Marcela De Vivo
is a freelance writer in California whose writing specializes in DIY, health,
tech and marketing. She loves making homemade candy with her three children.
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How to Make Vintage Candy
Making
candy is a bit of a lost art form as far as the average American kitchen is
concerned. Even at a time when homemade and organic foods are making a strong
comeback, homemade candy isn’t yet a popular item.
Part
of the reason, along with the homemade and organic food craze, is that there
has also been a steady increase in the awareness of health and the quality of
what we put into our body.
While
that’s definitely a good thing, it has also kept things, like homemade candy
and heavy desserts, off the radar for the most part.
Candy
is a treat and should always be thought of as such. To have a steady diet of it
(homemade or otherwise) is never a good idea; however, if you’re just wanting
to spend some time creating something unique and cooking something in your
kitchen that you’ve never thought of, homemade candy may be an excellent option
for you.
Besides,
candy is quite expensive in the store, so we’ll look at a few different ways
that you can make your own.
(Click
on the links for the recipes.)
1. Caramel -- Caramels are
really simple to make. Because butter, sugar and corn syrup are the main
ingredients here, just keep in mind that this is a treat, therefore, it makes
sense to have lots of sugary goodness in the ingredients list.
Caramel
typically comes in either a soft or hard
variation, but if you have kids, they may prefer a softer “melt in your mouth” style of caramel.
2. Peanut Brittle -- If you
like sweet and salty candies, this has got to be one of the all-time best
options, partly because it’s incredibly simple to make. Two cups of sugar, one
cup of shelled peanuts and some white syrup is pretty much all you need.
Once
it cooks down and hardens, just crack
the pieces and wrap it up in fancy candy containers.
3. Taffy -- As you might have
already noticed, most of these vintage candy recipes involve the same
ingredients, so there’s not going to be any really complex changes when dealing
with saltwater taffy.
You
can make a lot of different kinds and you can pretty much make any flavor you
want-- whether it be peppermint, mango, peanut butter or any other flavor. The
base is going to be sugar, corn syrup and butter for just about all of them.
4. Rock Candy
-- One of the most simple and basic candy recipes in the book, taking us all
the way back to the 1930’s, is rock candy. You can add food coloring to make it more interesting, but to be honest,
it’s just sugar-- nothing more and nothing less.
The
recipe sounds like more of a science experiment, as you’ll fill a glass with
hot water and dissolve as much sugar in it as possible. Then, poke a hole in
the jar’s lid and lower a piece of string down into the water.
After
a few hours, you’ve got yourself some rock candy! You can also repeat the
process until the crystals are as big as you want them.
You’ve
probably seen these in gift shops before, so next time you do, you’ll know exactly
how they were made. In fact, you may even prefer to make it yourself if you
desire a specific flavor.
A Vintage Activity
Making
candy is a nod to America’s past, and if you want to give your candies an even
more nostalgic feel, present them in vintage canisters, like metal tins, and
then wrap them in wax paper.
Even
if you don’t want to eat it all yourself, homemade candy makes great gifts,
particularly because of the thoughtfulness that goes into making them.
1 comment:
Thank you, Cloris and Marcela. I'm adding your recipes to the one I found for Turkish Delight. YUM!
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