Christmas Candy Recipes

I have been cooking since I was a little girl. I love to cook and create my own recipes. Or take a recipe and improve on it. I learned from my mother, who learned from her mother and so on.

The one thing I love about Christmas time is the candy. Oh I love candy! After all, isn't that one of the major food groups?

I have many candy recipes that have came from my grandmother and great grandmother. The fudge recipes are before the marshmallow fluff days of making candy. They are more sweat than the recipes of today. This is not diet food! Oh...we loved our sugar.

Enjoy these delicious treats.

Ingredients:

4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cups butter

4 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, milk, and butter in heavy large saucepan. Cook, until all the ingredients are melted and dissolved.
2. Continue cooking until a small amount of mixture dropped into cold water forms a soft ball or to 238 on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and let stand until lukewarm. Add vanilla and walnuts (if desired). Beat until mixture is thick and loses its gloss. Pour into buttered 9 inch square pan or an 11x7-inch pan. When firm, cut into squares. This makes around 3 pounds.
3. Note: When the syrup forms a small soft ball in the water. It must be firm enough to pick up with your fingers without falling apart.

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup

1/2 cup water

2 egg whites

1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Continue cooking, without stirring, until it reaches a firm ball stage when dropped in water. If using a candy thermometer, it must register 260 degree F for the hard-ball stage (10 to 15 minutes).
2. Remove pan from heat. In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Gradually pour hot mixture in a thin stream over whites. Beat mixture on high speed about 3 minutes; scrape sides of bowl occasionally. Add vanilla and, if desired, food coloring. Continue beating on high just until candy starts to lose its gloss (5 to 6 minutes). When beaters are lifted, mixture should fall in a ribbon that mounds on itself.
3. Drop a spoonful of candy mixture onto lightly buttered waxed paper. If it stays mounded, the mixture has been beaten sufficiently. If mixture flattens, beat 1/2 to 1 minute more; check again. If mixture is too stiff to spoon, beat in a few drops hot water till candy is a softer consistency. Immediately stir in nuts. Quickly drop remaining mixture onto waxed paper. Store tightly covered.
4. Cherry or mint divinity can be made by adding a teaspoon of flavoring and some food coloring. Or any other flavor you would like to try.
5. Note: Divinity can be a temperamental type of candy. Do not make this when there is high humidity. A rainy day is not a good day to make this candy. I know first hand that it can change from a fluffy heavenly divinity to a hard gooey chew.

Christmas Candy Cane by AJsGraphics on Zazzle

Check out Sandyspider Gifts on Zazzle for more greeting cards.

This one is from a marshmallow fluff jar. It varies a little from the different brands. This has become a standard fudge recipe almost everywhere you go. I find it to be a fool proof recipe. Even a novice cook can make this delicious fudge recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk (5 oz can)

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow fluff

1 pinch salt

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 1/2 12 oz bags)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Lightly grease a foil-lined 9x9x2 inch pan; set aside.

Heat the sugar, butter, evaporated milk, marshmallow, salt in a 3 quart saucepan over a medium heat until it comes to a boil, stirring constantly. (5 minutes.)

Add chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Stir in optional walnuts.

Spread into pan, sprinkle with optional milk chocolate chips, more nuts, coconut and/or mini-marshmallows.

Refrigerate overnight, carefully turn out onto a cutting board, remove foil, flip back over and cut into 1-inch squares.

Chocolate is not just for Christmas!

Click on this t-shirt to change the style. You can even change it to a men's or child's t-shirt.

Life without Chocolate Women's T-shirt

by Sandyspider on zazzle.com

Ingredients:

3 cups granulated sugar

4 T. (tablespoon) cocoa

2 cups evaporated milk

1 T. vanilla

1 T. butter

1/2 cups walnuts if desired

Directions:

Mix the sugar, cocoa and milk in heavy large saucepan. Cook on medium high until the soft ball stage. Ball should be able to roll around on the fingers without falling apart, but still soft.

Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter or margarine. Mix in the nuts if desired.

Beat the mixture by hand using a wooden spoon, going in a figure 8. Keep beating until mixture thickens up and gets a glossy look. Pour into buttered 9 inch square pan or an 11x7-inch pan. Once it gets to stage it will set quickly. If it is sets too fast before pouring it in the pan, add a little milk to the mixture.

After pouring into dish, put in fridge and let set. Cut into squares.

Extra! Extra!

I remember cooking this fudge before it got to the soft ball stage and pouring it over vanilla ice cream. It would set up as a hard chocolate candy and an extremely rich ice cream treat.

Sometimes my brother and I would take a little bit of the thick hot chocolate fudge before taking it off the stove and eat it from our cups. We called this "Slop Fudge."

If you like this article...give me a tweet

sandyspiderbite on twitter