I have Christmas candy recipes that are fun to make and delicious.
When you are making Christmas candy and cookies, isn’t it tradition to have Christmas music playing? And if it is softly snowing, it’s a perfect holiday moment you will cherish forever.
I remember when I was a child and Mom had us help her make cookies … still fresh in my mind some 40+ years later. So create a family tradition today.
Christmas Candy Recipes
The following Christmas candy recipes are adapted from the Cooks’ Exchange – Wisconsin State Journal.
OLD FASHIONED CASHEW BRITTLE
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 TBS light corn syrup
dark and/or white chocolate for garnish
Add the butter, sugar, corn syrup and cashews to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown and temperature has reached 275 degrees. Mixture will be light in color and frothy before it’s done; let it get darker.
Pour quickly and spread in a 8 or 9 inch foil lined and buttered pan. Cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Peel off foil and break into pieces.
Note:
If doubling recipe, use a 3 quart saucepan. This brittle recipe does NOT do well with mixed nuts, so be sure to use cashews and only the amount specified.
Garnish with melted chocolate; drizzling over pieces.
BEST PEANUT BRITTLE RECIPE
3 cups white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
3 cups salted peanuts
2 tsp baking soda
In a heavy pan over medium heat, cook first three ingredients. Cook without stirring to 280 degrees or until small amount dropped in very cold water separates into threads that are hard, but not brittle.
Stir in peanuts slowly, so mixture continues to boil. Cool until 300 degrees or to brittle stage. Remove from heat. Add baking soda, stir gently, but quickly. Pour onto two cookie sheets without spreading. Cool and break into pieces.
Talk about an old fashioned Christmas candy recipe. All you need is a dry day. Note: Do not make this or the Angel food candy (below) on a humid or rainy day. It will not turn out.
SEA FOAM CANDY
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
pecan halves, optional
Butter side of heavy 1-1/2 quart sauce pan. In it, combine sugars, water, syrup and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Cook to hard ball stage of 250 degrees without stirring. Remove from heat.
Immediately beat egg whites until stiff. Pour hot syrup in a thin stream over egg whites continuing to beat at high speed. Add vanilla.
Continue beating egg whites until soft peaks form and mixture loses its gloss, about 10 minutes. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto waxed paper, swirling each candy to a peak. Place pecan half on top of each candy.
ANGEL FOOD CANDY
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
melted chocolate, for dipping (optional)
Boil together sugar and syrup until it cracks in cold water, 290 degrees on a candy thermometer. Stir in baking soda. Pour into buttered pan taking care not to jar the pan in handling. Let stand until hard then break into pieces. If you desire, dip in melted chocolate.
VINTAGE SERVICEMAN’S FUDGE RECIPE
12 ounces evaporated milk
4-1/2 cups white sugar
pinch of cream of tartar
3 cups Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips
2 sticks homemade unsalted butter
1 tsp homemade pure vanilla extract
Mix milk, sugar and cream of tartar in a large saucepan. Mix together chocolate chips and butter in a large Pyrex-type mixing bowl.
Start milk mixture on low heat and stir constantly until it starts to reach a rolling boil. Time the rolling boil for exactly 6 minutes – no longer.
Remove from the heat and pour hot mixture over the chocolate chips and butter. Add vanilla and stir until chocolate and butter are completely melted. Pour into a buttered 9×13 inch pan. Refrigerate. You may add nuts if you wish. The next Christmas candy recipe is an easy delicious recipe for homemade fudge.
EASY CHOCOLATE FUDGE RECIPE
2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup light cream
1/2 cup white corn syrup
four (1 ounce) squares of chocolate
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 cup nuts
Boil all ingredients (except vanilla and nuts) until soft-ball stage. Cool. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour into buttered pan.