Skip to main content

Molasses Sponge Candy


Old-fashioned, turn of the (last) century candy...

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup mild molasses
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

  1. Step 1

    Line bottom and sides of a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with foil, then butter foil.

    Step 2

    Bring sugar, water, butter, and cream of tartar to a boil in a deep 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil without stirring until syrup registers 265°F (hard-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Add molasses (don't stir) and continue to boil undisturbed until syrup registers 295°F (hard-crack stage), 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and sift baking soda over syrup, then whisk to incorporate. (Use caution: mixture will bubble vigorously.)

    Step 3

    Immediately pour syrup into lined baking pan and cool completely. Lift candy in foil from pan, then discard foil and break candy into pieces.  (To make breaking easier, score the cooling candy with a pizza cutter.)

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

More On Energy: Supply, Demand and the Not-so-free Market

Speculators in the market have, rightly, been targeted for thier use of the Enron-loophole to basically compete (unfairly) in a market that is mixed between highly-regulated (see integrated oil companies) and unregulated players (see commodity brokers). This imbalance of power has led to the free flow of capital to a market from sources that a decade ago largely abandoned investment in oil companies -- in favor of the speculative bubble of the dotcom boom. That lack of capital infusion -- and the capital-intensive nature of the oil & gas business -- led to the mega-mergers of 1999 - 2001. Bear in mind that even with all that merger activity among the multi-nationals, their true competition is with national oil companies -- basically branches of their nation-state governments: Pemex (Mexico), Petrobras (Brazil), Pedevesas (Venezuala), Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Cinoco (China) ... you get the picture. On the one end, you have national oil companies -- either in OPEC or non-aligned ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Looking back...

It being "the thing to do" on New Years Eve, here are some of the things that came to my mind about the last decade: Houston & the Weather Tropical Storm Allison flooded Houston causing more than $5.5 B in damage and 41 deaths -- as usual, the story was overlooked by the national media because a) it was happening in Houston and b) they were manically covering the Timothy McVeigh execution countdown.  Were it not for 9/11, Allison would have been the largest disaster of 2001. Hurricane Katrina devasted the central Gulf Coast, flooding New Orleans with water and Houston with evacuees.  While the nation watched the Bush Administration fail in its duties, Mayor Bill White and the people of Houston stepped into the void -- providing shelter and a path forward for countless "new" Houstonians. Hurricane Rita taught us that our own hurricane plans were inadequate. Hurricane Gustav taught us how quickly a major storm could develop. Hurricane Ike showed how re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Recipe Friday: Pecan-crusted Chicken with Gorgonzola Sauce

3 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 1 teaspoon garlic powder Egg whites from 2 large eggs 1 cup crushed pecans 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (about 6 oz. each) Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves, plus extra for garnish Preheat oven to 325°F. Use three shallow bowls or pie pans. In the first, mix flour, poultry seasoning and garlic powder. In the second, beat egg whites until frothy. Place pecans in the third. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Turn in flour to dust the breasts, then turn in egg whites, then press breasts into nuts on both sides. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet, over medium-high heat. When the oil has coated the pan, add the tablespoon of butter. When the butter is melted & golden brown, add the chicken. Brown on each side for about 2 minutes,then transfer the pan to the oven and finish cooking through (about...
3 comments
Read more