Cocoa Fig Fudge
When the figs were each wiped with a damp cloth, the hard little stems removed, and the figs cut into small pieces, Betsey then melted the butter, added the cocoa and sugar gradually, poured in the milk a little at a time and boiled until a little of the syrup formed a soft ball when dropped in cold water.
Removing the saucepan from the fire and standing it in a pan of cold water, she added the figs and vanilla, beat the fudge till it was as thick as heavy cream, poured quickly into a buttered pan and marked in squares.
Cocoa Date Fudge
Betsey removed the long stones from the dates, then cut each date into four pieces. The candy she made by first melting the butter, adding to that gradually the cocoa and sugar, then the milk a little at a time. These she let boil until a little of the syrup, when dropped in cold water, formed a soft ball. It was then ready to remove from the stove and place the saucepan in a pan of cold water; this Betsey did, then added the dates and vanilla; beating the fudge until it was as thick as heavy cream, pouring quickly into a buttered pan and marking it in squares.
Cocoa Raisin Fudge
This time Betsey thought she would try the small sultana raisins in place of the regular seeded ones. Covering them with boiling water for a minute or two to soften, she then drained off the water and spread on a towel to dry.
These did not need to be cut, but any little stems that might be on them must be picked off.
After she had melted the butter, added the cocoa and sugar gradually, then the milk a little at a time, she let the mixture boil until a little of the syrup dropped in cold water formed a soft ball. Removing from the fire, she placed the saucepan in a pan of cold water, added the raisins and vanilla, beat until the fudge was thick like heavy cream, poured quickly into a buttered pan and marked in squares.
Cocoa Marshmallow Fudge
When the butter was melted, the cocoa and sugar added gradually, the milk poured in a little at a time, then all cooked until a little of the syrup, when dropped in cold water, formed a soft ball, Betsey removed the saucepan from the fire, stood it in a pan of cold water, added the vanilla and marshmallow cream, beat the fudge until it was thick like heavy cream, poured it quickly into a buttered pan and marked in squares.
Coffee Walnut Fudge
The sugar, coffee and butter were cooked until a little of the syrup, dropped in cold water, formed a soft ball. Betsey then removed the saucepan from the fire, stood it in a pan of cold water, added the walnut meats, beat till it was thick like heavy cream, poured quickly into a buttered pan and marked in squares.
Coffee Pecan Fudge
Betsey boiled the sugar, coffee and butter until a soft ball formed when she dropped a little of the syrup in cold water.
Removing the saucepan from the fire, she placed it in a pan of cold water, added the pecan meats, then beat the fudge until it was thick like heavy cream. Pouring quickly into a buttered pan, she marked the candy into squares.
Coffee Almond Fudge
While the sugar, coffee and butter were cooking, Betsey shelled and blanched the almonds. This was done by covering the almonds with boiling water for about a minute so that the brown skins might be easily removed. The almonds were then split in halves.
As soon as the candy formed a soft ball by dropping a little of the syrup in cold water, Betsey removed it from the fire, placed the saucepan in a pan of cold water, added the almonds, beat the fudge until it was thick like heavy cream, poured quickly into the buttered pan and marked in squares.
Coffee Peanut Fudge
Betsey shelled the peanuts while the sugar, coffee and butter boiled until a little of the syrup dropped in cold water formed a soft ball. Then she removed the saucepan from the fire, stood it in a pan of cold water, added the peanuts, beat the fudge until it became thick, poured it quickly into the buttered pan and marked in squares.
Coffee Raisin Fudge
After measuring the sugar, coffee and butter, they were boiled until a little of the syrup, dropped in cold water, formed a soft ball.
While these were cooking Betsey poured boiling water over the raisins, let them stand for a minute or two, then drained off the water and spread on a towel to dry. When the moisture was all absorbed, Betsey cut each raisin in halves with the scissors.
As soon as the candy was sufficiently cooked Betsey removed the saucepan from the fire, stood it in a pan of cold water, added the raisins, beat the fudge till it was thick like heavy cream, poured into the buttered pan and marked in squares.
Coffee Fig Fudge
The figs were wiped, stems removed, then each fig was cut in small pieces.
When the sugar, coffee and butter were cooked so that a little of the syrup tried in cold water formed a soft ball, Betsey removed the saucepan from the fire, stood it in a pan of cold water, added the figs, beat the fudge until it was thick like heavy cream, poured quickly into a buttered pan and marked in squares.
Coffee Date Fudge
When the long stones were removed from the dates Betsey cut them each into four pieces.
The sugar, coffee and butter she cooked until a little of the syrup tried in cold water formed a soft ball, then removing the saucepan from the fire she placed it in a pan of cold water, added the dates, beat the fudge till it was as thick as heavy cream, poured quickly into a buttered pan and marked in squares.
Coffee Marshmallow Fudge
The sugar, coffee and butter were boiled until a little of the syrup when tried in cold water formed a soft ball, then removing the saucepan from the fire, Betsey stood it in a pan of cold water, added the marshmallow cream, beat the fudge till it was as thick as heavy cream, poured quickly into a buttered pan and marked in squares.
There were still other combinations in the fudges that Betsey could make, but she herself was satisfied, for the time being, anyway, and as she told mother, "On extra special occasions I can add nuts to any of my recipes with marshmallow cream."
Just before she started to make "Pinoche" or "Brown Sugar Nougat," as her mother's old recipe was called, mother received a letter from a dear friend, who was much interested in Betsey's candy making, in which she enclosed a new recipe; strange to say it was another one for fudge.
It was all written out on pretty pink paper. This was it.
Sour Milk Fudge
Betsey first grated the chocolate and mixed it well with the cornstarch and sugar, then added, gradually, the sour milk.
These she cooked until a little of the syrup tried in cold water formed a soft ball.
Removing from the fire, Betsey beat the fudge until it began to sugar, then she added the butter and chopped nuts.
Betsey learned that the longer you beat this fudge the more creamy it became and it gave a high gloss when cold.
Of course it was poured into a buttered pan and marked in squares as usual.
Brown Sugar Nougat or Pinoche
The sugar and milk Betsey cooked until a little of the syrup tried in cold water formed a soft ball, then standing the saucepan in cold water she added the butter, walnut meats and vanilla, beat till it was thick like heavy cream, poured quickly into a buttered pan and marked in squares.
This was the candy that Betsey's father liked best of all, and no matter how many other delicious confections Betsey placed before him, as she did from time to time, that he might test the result of her earnest endeavors, he still persisted in preferring "Brown Sugar Nougat." He even insisted in preferring the old name though, as Betsey told him, "Pinoche" was more "up to date."
Betsey liked this recipe very much herself, and even more so when she added two tablespoons of the marshmallow cream, but as father liked it best without the cream she usually made it plain.
Mother thought she had lost a pet recipe until one day she came upon it unexpectedly. This was it.
Vassar Divinity Fudge
For this Betsey needed two saucepans. In one she put two cups of sugar, one cup of water, the maple syrup and vinegar, boiled these until they formed a soft ball in cold water, then removed from fire.
In the second pan she had boiling the other cup of sugar and the half cup of water; when they had boiled so that the syrup formed a thread from the tip of the spoon she poured it at once on the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, beating continually, added quickly all this to the first mixture, stirred in the nuts and vanilla, beat until it was like cream and poured in buttered pan. Sometimes Betsey packed it in a deep, well buttered loaf pan and sliced like cake.
CHAPTER IV
CARAMELS
One Friday afternoon, as mother was sitting at the window engaged in her sewing, Betsey bobbed in and exclaimed: "Mother, I want to make caramels!"
"Right now?" asked mother, looking up from her sewing with a quizzical smile.
"Well, no, not just now," replied Betsey, "but I really would like to make caramels."
Just why Betsey wanted to make caramels puzzled mother, until Betsey told her of the delicious caramels Dorothy's uncle sent her for a birthday remembrance and which she had shared with her little friend. "They were wonderful!" sighed Betsey.
Mother looked at her daughter's wistful little face and said: "To-morrow, dear, I will start you on caramels, and I hope they will be just as 'wonderful' as the ones you had to-day; at least some of them."
So here are the different caramels that Betsey made, and some of them Betsey agreed were quite as "wonderful" as Dorothy's birthday candy.
Vanilla Corn Syrup Caramels
After Betsey put the sugar, corn syrup, water and vinegar in the saucepan she let them boil six minutes before adding the butter, then let them continue to boil until they formed a soft ball when tried in cold water. Taking the candy from the fire, she stirred in the vanilla and sometimes one half cup of candied cherries cut in halves, reheated the candy, then turned into a buttered pan.
When the candy was cool Betsey marked it in squares but did not cut it until it was quite cold. She used a firm, sharp knife, then wrapped each caramel in waxed paper.
Plain Vanilla Caramels
Mother told Betsey she had heard that condensed milk was considered by some expert candy makers to give better results in caramels than cream.
To the condensed milk Betsey added the water and mixed thoroughly, then added the sugar. She let these boil, then added the butter and cream of tartar and continued the boiling until a little of the syrup, dropped in cold water, cracked between her thumb and finger.
It was then ready to take from the fire, add vanilla, pour in buttered pan, mark in squares when cool, cut with sharp knife when cold and wrap in waxed paper.
Rich Walnut Caramels
When the sugar, syrup, one cup of cream and butter reached the boiling point Betsey added the other cup of cream a little at a time so that the candy did not once stop boiling.
After trying it in cold water, and it formed a firm ball between her thumb and finger, she added the vanilla and nuts, turned it into a buttered pan, marked into squares when cool, cut with a sharp knife when cold and wrapped in waxed paper.
Betsey found that these took a long, long while to make, nearly an hour, but my! weren't they worth it when she popped one into her mouth!
Plain Chocolate Caramels
Betsey let the chocolate, sugar, syrup and milk boil until they formed a hard ball in cold water, added the butter just before removing from the fire, then the vanilla, and poured into buttered pan, marked in squares when sufficiently cool, cut with a sharp knife when cold and wrapped in waxed paper.
Chocolate Nut Caramels
As soon as the chocolate, sugar, corn syrup and milk had cooked long enough so that a little tried in cold water formed a hard ball, Betsey added the butter to the mixture before removing from the fire. When she removed the saucepan she added the vanilla and nuts, poured into a buttered pan, marked in squares when sufficiently cool, cut with a sharp knife when cold and wrapped in waxed paper.
Betsey found that all candies worth eating took time, patience and care to make, yet she never seemed to tire of making them. Her enthusiasm was just as fresh at each lesson and mother felt well repaid for her time and trouble.
To be sure, Betsey had some failures, as most little girls do, but she was never discouraged and kept on practising until she had mastered every recipe.