Candy Recipes

By request, following are three of my favorite candy recipes.   Before starting either recipe, butter the plate or pan you'll put it on, chop the nuts....and have all ingredients sitting out close by.

As with any recipe.......Practice - Practice - Practice!   If at first you don't succeed try and try again....Many things can affect candy making......weather, mixer power, time of beating, time of cooling, learning when to pour it, temperatures, etc....  I've had many failures while learning, but just don't give up! The perfect batch makes it all worth it.   One request.......Think of "tarzan" when you're eating it......:) and let me know how it turns out!

Twice Cooked Divinity

4 cups of white sugar

4 egg whites - stiffly beaten

1 cup of white corn syrup

1 cup cold water

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

To begin with you need a large very powerful mixer with a large bowl......and a reliable candy thermometer. 

Beat egg whites to very stiff peaks

Cook syrup, water, sugar & salt to a medium ball stage at 240 deg..

While beating, pour 1/3 of the syrup mixture over the egg whites, beating constantly, and continue beating thru the next step:

Cook the remaining syrup mixture to a hard ball stage at 265 deg..

Beat the remaining syrup into the first candy mixture.

Cool this for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Add 2 tsp. vanilla and nuts.....when mixture begins to stiffen, pour into pan or onto a large, buttered plate.   Let set until cool enough to cut.    

Old Fashioned Fudge

3 cups white sugar

2/3 cups cocoa

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups half & half

1/3 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

Combine sugar, cocoa, & salt in a 4 or 5 quart heavy saucepan.   Stir in milk.   Cook, stirring constantly until it boils.  Then cook without stirring to soft ball stage.  Turn off heat, add butter & vanilla.   Let set - Do not stir - Let set until cool.   Beat, add nuts and when it starts to stiffen, pour onto plate.   Let cool and cut into squares.

Aunt Bill's Candy

recipe written exact as from my Grandmother's old cookbook, then rewritten and sent to my Mother probably in the early 1940's  *Difficult & Detailed

(note "cost" at the bottom).

6 cups white sugar

2 cups half & half

1/4 lb. butter

1/4 teas. soda

1 tbls. vanilla

4 cups chopped walnuts

Place 2 cups sugar in heavy skillet over low heat.  Stir with wooden spoon, keep sugar moving so it won't burn.   When sugar has begin to melt, pour the remaining sugar & cream in a deep heavy pan, place over low fire and cook slowly.

When burnt sugar is melted and a light brown color, pour into the pan of boiling milk and sugar.   Keep on very low heat and stir constantly.....pour a fine stream.  Cook until it forms a "firm" base in cold water.   turn out fire and add soda, stir hard and fast as it foams up.   Add butter & place in a cool place for 10 minutes.   Add vanilla and start beating by hand.   Beat until mixture is thick and heavy with a dull appearance.  Add nuts and pour into buttered pan.   Cut into squares and pack in a tin box.   Recipe makes about 6 pounds at 45 cents per pound.