Sugar Savvy

Given the over-commercialization of all major holidays in our country, there actually aren’t a whole lot of “Thanksgiving candies” out there.  I suppose that even the unrelenting marketing army realizes that Americans already have, literally, quite a bit on our plates during this time, so apart from the general assortment of autumnally-hued foil-wrapped Hershey Miniatures, Kisses and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and a few off-brand lollypops in the shape of turkeys and pilgrims, Thanksgiving candy seems to be a relatively uncluttered genre.

In any case, my review last week of Emily’s dark chocolate-covered cranberries got me thinking about Thanksgiving-themed candy.  And because the candy shelves at the store have been somewhat uninspiring, I decided that nothing would be more appropriate than a good old-fashioned homemade candy for Thanksgiving.  So, in the spirit of being thankful for that with which I am so blessed - sugar, pumpkin (one of my top-ten favorite foods) and my opposable thumb), I whipped up a batch of PUMPKIN FUDGE.

I love chocolate fudge and I love brown sugar fudge (penuche).  And like I said, I love pumpkin, so this seemed to be a shoe-in recipe.  If you have never made fudge (or any homemade candy), don’t be intimidated by the candy thermometer.  It’s no more difficult to use than a meat thermometer, but it is necessary in order to achieve successful results.  Don’t try to wing it by not using one; you’ll just end up wasting your time and ingredients.  They are inexpensive and can be purchased in any kitchen supply store and most grocery stores.

PUMPKIN PIE FUDGE - courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Butter or grease one 8×8 inch pan.
2. In a 3 quart saucepan, mix together sugar, milk, corn syrup, pumpkin and salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling.  Do not stir.
3. When mixture registers 232 degrees F (110 degrees C) on candy thermometer, or forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water, remove pan from heat.  Stir in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, butter and nuts.  Cool to lukewarm (110 degrees F or 43 degrees C on candy thermometer).
4. Beat mixture until it is very thick and loses some of its gloss.  Quickly pour into a greased eight-inch pan.  When firm cut into 36 squares.

Notes:  “Pumpkin Pie Spice” is really just a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and powdered ginger.  Not wanting to  make a special trip to the store, I created my own mixture with these 4 spices, using freshly-ground nutmeg - always a pleasing touch.

I halved the amount of butter in the recipe, which did not seem to affect the texture and overall flavor of the candy in a negative way.  And, as always, I sprinkled a bit of finishing salt on top, because salt always makes everything taste more like itself.  Up with salt (I bet you never thought you’d hear those words on Sugar Savvy, didjya?)

Photo courtesy of allrecipes.com