NUT CANDIES
MANY delicious candies may be made by adding nuts to the other
ingredients, and since nuts have much food value these candies are
healthful and nourishing.
CHOCOLATE ALMONDS
Blanch a pound of almonds; this is done by pouring hot water over the
almond meats and letting them stand on back of stove for about five
minutes when the skins can easily be slipped off. Place on a pan in the
oven and brown a nice dark brown, but be careful not to let them burn.
When cool dip each almond in melted sweet chocolate.
BROWN ALMOND NOUGAT
Blanch and cut one pound of sweet almonds in slices; lay them on a paper
in a pan, and place in the oven until slightly brown. Take two cupfuls
of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of golden corn syrup, and one
teaspoonful of lemon juice. Melt to a liquid, stirring well, then add
the almonds and mix well with the syrup. Butter a large platter or
marble slab. Pour the nougat on this and make it even with a lemon,
which should be lightly dipped in oil or melted butter. Make it about an
inch thick, and cut into strips or bars, or it may be used to line
molds. The molds are first slightly buttered on the inside, then a thin
layer of nougat is pressed against the form; this must be done while the
nougat is still warm. When cool turn out of form or mold, and these may
then be filled with candied fruit and whipped cream, candies or
ice-cream.
WHITE NOUGAT
Boil two pounds of honey to the crack stage, or nearly to the crack,
have the whites of four eggs beaten stiff, and add to the honey. Stir
over a slow fire until it has reached the crack stage; then add two
pounds of blanched almonds cut into strips and slightly browned in the
oven. Mix all together and pour on platter or marble slab, or else line
a nougat frame with wafer paper which can be bought at a confectionery
shop, then pour the nougat into the frame, put board and weight on top.
PEANUT BRITTLE
Take two cupfuls of light brown sugar, one cup of corn syrup, one-half
cupful of water, one tablespoonful of butter and cook to the crack
stage, then add a teaspoonful of vanilla, and two cupfuls of peanuts
that have been slightly roasted, and stir until it begins to turn brown.
Be careful not to let it burn, or become more than a golden brown in
color. Add one tablespoonful (level) of soda, stirring it quickly, then
pour over a greased platter or marble slab. As soon as it is thin enough
to handle, loosen from the platter or slab with a knife, turn over and
stretch out very thin. Break up into any desired shape when cold.
ALMOND TOFFEE
Take two cupfuls of brown sugar, two tablespoonfuls of butter and
one-half cupful of cream and boil to the hard ball stage; then add one
cupful of chopped almonds and one teaspoonful of vanilla. Boil to the
crack stage. Pour into buttered pans, and mark off into squares.
SOUTHERN HAZELNUT TOFFEE
Melt one-half cupful of butter in a saucepan, add one cupful brown sugar
and one cupful New Orleans molasses. Boil to the hard ball stage, add
one cupful of chopped hazelnuts and boil to the crack stage. Pour into
buttered pan, and mark off into squares.
MEXICAN PANOCHA
Take two cupfuls of brown sugar, one-half cupful of corn syrup, one
cupful of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of butter, and one square of
chocolate. Mix the ingredients and boil to the hard ball stage, stirring
the mixture constantly while on the stove. Add one cupful of pecan or
any chopped nut meats, and pour into buttered pans. When cold cut into
squares.
PRALINES
Take two cupfuls of light brown sugar, one cupful of cream, and boil to
the soft ball stage. Remove from fire and add one cupful of whole pecan
meats, and one teaspoonful of vanilla. Stir until creamy, but be careful
not to break the nut meats. A good way is to stir until it begins to
cream, then add the nuts, and stir until the meats are well mixed with
the creamy mass. Place in a cool place for a while, then separate the
nut meats, keeping each one roughly coated with the cream candy.
CREAM NUT BARS
Take two cupfuls of light brown sugar, one cupful of maple sugar, and
one cupful of cream and boil to the soft ball stage. Remove from the
fire and stir in one teaspoonful of vanilla, then stir until it begins
to get creamy; add one cupful of finely chopped nut meats. Pour into a
square pan, mark off into small squares, and press a half nut meat in
center of each square. Cut into bars when cool, allowing two or three
squares to a bar.
MAPLE AND BUTTERNUT CREAM
Take two cupfuls of maple sugar, and one cup of cream. Boil to the soft
ball stage. Remove from the fire and add one cupful butternut meats, and
stir until it turns creamy. Pour into buttered pans, and cut into
squares. Maple and walnut creams may be made in the same manner. Place a
half of a nut meat on top of each square.
CHOCOLATE NUT CANDY
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.
PEANUT MOLASSES CANDY
Take one cupful of sugar, one cupful of New Orleans or sorghum molasses,
and a tablespoonful of butter and boil to the hard crack stage. Stir in
two cupfuls of peanuts, or just as many as you can, as the more nuts in
this candy the better. Pour on a greased pan. When cold break into
pieces or cut into squares with a very sharp knife.
MEXICAN NUT CONFECTION
Take two cupfuls of light brown sugar, a quart of sweet milk and boil
until the sugar is all melted, then stir in the well beaten yolks of six
eggs. Boil until thick and smooth, stirring constantly, then add one
pound of almonds that have been blanched and worked into a paste, and
one teaspoonful of cinnamon. Boil to a firm mass, and stir to keep from
sticking. This should be made in a double boiler. Pour into a buttered
mold at least two inches thick, and when very cold slice. This is good
dipped in chocolate or fondant.
NUT LOAF
Take an equal quantity of walnut, hickory-nut, almond and pecan meats
and chop fine. To each cupful of nut meats have one-half cupful of
chopped fruit, using dates, figs, raisins or candied cherries. Work the
fruit and nuts well together. For each cupful of this mixture take one
cupful of fondant. Melt the fondant, and stir the fruit and nut mixture
into it; then remove and knead. Form this into an oblong loaf, flatten
on top. Cover with paraffine paper and let stand for several days until
the fruit and nuts are well blended with the fondant, then cut into
slices.
NUT STUFFED FRUIT
Dates are especially nice stuffed with nut meats. Remove the stones and
insert a salted blanched almond in each, or chop up some walnut meats
and work into a paste with a little cream or fondant and insert in the
center of the dates. Close up and roll the dates in powdered sugar or
else dip into fondant. Large prunes soaked over night until plump, and
then stuffed with chopped almonds or pecan nut meats are fine. Large
Sultana raisins are also good stuffed with nut meats.
CHERRY AND ALMOND CONFECTION
Take two cupfuls of sugar, one-half cupful of corn syrup and a half
cupful of milk and boil to the soft ball stage. Add a half cupful of
chopped almonds, one-half cupful of candied cherries, and one
teaspoonful almond extract. Stir until creamy, pour into buttered pan,
and when cold cut into squares. Decorate some of the squares with almond
meats and others with candied cherries.