Candy

[ladyseville]

Chocolate-covered Brandied Cherries

50 maraschino cherries, drained
3/4 cup brandy
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons white corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1½ pounds dipping chocolate - white or dark

Pour brandy over drained cherries; let sit for two days.

Combine butter, salt and corn syrup; blend until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Knead until smooth and shiny; chill 1/2 hour wrapped in waxed paper.

While chilling, drain cherries and reserve brandy marinade for another use, if desired. Shape a marble-sized piece of the fondant around each cherry; place on wax-paper lined tray. Chill about 2 hours.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring constantly. Dip the cherries and place on wax paper-lined tray. Place in refrigerator to set. Store in a covered container in a cool dark place, to ripen, for 10-14 days.

[ladyseville]

Kentucky Colonels

1 cup butter, softened
2 pounds confectioners sugar (extra for rolling)
dash of salt
1/2 cup Kentucky Bourbon
1/2 rectangle paraffin
12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Gradually blend butter with sugar, salt, and bourbon. Roll into small balls (about 100). Roll balls in powdered sugar. Refrigerate until firm.

Melt paraffin in double boiler (do not boil ). Slowly add chocolate.

Dip balls in chocolate. Place on wax paper and refrigerate.

If necessary thin chocolate with a very small amount of vegetable shortening.

Make approximately 100 (depending on size).

[ladyseville]

Spiced Lemon Sure-Jell Candies

1 box Sure-Jell fruit pectin
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
2 teaspoons lemon extract
10 drops yellow food coloring
1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional
granulated sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Mix pectin, water and baking soda in 2-quart saucepan. Mixture will be foamy. Mix sugar and corn syrup in another 2-quart saucepan. Place both saucepans on high heat at the same time.

Cook both, mixture, stirring simultaneously, about 4 minutes or until foam has thinned from pectin mixture and sugar mixture is boiling rapidly. Pour pectin mixture in a slow steady stream into boiling sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.

Stir in extract and food coloring. Add nuts; pour immediately into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Let stand at room temperature 3 hours or overnight until candy is cool and firm.

Invert onto waxed paper, which has been sprinkled with sugar. Cut candy into 3/4-inch squares with knife, which has been dipped in warm water. Roll in mixture of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to coat completely. Let stand on wire rack at room temperature overnight, uncovered, before packaging or storing.

Makes: 60

[Kitchen Witch]

QUICK AND EASY PEANUT BRITTLE

Combine 2 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a heavy frying pan over medium heat and cover for four minutes. Remove cover and stir until sugar begins to color. Then add one teaspoon vanilla and pour over nuts spread out on a greased cookie sheet.

[Kitchen Witch]

SOUR CREAM FUDGE

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup Sour Cream
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup broken nutmeats

Mix sugar, sour cream and chocolate in sauce pan. Heat at low flame until sugars are dissolved. Boil uncovered to 236° (soft ball stage), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla without stirring and pour immediately into a shallow pan. Cool to lukewarm and then work with a wooden spoon until creamy. Add nuts when candy begins to stiffen. Press fudge into a buttered pan. Makes 1¼ pounds.

[Kitchen Witch]

PARTY MINTS

2 oz cream cheese
2 tbsps butter
¼ tsp. flavoring (your choice}
1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
coloring (paste works the best)

Cream the cream cheese, butter and flavoring. Add sugar gradually. Roll into balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Use molds and release immediately.

[Southern Belle 2067]

Old-Fashioned Molasses Taffy

This a fun recipe to make but be forewarned that the old-time taffy pulling calls for lots of strong arms.

1 cup molasses
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cups water

Combine the molasses, butter, sugar, corn syrup and water in a large saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.

Cook rapidly until mixture begins to thicken. Lower heat slightly and cook until a little of the mixture dropped into cold water forms a hard ball. (About 25*). Turn out slowly onto lightly buttered slab.

When cool enough to handle, butter hands lightly and pull the candy until light in color and too hard to pull. (This can take up 20 minutes, depending on the cooking, weather and how well you pull. The candy will go from being sticky to opaque to elastic).

Stretch out into a long rope about 1/2"n diameter. cut with scissors into 1" pieces. Wrap in waxed paper.

[Southern Belle 2067]

Genna's Chocolate Cake

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Genna's Frosting recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350*F.

Throughly mix flour, cocoa, sugar, soda, baking powder and salt. Add eggs, milk,oil and vanilla all st once. Beat well, stir in 1 cup boiling water. Bate will be very thin.

Pour into well greased and floured bunt pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes when cake starts to pull away form he pan's edge. cool in the pan 15 minutes,then turn out on plate and cool completely. Frost.

Genna's Cake Frosting

1 lb. confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa6 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 to 3 tsp pure vanilla
4 to 6 Tbsp. milk

Sift confectioners sugar and cocoa. Add he butter, vanilla and milk. Mix well. Spread on completely cooled cake.

[Southern Belle 2067]

PEPPERMINT BARK HEARTS

18 (2-1/2") peppermint candy canes, unwrapped
5 oz. vanilla-flavored candy coating or almond bark, chopped
2 tsp. crushed peppermint candy canes

Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Arrange candy canes on waxed paper in groups of 2 with ends touching to form heart shapes.

Place candy coating in 2-cup microwave safe measuring cup. Microwave on medium for 2-3 minutes, stirring once halfway through melting time. Stir until melted and smooth.

Spoon or pipe candy coating into centers of hearts to fill spaces. Sprinkle with crushed candy. Cool 30 minutes or until set.

Makes 9 servings.

Can be used as a Christmas candy or Valentine candy.