Candy Making Made Easy
By Shauna Belknap and Jamie Melin, staff writers

 

‘Tis the season to eat sweets: Yu yu yu yu YUM, YuYumYumYum. But baking those seasonal confections can be daunting. If you’re like me you go through 5 batches of popcorn and caramel before deciding it’s time to invest in a candy thermometer. But this holiday is no time to burn (literally) precious days away trying to get the candy just right. So here are 5 candy-making tips and great family recipes for everything from Tootsie Rolls to Peanut Brittle that will truly make this Christmas season sweet for you and your family.

Good luck with your holiday goodies and remember that every candy-making expert started somewhere (even if it was at the bottom of a burned pan). So take heart, pick one of our simple candy recipes and start cooking. You’ll be sweetly surprised at just how easy it can be.

BASIC HARD CANDY

2-1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon flavoring (oil of cinnamon, peppermint, orange, clove, etc.)
food coloring

Line an 8” or 9 “ square baking pan with foil (fold foil over edges of pan) and grease the foil.

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook and stir over high heat until mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan.

Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thermometer registers 300 degrees F (hard-crack stage).
Remove the thermometer from the pan; remove the pan from heat. Add the desired flavoring and coloring.and pour mixture into prepared pan. Let the candy stand for 5 to 10 minutes or until a film forms over the surface.

Using a broad spatula, mark candy surface in 1/2-inch squares. Do not break film on surface. (If candy doesn't hold its shape, it isn't cool enough to mark. Let stand a few more minutes.)

Retrace previous lines, pressing spatula deeper each time, but not breaking the surface until the spatula can be pressed to the bottom along all lines. (If candy hardens before the pieces are cut, put it in a warm oven for a few minutes.)

Cool completely. Use foil to lift the candy out of the pan; break candy into squares

Makes 1 pound candy.

This recipe can also be used with molds to make candy shapes or lollipops.

Recipe from Annie Woodward.

 

MICROWAVE FUDGE

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
5 ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup chocolate chips (either semi-sweet or milk chocolate)
7 ounce jar of Marshmallow crème
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix sugar, margarine and milk in microwave safe mixing bowl and microwave for 5 minutes.

Stir in chocolate chips, marshmallow crème, vanilla and nuts.
Microwave mixture in high for 2-1/2 minutes; stir; microwave for 2-1/2 more minutes and stir again.

Pour mixture into a greased 8” square pan and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares.

*Note-if fudge turns out too sticky, try coating pieces in powdered sugar or even cinnamon sugar before serving or packaging them—it’ll still taste great and be easier to eat.

Recipe taken from a long-ago student ward Enrichment hand out

 

PEPPERMINT WHITE CHOCOLATE BARK

1 package white almond bark
4-6 candy canes

Melt bark in large saucepan on low. Place candy canes in ziplock bag and crush to small pieces with rolling pin. Once bark has melted remove from heat and stir in candy cane pieces.

Spread mixture on wax paper, cool and break.

Recipe from Rhonda Barnes, Lewiston, ID Stake

 

ALMOND CRUNCH

6 squares of white chocolate
1 cup toffee bits
1 cup whole roasted almonds

Melt chocolate over low heat. Stir in toffee bits and almonds. Spread on waxed paper and cool. Break into chunks and serve or package.

A Melin Family Favorite

 

PEANUT BRITTLE

1-1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup white corn syrup
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoon butter
2 cups raw peanuts
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Put water, syrup, & sugar in a heavy kettle. Bring to a boil for 12 minutes. Add butter and peanuts. Bring to boil, still constantly and boil for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove quickly from heat and add salt, vanilla and baking soda. Stir quickly and turn out onto buttered cookie sheet. Cool and break.

Recipe from Rhonda Barnes, Lewiston, ID Stake

 

MICROWAVE PEANUT BRITTLE

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanuts
1 teaspoon margarine
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Mix sugar, corn syrup, and salt, cook in microwave for about 4 minutes, or just until amber colored. Remove from oven (it's very hot, be very careful) and add peanuts, cook about l to 2 minutes more, remove from oven add the margarine, baking soda, and vanilla all at once, and mix thoroughly, spread on a cookie sheet that has been greased. Cool, then break into pieces and put in jar, with tight fitting lid.

Recipe from Diana Rattray.

 

HONEY TAFFY

1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
1 teaspoon vinegar

 

Mix ingredients in saucepan over medium heat. Stir til soft ball stage, then remove from heat and pull. Wrap pieces in small squares of waxed paper for serving or storage.

Recipe from the Jeffrey Family.

 

TOOTSIE ROLLS

2 cups butter
1/2 cup white Karo syrup
1/3 cup white sugar
2 squares melted chocolate-use squares
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup dry milk

Mix and knead. Roll out into 3/4 inch rolls, cut off lengths. Let stand and then roll into paper.

Recipe from Rhonda Barnes, Lewiston, ID Stake

 

COOL WHIP CANDY

2 large Hershey bars or 1 lb. chocolate
9 oz. frozen Cool Whip
Chopped nuts or flaked coconut

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Put Cool Whip in a bowl and pour in melted chocolate. Stir well and drop in chopped nuts or coconut. Roll. Set in refrigerator.

Recipe from Rhonda Barnes, Lewiston, ID Stake

Candy Making
Made Easy:
Sweet Survival Tips

1. Ingredients

  • Sugar: Without sugar there would be no candy, so you need to get this magic ingredient just right. Start with a bag of unopened sugar. The sugar from your counter canister has probably been contaminated with other ingredients like flour and salt.
  • Butter: While you can substitute margarine for butter in many recipes, it’s safest to use butter when making candy. The extra water in margarine can throw off your baking times and compromise the taste of your favorite sweets.
  • Nuts: Store nuts in a cool place (fridge or freezer) to maintain freshness.
  • Vanilla: When working with chocolate a drop of vanilla extract eliminates graininess and adds to the flavor.
  • Double-Batches: Using double the ingredients can throw off cooking times and candy setup. If you want twice the candy, make two separates batches.

2. Cookware
A saucepan with straight sides and a heavy bottom will empower the candy-making novice. Make sure it’s large enough to prevent boil-overs and can double as the bottom half of a double-boiler when making chocolate.

The best utensil for working with candy is the wooden spoon. Not only will it prevent sticking, but the wood will not contaminate the taste of your goodies.

And while you can use the cold water test to determine temperature, a good candy thermometer can make the candy making process easier.

3. Temperatures
Getting the temperature right is often the thing that most frightens the faint of candy-making heart. Those of us who aren’t confectionary experts begin twitching at first mention of soft-ball or hard-crack temperature testing. But the preciseness of temperature is very important in candy making, so take courage and either buy a thermometer or get those classes of temperature-testing water ready.

Soft Ball - (fudge)
234°F to 240°F
Forms a ball that doesn’t retain its shape when pressed

Firm Ball - (caramel)
246°F to 248°F
Forms a ball that retains its shape when pressed

Hard Ball - (taffy)
250°F to 268°F
Forms a pliable ball

Soft Crack - (toffee)
270°F to 290°F
Separates into small hard threads

Hard Crack - (peanut brittle)
300°F to 310°F
Separates into small brittle threads

(taken from "Candy Thermometer and Temperatures”)

Note to thermometer users:
Test your thermometer before each use by inserting into a pan of water. Heat the water until it boils (do not insert thermometer into an already boiling pan of water; it may break) and note the thermometer’s temperature; it should read 212°F (100°C). If the thermometer does not read 212°F you must note the difference as you heat your candy. For example, if your thermometer reads 215°F when the water boils you will need to note that 3-degree difference when heating your candy to a thread, waiting until your thermometer reads 233°F rather than 230°F. Also, do not let the thermometer’s bulb touch the sides or the bottom of the pan as this will make for an inaccurate reading of the candy.

Note to water testers: Use very cold water when you test, and use a new glass of water each time your test.
(from “Visions of Sugar Plums”)


4. Preparations
When working with such high temperatures and against time constraints it’s crucial to have everything you will need at hand. Before you turn on your first burner gather all necessary items so they will be within reach: ingredients, thermometers, spoons, bowels, wax paper, pans, etc.

5. And, yes, the Weather
It’s best to make candy when the weather is cool and dry. Often when the weather is humid or raining, the candy will be too soft or may not set up at all. The cool weather promotes that hardening and decreases chances of the candy forming unwanted crystals (if you must cook in a humid environment, cook candy 1 or 2 degrees higher than specified in the recipe).

A note to the altitudinally challenged: Lower the temperature by one degree for every 500 feet above sea level. So if, for example, you live 1500 hundred feet above sea level and are making a candy that requires a temperature of 234°F, you should cook it to 231°F.

 

Additional Candy Recipes

COPYRIGHT © 2000-2008. MORMONCHIC.COM, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CONTACT US  |  ABOUT US  |  PRIVACY POLICY  |  TERMS OF USAGE  | DISCLAIMER  |  OFFICIAL LDS WEBSITE