Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (89 page)

Once you have candied nuts, you’ll never put out a can of salted peanuts for guests again. Experiment with spices like nutmeg, ginger, or chili powder.

Candy-Making Notes:

Almost any nut can be candied, but the most common ones are almonds, peanuts, pecans, and walnuts.

Recipe:

1.
Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

2.
In a bowl, whisk the egg whites with a tablespoon of water until frothy.

3.
Combine the sugars, cinnamon, and salt in another bowl.

4.
Add pecans to egg whites and stir to coat evenly. Toss them in the sugar mixture until completely coated. Spread out the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet.

5.
Bake for 45 minutes, shaking the sheet and stirring the nuts every 15 minutes.

Yield:

About 2 cups of candied nuts

Storage:

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

General Description:

What better way to turn a favorite salty snack into a candy than by adding caramel?
Caramel corn is classic popcorn coated in sweet caramel or molasses for a sticky-sweet treat. It comes in loose, freeform clusters or balls held together by the caramel. At
Christmastime it is packed into decorative tins and given as gifts.

History:

Cracker Jack, a commercial version of caramel corn made with popcorn and peanuts coated in molasses, was invented by the Rueckheim brothers in 1893. The term
cracker jack
was coined around the same time as slang for a person of excellence or great ability.

Serving Suggestions:

You can add a little more salt to give caramel corn a real sweet-and-salty flavor. Or add a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, or even chili pepper.

Candy-Making Notes:

You can use microwaved or homemade popcorn for this recipe.

Recipe:

1.
Place popcorn into a large bowl or baking pan.

2.
Combine sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

3.
Continue cooking the mixture until it reaches 250°F, or hard crack stage.

4.
Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam slightly.