Author: Jane Sharrock
Publisher: Robert Rose (2014)
Depending on your age, the sight of
candies in bulk bins will evoke memories of the “penny”, “nickel” or “dime”
sweets that used to be available in every corner store. If you were lucky, the
proprietor of the shop also might have homemade (or at the least, locally made)
fudge, caramels or candy apples for sale up at the front, priced higher than
the standard confectionary but still affordable to those with allowance money
in their pockets. Even now, in the bubble-wrap age where bulk candy is just
short of taboo, it’s hard to find a kid (or kid at heart) who would turn down a
sweet treat. Of course, there’s nothing like homemade goodies adorning any sweet platter, and Jane Sharrock
makes it easy to tempt the palate with her book 300 Best Homemade Candy
Recipes: Brittles, Caramels, Chocolate, Fudge, Truffles and So Much More.
One needs to only peek at the first
pages of Homemade Candy to find that pretty much any type of candy you
can think of fits somewhere into this book there’s a type of candy out there,
it’s in this book. Categories range from Heirloom Candies (Old-Fashioned Cooked
Candies, Brittles, Toffees, Old-Fashioned Hard Candies, Caramels, Clusters,
Patties and Pralines, Divinities, Nougats and Similar Candies and Old-Fashioned
Candy Rolls) to Designer Delights (Balls and Shaped Candies, Chocolate-Coated
Candies, Fondants), Farmhouse Favourites and a chapter titled Short and Sweet,
comprised of barks, rolls, and quick candies. Photos are few, but are enticing
and the descriptions and anecdotes accompanying each recipe more so.
I couldn’t wait to get on trying recipes
from this book, and not a single one yet has disappointed, even when I slightly
modified ingredients to use what I had at home. The Sour Cream Candy (p. 41) was particularly divine to my
friends and family, who loved the extra tang the Greek yoghurt I used instead
gave to the dark brown sugar mixture. Being whipped thoroughly turned the
caramel-like combination into light-as-air, melt in your mouth fudge that
nobody could believe only had two tablespoons of butter inside. The billing of
the Prizewinning Pralines (p. 64) as
being creamier than traditional ones was dead-on – so much so that
unfortunately some began falling apart into delectable shards as I was packing
them up, not having completely set. The last tray that I poured did, however,
stay together more readily, although every morsel left a slight slick of oil on
the hands of indulgers. Next time, I would probably combine this recipe with
the Texas Pralines (p. 64), using
buttermilk and two tablespoons of butter rather than the 1/3 cup. Also on my
must-make list are the Sinfully Rich
Buttermilk Fudge (p. 152) and the Peanut
Cremes (p. 141), which I intend to dress
up with dark chocolate and sea salt!
For anyone looking to add a homemade
touch to their gifts – be they for Christmas, the Fourth of July or simply just
because – you really can’t go wrong with a box of candy. While it can seem
intimidating to create sugar showpieces, Jane Sharrock is your long-distance
hand holder, storyteller and problem solver with 300 Best Homemade Candy
Recipes: Brittles, Caramels, Chocolate, Fudge, Truffles and So Much More.
As a sweet lover, this is definitely earning a place on my shelf.
Available on Amazon