Dear Brian, Thank you for showing an interest in your Grandma Stout’s candy recipes. You are right on, she was a superb candy-maker. Chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, panocha (B. sugar fudge), divinity, peanut brittle,
English toffee, she did them all.
I suspect that in her early days Christmas and making candy were closely related. Gifts were not easy to come by, and she loved to make candy.
Candy could be made ahead, stored in tins, and became gifts for friends and family.
She must have gotten good at it early on. In her prime years she made as much as 50 pounds of candy for the autumn church bazaar.
On the other hand (there is always an other hand), I lived next door to Grandma’s store. Candy canes, chocolate drops and hard tack were included in the Christmas “treats” passed out to customers on Christmas Eve.
Candy making was not part of our holidays. We baked cookies, made popcorn balls and indulged in our “treats.”
So that is my excuse for never becoming a candy maker. Why would I when my mother-in-law was so good at it and she shared?
I thought we had lost her candy recipes, but last summer while rifling through recipes I found them. I had expected hand written copies, instead they were printed on heavy paper, old and worn. I remembered she had once belonged to a home economics club. There were check marks on some recipes, very neat, . I knew these were the ones she used.
In sharing recipes on the blog I try to do them, so I will be familiar with them.
It doesn’t always happen, but I try.
And that is how we discover an ignorant at candy making aunt willing to give Ma’s old fashioned candy recipes a try. I never saw her in the process, just the fruit (or candy) of her labor. Mistake 1 (there will be more).
First, the recipe, just as it was printed many years ago.
. Chocolate Fudge and Variations
1 T. butter (also enough to grease sides of a 2 or 3 qt. saucepan)
2 oz. chocolate, cut up
3/4cups coffee cream
Place chocolate and cream in saucepan, cook on low heat about 10 minutes, until chocolate is melted stirring with a rubber spatula. Add 2 cups granulated sugar and stir about 2 minutes to dissolve. Increase heat to medium and stir about 2 minutes. Put lid on to wash sugar grains down for 5 minutes. Remove lid, stir with clean rubber spatula and place candy thermometer in syrup. Continue gentle cooking without stirring to 236 degrees (soft ball stage), about 10 minutes (it took me longer)Remove from heat.
Place pan on wire rack, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and butter. Let cool on rack until bottom of pan is barely warm to the hand. Will take about an hour.(Took me longer)
Add ¾ cup broken nut meats, stir about 8 minutes or until candy loses its gloss (this is where I really got lost). Becomes creamy and starts to stiffen. Pour into 8 inch buttered pan and cut with sharp knife while still warm. If the mixture becomes too stiff, (it did, fast) :”let it down“ by ;adding a teaspoon of hot water, milk, or cream at a time to give a desirable consistency. (I did that).
Variations:
Rocky Road: Add miniature marshmallow just before turning into pan.
Panocha: Omit chocolate. Substitute 1 cup brown sugar, .firmly packed and 1 ½ cups granulate sugar for listed ingredients.
White Fudge Roll: Omit chocolate. Use ½ cup chopped candied cherries and ½ cup chopped nuts. Knead and shape.
Peanut Butter Fudge: Omit chocolate and nuts. Just before beating, add 3 T. creamy peanut butter.
Oh, how I would like to taste her English Toffee or Peanut Butter Fudge.
Have a happy holiday with the new granddaughter.
A safe and blessed holiday to everyone.
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