Old Time Candy and Brown Sugar

It must have been difficult to make homemade candy in the olden days.  There were no candy thermometers and most women used a wood cook stove.  I remember my grammy having a old wood cook stove for years in the kitchen but across the kitchen sat her modern two oven electric stove.  She liked to cook on the old wood stove plus it helped keep the house warm in the winter.

This is kind of like the wood cook stove grammy had in

her kitchen but not exactly.  Across the kitchen was her electirc stove.

This was like grammy's electric stove.

It had the deep well (once I burned my nose looking down in it.....it had a double oven.)

Grandma always made fondant, some was covered in dark chocolate and some was left white.  She also made a candy called Penuche which was a brown sugar candy with nuts.  I remember her making stuffed dates at Christmas and a butterscotch hard candy.  I found her recipes to share with you.  I'm sure you could apply modern ways.  Note that I have not made anything but the fondant recipe but I remember eating lots of the others as a kid.


PENUCHE CANDY

Three cups brown sugar, 1 cup cream, 1 teaspoon butter. Boil without stirring until a little dropped in cold water hardens like glass, then take off the stove and stir rapidly. Flavour with vanilla. Nuts can be added. Pour on buttered plates and cut in squares when it is hard. (from 1915 on the recipe)

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HONEY CANDY

One pint of white sugar, water sufficient to dissolve it, and 4 tablespoons honey. Boil till brittle (test in cold water).  Cool a while then butter your hand and stretch it until it is white.  Stretch into ropes and cut into bite size pieces.

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FONDANT - SOME WITH CHOCOLATE
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of milk
Mix and boil stirring constantly until the soft ball stage.  Pour on a damp platter without scraping the pan.  Let set in a cool place.  When the bottom of the platter feels almost cool, beat the candy until it forms a ball.  Work with hands until it feels soft and creamy.  Pat ouot about 3/4 inches thick on wax paper.  Cut into small pieces.  Place on a tray and let sit all night.  In the morning, dip in Baker's unsweetened choclate melted with about 1/2 inch square of parafine.  Take out with a fork and lay on wax paper.

NOTE:  My grammy made this candy every year.  Sometimes she would leave lots of the candy without chocolate and sometimes she would cover it all with chocolate.  I made it one time but I used semi-sweet chocolate that I bought at Michael's to cover the fondant. 

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BUTTERSCOTCH CANDY

2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter

Boil without stirring until brittle when tested in cold water.  Pour out on buttered plates to cool.  Break apart in pieces.

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STUFFED DATES
Wash and dry and pit the date.  Slit the side and fill with white fondant and a pecan nut and roll in sugar.

HINT FROM GRAMMY - HOW TO MAKE BROWN SUGAR

(when you run out) 

Simply take 1 cup of granulated white sugar and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of molasses (the more molasses you add, the darker the brown sugar will be). Mix the two ingredients with a fork until the molasses is absorbed and the sugar is brown (or I say put in a blender and mix).  Store in a container with a tight lid.  If you want light brown sugar use a smaller amount of molasses.

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Grammy was one of the most important people in my life.  She was special and helped shape me into the woman I am today. My mama was the most impotant but she had to go away to heaven when I was mighty young.   Love you grammy and mama.