Editor’s note: This column was first published Dec. 19, 2017.
As this is the last article before Christmas, I am going to devote it to candy and/or cookie recipes. When my children were home, making candy for Christmas was a major production and became a tradition.
Each child gave those special teachers a gift box of homemade candy, it was given to relatives, friends and the postman. One year, out of curiosity, their dad made a list of ingredients we used.
The basics were 40 pounds white sugar, 6 pounds of powdered sugar, 3 pounds of brown sugar, a gallon of white syrup plus all those other things such as nuts, coconut and chocolate.
It was not an inexpensive tradition but so much "sweet" fun. We baked very few cookies; just concentrated on candy for gifts. And we ate very little after spending hours making it.
The first recipe this week was requested by Kay (Walker) Colvin. Kay and her parents, Wyatt and June, were our closest neighbors and best friends. Kay took a part in our candy making, especially divinity. I'm sure she remembers when she was helping make divinity and we burned the mixer up.
So take a lesson from Kay and me: a standard counter-top mixer, such as Sunbeam, is not heavy enough to handle the beating this requires and thorough beating is the secret to success of this divinity. A Kitchen Aid works very good.
A candy thermometer is a must, just an inexpensive one will do the job. My brother's wife, Reba (Vaughan) McGinnis, gave me this recipe some 50 years ago and I have never found one its equal. Happy Holidays, Kay and Reba.
DIVINITY
From Reba (Vaughan) McGinnis
4 cups sugar
1 cup white syrup
3/4 cup water
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chopped nuts, optional
Place sugar, syrup, and water in a heavy saucepan; over low heat, cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Insert thermometer and cook to 255 degrees but do not stir.
Meanwhile beat egg whites to stiff (but not dry) peaks. While beating, slowly pour cooked mixture in a fine stream into the beaten egg whites. Continue beating until mixture loses its gloss. Remove mixer bowl to counter and stir in vanilla and nuts. Immediately spoon out onto waxed paper, making ping-pong ball size mounds.
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I had a request to repeat the following recipe. It was in a column in 2015 but is worth repeating. Happy Holidays to the Catons. This is so easy and so good!
PEPPERMINT FUDGE
From Mrs. Bob Caton
Line a 13x9-inch pan with foil, allowing foil to extend over each end.
2 12-ounce packages white chocolate chips*
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup crushed peppermint candy canes
Place chips in microwaveable bowl; add milk. Mix until it can be stirred smooth. Remove from microwave. Thoroughly stir candy into mixture. Pour into prepared pan; cool. Use extended foil to lift from pan; cut in squares.
*Mrs. Caton recommends Ghirardelli chips.
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This next recipes makes a BIG crockpot full of candy. You will have plenty to share. The original recipe called for dipping this out in "clusters" but I took a shortcut: I poured the mixture onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet (jelly-roll pan works best); cooled it then broke it into pieces. Tastes just the same; but so much easier! It comes from my daughters. Thanks, girls.
CROCKPOT PEANUT CLUSTERS
From Kitty and Sally
In bottom of large crockpot layer ingredients as follows. DO NOT STIR!
2 1-pound jars dry roasted peanuts, one salted, one not
Break up 2 1/2 pounds of white almond bark and place on top of peanuts
Pour 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of bark
Break up a 4-ounce bar German sweet chocolate; scatter on top of chips
Cook on LOW for 3 hours. Thoroughly stir together and dip out in clusters onto waxed paper (or use my "shortcut").
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I can't let candy recipes go by without a recipe for my very favorite fudge.
This is also very easy, foolproof, tasty, and smooth as silk. If you have never made this, don't knock it until you have tried it. You will not taste the cheese. This makes a very large amount but you can easily make half.
VELVEETA FUDGE
1 pound butter or margarine
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cut in small chunks
4 pounds powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chopped nuts, optional
In a large saucepan, over low-medium heat, melt butter and cheese, stirring often to prevent sticking. Meanwhile sift together sugar and cocoa. When first mixture is melted, remove from heat and stir to mix well. Add sugar-cocoa mixture and vanilla, stirring until smooth and well combined. Stir in nuts; spread mixture in sprayed pans. As is, this makes about 7 pounds of fudge.
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I will end this "sweet" column with a cookie recipe that our family named "Heather's Cookies." Probably because she could eat more than her share of them.
Heather is my granddaughter and we found this recipe when she was about 8 years old. I had the restaurant in Imperial Center at that time and she and grandson, Jeremy, would get off the bus there after school and we would make "goodies," usually these cookies, as they were their favorite.
They still remember breaking their grandpa, Boyd, from stealing raw cookie dough. We had accidentally dipped them in cornstarch (since both powdered sugar and cornstarch were delivered to the restaurant in five-gallon buckets).
Just one cookie with that coating of cornstarch was the last time they had to hide their raw cookie dough from grandpa.
Any flavor cake mix may be used but our favorite is chocolate.
HEATHER'S CAKE MIX COOKIES
1 box chocolate cake mix
8-ounce carton Cool Whip
1 egg
Powdered sugar for coating
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift sugar into medium bowl.
Thoroughly combine cake mix, Cool Whip, and egg. Drop by tablespoonful into sugar. Roll ball to coat completely. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; bake approximately 10 min,; do not over bake.
A safe Happy Holiday time to all!
