Caramels

2 cups sugar 3/4 cup glucose 1/2 cup butter

1 pint cream 1/2 cup pecans 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, glucose, butter, and 1 cup cream and heat until it boils thoroughly. Add remainder of cream gradually stirring it in not to stop boiling. Stir every three or four minutes, cooking till it reaches the temperature of 252 degrees, or a firm hard ball is formed in cold water. Add nuts and vanilla and turn into buttered pans to make a sheet 3/4 inch thick. When cold cut in cubes, let dry 24 hours.

Caramel Fudge

2 cups sugar 1 cup milk cup caramelized sugar

1 tablespoon butter 1/2 cup nuts, broken up

Boil sugar and milk together, add caramelized sugar and butter, and boil to the soft ball stage. Take from fire and heat until the candy becomes creamy. Add nuts and turn into buttered pans; when cool cut into squares. Serves 16 to 20.

Caramel Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup boiling water

Melt sugar in a smooth pan, stir over the fire until it becomes a deep, dark brown (400 degrees F.). Add the boiling water and cook slowly until the hardened sugar is dissolved. Cool, bottle, and keep tightly corked.

Uses for Caramel

Caramel (cooked sugar) may be used for candies, nut brittle, glace, etc.

Caramel may be made into syrup and used as a sauce, or it may be substituted for sugar (1 1/2 cup caramel for 1 cup sugar) to sweeten and flavor sweet dishes (custards, puddings, frostings, ice cream, etc.)

Caramel which is very dark may be made into a syrup and used to color gravies, soups, and invalid dishes, i. e. cereals, corn starch puddings, etc., (1 tablespoon caramel to 1 pint).

Divinity

See Nougat.

Double Fudge

Prepare one recipe chocolate fudge, pour into a shallow pan to form a layer one-half inch thick. Over this pour a layer of freshly prepared pinoche of equal thickness. When firm cut in squares.

Fondant

2 cups sugar 1/2 cup boiling water

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Put ingredients into smooth sauce pan, stir and heat gradually to the boiling point, then boil without stirring until, when tried in cold water, a soft ball may be formed (at which time syrup will be 238 degrees F). Pour upon oiled marble slab or buttered plate and let stand a few minutes to cool, but not long enough to grow hard about the edges, (to from 90 degrees to 100 degrees) then work with wooden spoon until white and creamy. When fondant begins to form lumps, knead quickly with the hands until perfectly creamy. Pack in bowl, cover with oiled paper, and let stand 24 hours, after which flavor, color, and shape as desired. During cooking sugar will adhere to side of saucepan, this should be washed off with fingers or cloth dipped in cold water. Serves 30.

Uses for Fondant

Fondant is used as a basis for many candies, to stuff dried fruits and to frost small cakes.

For candy the finished fondant is flavored, colored, and shaped as desired. Nuts are often put on top of each piece or two halves of the nuts may be used and one-half put on each side of the candy. The fondant may be worked up with chopped nuts or candied fruits and cut in cubes. Chocolate drops may be made by dipping the shaped fondant into melted chocolate.

Peppermint drops may be made by remelting the fondant after it has been flavored with peppermint and dropping it on to paraffin paper in the shapes desired.

Fondant may be used with stuffed dates, figs, or prunes. For stuffed dates, wash the dates, cut open lengthwise, remove stone and insert a small piece of fondant rolled to resemble the date stone. Chopped nuts or peanut butter may be added to the fondant. After stuffing, roll dates in granulated or powdered sugar.

To frost small cakes, remelt the fondant in a double boiler after it has been flavored and kneaded. When it is thoroughly melted, dip in the small cakes from the end of a fork so that the frosting will entirely cover the top and partially cover the sides. It will be necessary to work quickly and to stir the fondant occasionally for it will have a tendency to become too thick. The top of each cake may be decorated with a piece of blanched almond or candied fruit.