A couple of months ago, a library patron was in looking for candy recipes for the holidays. She seemed to feel that her candy repertoire could use some spice, so to speak. A couple of the books we own were checked out at the moment. I put them “on hold” for her, but then I got to thinking that we could use a few more. Anyone brave enough to try candy making shouldn’t have to wait on a library book being returned.
I ordered several. Candy Making for Dummies has been checked out continually since it arrived in early November. Who Wants Candy? By Jane Sharrock has come and gone several times since we bought it.
Thinking about candy making put me in the mood to dig out my family recipes. My kids will all be home this year. I don’t think they will all be here at the same time, thank Goodness. My house and my kitchen table are awfully small and my four babies have grown to adult size and acquired spouses. We would be a tight fit. Between them, they own my six grandpuppies, including the newest. Casey is some sort of Mastiff. She’s a year old and 100 pounds. The dogs always add to the festivities.
I pulled out my recipe box. Right away I found my favorite microwave fudge recipe. It almost always worked perfectly until the mixing bowl I used for that recipe disappeared. I have no idea what tragedy befell it, but it no longer resides on my topmost kitchen shelf. After a little searching, I found an older crock bowl that seems to work just as well.
I also made a batch of peanut brittle. The recipe was given to me by my aunt Mae Finney. She’s a treasure and so is this recipe. I’ve never know it to fail. Even tastier with cashews.
The candy I really wanted to make this year is Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy. I have my mother’s recipe and my sister tells me it isn’t all that difficult. I’ve always been afraid to try it. I remember that Mother was the envy of the neighborhood because her Aunt Bill’s turned out perfectly while most everyone else’s failed to set.
I’d always wondered about Aunt Bill. I was fairly sure she wasn’t a “real” relative, but had no idea who she was or where the recipe came from. A little “googling” produced some information. The recipe first appeared in a cooking column in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper in 1932. There was no mention of Bill’s true identity. Due to popular demand, the recipe has been printed each November for the past 77 years. The magazine Bon Appétit ran an article last year with the history of this original Oklahoma candy and a new version of the recipe. For those unfortunate ones of you who do not have roots in Oklahoma’s red clay, Aunt Bill’s is fudge-like in texture and consistency, but has a caramelized sugar color and flavor.
I tried it. I cooked and stirred and stirred for two hours. My stirring hand and arm still ache two days later. It worked! It’s perfect--truly just like Mother used to make. When I paged through Who Wants Candy? I discovered that the cookbook was compiled by a northern Oklahoman and, of course, includes the Aunt Bill’s recipe. It’s located under the heading Heirloom Recipes. The skill level rating for this recipe is EXPERT.
Wow! I’m an expert at something, at last! Copies of recipes mentioned in this article are available @your library.