Temperature Tests for Candy Making

Types of Candy	Degrees	Cold Water
Fondant, Fudge	234-238	Soft Ball
Divinity	245-248	Firm Ball
Taffy	265-270	Hard Ball
Butterscotch	275-280	Light Crack
Peanut Brittle	285-290	Hard Crack
Caramelized Sugar	310-321	Caramelized

English Toffee

1 pound real butter

2 cups sugar

1 to 2 cups coarsely chopped almonds

1/4 cup water or 1/4 cup light corn syrup

Put all ingredients into heavy pan or skillet. Put stove on high. Stir constantly until mixture smokes and reaches 290 degrees on a candy thermometer. If you do not have a thermometer, test it by dropping small amount in cold water and testing it between your teeth. If it sticks a little, it is not quite done. When done, it will crumble and not stick.

Tips: Stir constantly as it scorches very easily as it gets close to 292 degrees. Stir faster when you see little streaks of color coming up from the bottom of pan. Pour out immediately into ungreased cookie sheet. Score while hot if you want to dip squares. Or put chocolate on top of toffee while warm and spread evenly over surface. Sprinkle with finely ground walnuts or pecans. Break when chocolate hardens.

Fondant

4 cups white sugar

1 1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp. light syrup

2 Tbsp. real butter

pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients into heavy pan such as 4 quart pressure cooker or heavy pan of comparable size. Wash down sides of pan with pastry brush in warm water. Make sure every granule of sugar is washed down into the well stirred mixture. Cover with tight lid and put on medium heat. Slowly bring to rolling. Steam will help the stray sugar granules to dissolve. Take lid off pan and finish boiling candy mixture to soft ball stage. Take off stove. Let set for 3 to 4 minutes, then pour out slowly on marble slab or greased Formica surface. Let candy completely cool to touch, then, using spatula with wide blade or a pancake turner, start beating the candy until it loses its gloss and stiffness gets dull and puttylike in appearance. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla or other desired flavoring. Butter hands and knead until soft and creamy. Let ripen in cool place for 24 to 48 hours before dipping.

Caramels

4 cups white sugar

2 cups light karo

1/2 pound real butter

2 cans evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix and boil to firm ball stage. (A heavy pressure cooker is a good pan for this recipe.) Slowly add 2 tall cans of evaporated milk in a steady small stream to mixture. Stir constantly while adding milk. Do not let caramel mixture stop boiling while adding the milk or it will curdle. Stir the mixture steadily after adding the milk until it reaches the firm ball stage again. Take off stove and add 2 teaspoons of vanilla to hot but not bubbling caramel. Now pour into a 9x13 inch pan and cool. Cut into squares and dip into chocolate or spoon out a tablespoon of caramel over 2 or 3 pecans for turtles. Let set 24 hours before dipping in chocolate.