Home | Sweet Spot | Fall 2006 Newsletter

The Sweetest Gifts

It's a familiar holiday dilemma: So many gifts, so little time to shop. What to bring to the school party? How can you say "thanks" to the hairdresser, the mail carrier, your kids' teachers? And how can you ever be prepared for all the last-minute hostess gifts you'll inevitably need?

We have an easy answer: confections from your very own kitchen.

Everyone loves receiving candy, and candymaking is easy and fun—and a great family project when the kids are home on weekends and vacations. Keep reading to learn some classic recipes (and a few innovations). We'll also show you how to make the gift presentation extra special.

Candymaking Basics

For success with every batch, follow these easy guidelines.

• Temperature is key to candymaking. A good candy thermometer is inexpensive and well worth the investment.
• Use a heavy, deep, straight-sided pan (3 to 4 quarts).
• For stirring, use wooden spoons.
• Blend ingredients well before cooking, and stir constantly but gently until sugar dissolves and mixture is boiling. Add the thermometer and stir occasionally to prevent burning.
• If some of the candy mixture spills over the side of the saucepan, cover the pan and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. As the steam condenses, any formed crystals will dissolve. Watch carefully to prevent mixture from boiling over.
• When pouring from a pan, don't scrape. Scraping causes graininess.
• Always use C&H Pure Cane sugars for perfect texture and consistent results.

For Chocoholics

Fancy boxed chocolate is impressive…and expensive. Making your own homemade fudge or truffles is economical and surprisingly easy. Start with the best-quality chocolate and you'll please everyone on your list. Here are some of our favorite confections.

• Fudge: Quick Chocolate Fudge uses semisweet chocolate chips, so it melts quickly and consistently. Creamy Dream Fudge has an especially silken texture thanks to cocoa powder and C&H Pure Cane Powdered Sugar. Nutty Chocolate Fudge combines unsweetened chocolate, C&H Pure Cane Granulated Sugar, and corn syrup for a rich, classic version. No chocolate in the cupboard? Try our delicious Peanut Butter Fudge.
• Truffles: Think chocolate truffles are just for fancy candy shops? Not at all. Our Chocolate Truffle recipe requires only a double boiler and a melon baller to make perfectly luscious candies with a deep chocolate flavor. For variety, add a teaspoon of peppermint extract.
• Gifting tips: Store chocolate confections in a cool, dry place (60°-70°F), away from heat and direct sunlight. Package them at the last minute, just before you present them as gifts. (Be sure to tell your recipient to keep them in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator; the excessive cold will cause the candies to "sweat," or develop a layer of moisture.) Pack fudge or truffles, or a combination, between layers of waxed paper or parchment paper in a clean gift box. Or wrap each truffle or piece of fudge in a square of colored foil and pile the wrapped candies in a small wire kitchen basket with a handle. Loosely enfold the basket in metallic net or gauze, gather it in the center, and tie with metallic ribbon.

Crisp and Nutty

Fresh shelled nuts, butter, and C&H Pure Cane Sugar are just about all you need to make memorable toffees and brittles. Adults should handle the cooking chores, but kids will love breaking the candy into bite-size pieces.

• Toffee and brittle: Almond Butter Toffee is a "sandwich" confection of toasted almonds and melted chocolate chips—irresistible! Tasty Chocolate Walnut Brittle uses a full 3 cups of walnut pieces and a quarter-pound of semisweet chocolate. For a sophisticated change of pace, try our Zesty Southwestern Peanut Brittle, with the zing of cayenne pepper.
• Just nuts: Use almonds or any other shelled nut—or a combination—to make Crystallized Nuts. Each nut is encased in a rich coating of C&H Pure Cane Golden Brown Sugar melted with cream, butter, and flavorings.
• Gifting tips: Brittle, toffee, and crystallized nuts look beautiful packaged in clear glass Mason jars or wrapped in cellophane. Be sure to keep them away from sources of humidity until you're ready to present your gifts.

Ready for Hanging

Sure, you can eat—or give—these beautiful confections. But you may want to keep them at home to decorate your tree or holiday windows.

• Pop it! Popcorn Balls are a real hands-on project: Kids can pop microwave popcorn while adults stir the sugar, butter, corn syrup, and food coloring. Then everyone gets into the act, rolling and shaping the popcorn balls. Turn popcorn into a holiday village decoration with Popcorn Trees—tinted green, of course!
• Beat it! Prepare Meringue Ornaments on a dry day so the beaten egg whites will keep their volume, and get the kids to help with sprinkling them with colored sugar or sprinkles.
• Tint it! Stained Glass Windows start as basic gingerbread cookies whose cut-out centers get filled with tinted candy syrup; when they harden, they make delightful suncatchers for your Christmas tree or gingerbread house.
• Stuff it! Make it an old-fashioned holiday with authentic Sugar Plums—bits of rich dough chockful of dried fruit and crunchy nuts.
• Gifting tips: Package confection ornaments carefully, in a single layer inside a foil-lined box. Popcorn balls may be individually wrapped in bright cellophane or tissue paper, with tiny jingle bells adorning their ribbons.