YOUR CANDY WILL be only as good as the ingredients you use to make it. Buy the best you can comfortably afford in every category.
When butter is called for, it is always unsalted butter, sometimes called sweet butter on the label. The amount of salt added to salted butter varies from brand to brand. So unsalted butter gives you control of the amount of salt in the candy.
For simplicity’s sake, there are four types of chocolate called for in my recipes: white, milk, semisweet, and unsweetened (or baking) chocolate.
High-quality white chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and vanilla flavoring. Other ingredients can be added, such as milk solids and lecithin. White baking chips are usually not made from white chocolate, but they taste similar and can be used in any of my recipes that call for white chocolate. White chocolate has a short shelf life (about 9 months), so check the package for any expiration date.
High-quality milk chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, cocoa solids and liquor, as well as milk, milk solids, or milk fat. (Chocolate liquor contains no alcohol, but is the substance that remains from the cocoa bean when most of the cocoa butter is removed.) Milk chocolate has a longer shelf life than white chocolate (about 1 year). Milk chocolate chips can be used in any of my recipes calling for milk chocolate.
Semisweet chocolate is a kind of dark chocolate and contains no dairy. There is a wide variety of dark chocolates to choose from. They include semisweet, bittersweet, and extra-bitter. They all have varying ratios of sugar, cocoa butter, and cocoa solids or liquor. They are also similar in taste and are interchangeable in all of my recipes that call for semisweet chocolate. Semisweet chips can also be used. Dark chocolates have the longest shelf life (about 2 years).
Unsweetened (or baking) chocolate contains no sugar and is not interchangeable with any other chocolate.
Cocoa can be found in two forms, regular and Dutch processed. Dutch processing adds alkali to the cocoa to help it dissolve in recipes. Either kind can be used in any of my recipes calling for cocoa powder.
Coconut is readily available in most markets as sweetened shredded coconut or sweetened chopped coconut. Many recipes call for unsweetened coconut chips or shreds. You can often find unsweetened coconut at Latin markets and Asian markets, or consult the Source Guide on page 242. If you want to make your own shredded, unsweetened coconut, follow the recipe on page 211.
Cornstarch is used as a thickener for candies such as Turkish Delight. It gives candy a sticky and somewhat gummy consistency. It is also used for coating some candies such as nougat because it imparts no additional sweetness yet allows for easy handling.
This is the most widely used sweetener in the United States. It is in almost every processed sweet we eat. It helps keep sugar from crystallizing and makes candy smoother and taste “creamier.” As its name implies, it is derived from corn and is available in dark and light forms. Look for it in the baking aisle of your supermarket.
Cream of tartar, when added to some recipes, makes the candy creamier by inhibiting the sugar from crystallizing. It is sometimes added to egg whites to keep them from drying out when they are beaten. Look for it in the spice rack at your local supermarket.
Just as you would with fresh fruit, smell dried fruit before you buy it. It should smell sweet and fragrant. Dried fruit should also be plump and moist, not hard and leathery. You will not be able to smell commercially packaged dried fruit such as raisins or prunes, so stick to brand names for the best quality.
This canned milk product is milk with much of the water removed. It’s a pantry staple and contains no sugar. It’s available in full-fat, low-fat, and nonfat varieties. My recipes specify which kind to use.
Candy flavorings can be found in almost any supermarket. In the spice aisle, you’ll find extracts and flavorings like almond, coconut, banana, lemon, orange, mint, and anise.
Fruit flavors are often available in natural and artificial form, while more unusual flavors, such as bubble gum, tutti-frutti, cheesecake, or peanut butter, are available only in artificial form. Consult the Source Guide on page 242 for an extensive collection of natural and artificial flavor suppliers.
Candy flavorings are usually either oilbased or alcohol-based. Alcohol-based flavorings can be used in any kind of candy. Oil-based flavorings do not incorporate completely into hot cooked sugar syrups and are better for chocolate and other low-temperature candies such as fondants and fudge.
The most common form of food coloring is the little box of four liquid colors (red, blue, yellow, and green) that is available in almost every supermarket. Consult the side of the box for information on blending colors to create the color you need. Professional food coloring comes in gel or paste form and is available in hundreds of ready-mixed colors. White coloring, also called liquid whitener, makes candy opaque and creamy looking. For professional food coloring suppliers, consult the Source Guide on page 242.
Granulated, unflavored gelatin is the most common variety of gelatin available. Professional chefs use gelatin leaves, but they are hard to find and not used here.
This amber liquid is the byproduct of sugar refining. It has an unmistakable flavor that I find slightly sweeter than white sugar or corn syrup. The most common brand is Lyle’s Golden Syrup, available in jars or cans in most supermarkets or gourmet stores.
There are as many kinds of honey as there are flowers and trees. Remember that the darker the honey, the stronger its flavor. The most common honey is a mild-tasting clover honey. I prefer stronger and unique flavors like orange blossom or lavender.
Pancake syrup is not maple syrup. Real maple syrup is boiled sap from the maple tree. It comes in light, medium, and dark amber. I prefer medium or dark for cooking. The flavor of light amber maple syrup is not strong enough to cut through most recipes.
Nuts and seeds are usually available roasted or raw, shelled or unshelled, salted or unsalted. Every recipe specifies what kind of nuts or seeds to use. If you cannot find roasted nuts and you need them, roast (or toast) them yourself following the directions on page 12. Shelling nuts is tedious work but necessary if you cannot find the kind of nuts you need already shelled. A metal nutcracker or small hammer is the best tool for cracking hard nuts such as walnuts and almonds. Your hands are just fine for softer nuts and seeds such as pistachios, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds.
White granulated sugar is the most common and called-for sugar in this book. It is the kind we all buy in five-pound bags at the supermarket.
Brown sugar comes in two varieties: light and dark. Each one gets its color from molasses. Dark brown sugar contains nearly twice the molasses of light brown sugar. Brown sugar can clump and harden if not stored airtight. If this happens, wrap the sugar in plastic and microwave it on high for 10 seconds or until it softens. If you don’t have a microwave, you can wrap the sugar in aluminum foil and place it in a 350° F oven for 5 minutes or until softened.
Confectioners’ sugar is a mixture of 97 percent powdered sugar (a pulverized form of sugar) and 3 percent cornstarch. The most common variety comes in 1pound boxes and is labeled “Confectioners’ 10X Powdered.”
Superfine sugar is sometimes referred to as instant-dissolving sugar or bar sugar. It is perfect for coating jelly candies as it doesn’t add too much crunch. It is also often used in meringue because it dissolves so well in beaten egg whites.
This is another pantry staple that is made from milk cooked with sugar until it is thick and rich. Sweetened condensed milk is available in full-fat, low-fat, and nonfat varieties. It is also available in chocolate flavor.
Unless otherwise called for, never use imitation vanilla flavoring. Pure vanilla extract will make your candy taste better. Vanilla extract from Madagascar is my personal favorite. I find Mexican vanilla extracts to be weaker in flavor. A few American manufacturers make doublestrength vanilla, which is a real treat if you can find it. Look for Adams brand, a double-strength vanilla that is available in many supermarkets. Only in my white truffle recipe do I call for imitation vanilla flavoring, but in a clear form called clear vanilla. I use it to help keep these truffles white. For vanilla of all kinds, check the Source Guide on page 242.