Candy-Making at Home / Two hundred ways to make candy with home flavors and professional finish

by Mary M.‏ Wright

Take two cupfuls of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of water, one-fourth teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and boil to the soft ball stage, then add one-fourth cupful of melted chocolate, one teaspoonful of vanilla and one cupful of nut meats. Beat up until creamy. Pour into buttered pans, and when cold cut into squares or bars. Peanuts, walnuts, pecans or any kind of nuts can be used for this candy.

Nut Bonbons

Take two cupfuls of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of white corn syrup, one-fourth teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Boil to the soft ball stage. Pour into four different plates. In one plate put a little melted chocolate and a fourth teaspoonful of vanilla, on another plate pour a few drops of red coloring and flavor with strawberry, on another plate pour a little yellow coloring and flavor with orange or lemon. Drop about a dozen almonds on each plate, the fourth plate being left white. Stir each plate until syrup is creamy, and each nut is well coated with the sugar. Separate each nut and place on waxed paper.

Candied Chestnuts

Take the chestnuts that are to be candied and score each nut on one side with a sharp knife. Cover with boiling water, cook five minutes and dry. Add a teaspoonful of butter to each pint of nuts, and stir or shake over the fire for five minutes. This loosens the shells and the inner skins, which can now be removed together. Cover the shelled nuts with cold water, and to each pound of nuts add the juice of one lemon. Let stand in this over night, since this will help to harden the nuts, so they can be boiled without breaking up. In the morning, drain, and simmer slowly for one or two hours, or until the nuts are tender. Make a syrup using a pound of sugar to each pound of nuts. Add to each two cupfuls of sugar a half cupful of water and cook until thick, add the nuts and simmer slowly for a half hour, then drain; let them stand in the syrup over night, removing them from the fire. The next day boil the syrup until thick as honey.

Remove the nuts and place on plates and set in the oven or in the sun to dry. Boil the syrup down a little thicker, and pour over the nuts several times while drying until all is absorbed. Dry the nuts and store between layers of waxed paper in a box.

Glacé Nuts

Take two cupfuls of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of water, and one-half teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Boil to the hard crack stage or until the syrup begins to turn brown. Add a teaspoonful of vanilla. Take the nuts to be dipped separately on a long pin, dip into the syrup to cover, remove and place on oiled or waxed paper. Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and peanuts can be used for dipping.

Walnut Bonbons

Place in a saucepan one cupful of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of golden corn syrup, one-half cupful of water, and a pinch of cream of tartar. Boil to the hard ball stage, then add one-half teaspoonful of vanilla and one-half cupful of English walnut meats chopped fine. Pour over the beaten white of one egg, and beat up until light. When it begins to harden drop on halved English walnut meats and press a half nut meat on the top of each bonbon.