Here at Otter Run, it just isn’t Christmas without Kathie’s Christmas Candy. There are four that I make every year — cashew/peanut clusters, blossom cookies, peanut butter balls and seafoam. Chocolate makes me break out in fat, and I don’t like super-sweet desserts, so I rarely eat the candy, but I do have fun making it. If you are reading this after Christmas, there’s no reason not to give one of the following recipes a try. Think of it as getting a head start on next year.
Peanut/cashew clusters are easy-peasy. Melt the dipping chocolate, toss in the nuts, stir and dip onto waxed paper. Peanut butter blossoms take more work. Make your favorite peanut butter cookie dough; chill it in the fridge. (If the dough isn’t cold, it sticks to your hands big time.) Roll into one-inch balls and coat in sugar. This makes handling them easier and imparts a nice sparkle.
Bake the cookies as directed until almost done. While they’re baking, unwrap one Hershey’s Kiss for each cookie. Yes, it’s OK if a couple fall into your mouth by accident, but all things in moderation, please. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press a Kiss in the center of each one. Work fast, then return cookies to oven for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate a tad and keep it in the middle. Yummy.
Peanut butter balls are more challenging. For starters, resign yourself to the fact that no matter when you make this candy, you will be interrupted while your fingers are coated with the messy center part. The doorbell will chime with a delivery. The phone will ring, and it will be a call you have to take. Your spouse or kid will yell: “Come quick; I need help.” So always have paper towels handy because you will need them.
Prepare the inner part several hours ahead as it really needs to chill out. For best results, keep half in the fridge while you work with the rest. Fashion into one-inch balls, chill them again, and then get ready to work quickly. Use your microwave or a double boiler to melt the chocolate coating until it’s soft enough to stir easily. Here, less is definitely more. Pay attention so you don’t overcook. Use a fork to coat each ball in melted chocolate. Dry on waxed paper or roll in ground peanuts if you desire. When candy is set, hide it or, trust me here, it won’t make it to Christmas.
By far, the most challenging confection on my list of must-makes is seafoam, also known as divinity. Making seafoam can be a recipe for disaster so pay close attention. First off, only attempt seafoam on a day with what Mom called “high skies.” It doesn’t matter how cold it is, but the sun must be shining. Why? I have no idea. I just know from experience the candy won’t cooperate on a cloudy day. Follow the recipe exactly. This is no time for guestimating.
Mix three cups of sugar, ½ cup of white corn syrup and 2/3 cup water in a heavy bottom cooking pot. Cook the syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, if possible. While the syrup is cooking, beat two medium egg whites in a large metal or glass bowl until stiff peaks form. Set this aside and give your full attention to what’s happening on the stove. Boil and stir the syrup until it reaches exactly 242 degrees on a candy thermometer. This can take a while. You know it’s ready when a long thread spins down from your stirring spoon as you hold it over the pot.
Now for the really tricky part. Pour the syrup in a very thin steady stream into the egg whites as you beat them. Again, this takes time so if you own a standing mixer, use it. When all the syrup is added, keep beating until the candy begins to hold its shape. Then, and only then, add ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional) and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Continue beating by hand until you can spoon a glob onto waxed paper that doesn’t fall into a puddle. Now work fast to drop the candy because it firms up very quickly. Store seafoam in layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container.
If this all sounds like too much work, visit Wendy at Sweet Memories Candy Shoppe on Highway 32 in Lakewood. Wendy has everything you need to make this season sweet. Speaking of that, if you’re reading this on Christmas Eve, I’m basking in the glow of a cozy fire with a plate of Kathie’s Christmas Candy within easy reach of my loved ones. Yes, Santa Claus is coming to town, but Jesus is the reason for the season. Merry Christmas.
Kathleen Marsh is a lifelong educator, writer and community advocate. She has published eight books, four on the history of Townsend, where she and husband Jon are happily retired on the beautiful Townsend Flowage.
Sweetest season requires time in the kitchen
