! I absolutely adore toffee, and all things pumpkin spice and white chocolate!! I can’t wait!!! And I have all three of your incredible cookbooks! LOVE THEM!!
Oh this looks amazing going by the picture i think it’s something I’m definitely going to enjoy making ……and eating ….obviously . I might even enter the challenge .
Can’t wait for the recipe-this looks delicious and perfect for fall!
I’ve never tried making homemade toffee before, but I love how approachable you make these challenges!! 🙂
Thanks Brittany! I hope you have the chance to participate this month. 🙂
Oh.my.god!
I just started trying to eat super healthy and cut down the sweets, but I think I’ll have to make an exception for this!!! Looks way too good not to try!!
A few pieces of this is so worth it, promise.
Hi Sally,
Can you help with the alternative receipe for the challenge please?
Thanks,
Greta
Hi Greta! The alternate baking challenge recipe will be listed tomorrow with the pumpkin spice toffee recipe. 🙂
Oh, thank you. Will keep a check!
That feeling when you see your photo featured in the monthly challenge picture compilation
🙂 Thank you so much for participating!
Going to have to skip this one I can’t stand pumpkin in any form neither can my husband