Many delicious candies may be made by adding nuts to the other ingredients, and since nuts have much food value these candies are healthful and nourishing.

Chocolate Almonds

Blanch a pound of almonds; this is done by pouring hot water over the almond meats and letting them stand on back of stove for about five minutes when the skins can easily be slipped off. Place on a pan in the oven and brown a nice dark brown, but be careful not to let them burn. When cool dip each almond in melted sweet chocolate.

Brown Almond Nougat

Blanch and cut one pound of sweet almonds in slices; lay them on a paper in a pan, and place in the oven until slightly brown. Take two cupfuls of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of golden corn syrup, and one teaspoonful of lemon juice. Melt to a liquid, stirring well, then add the almonds and mix well with the syrup. Butter a large platter or marble slab. Pour the nougat on this and make it even with a lemon, which should be lightly dipped in oil or melted butter. Make it about an inch thick, and cut into strips or bars, or it may be used to line molds. The molds are first slightly buttered on the inside, then a thin layer of nougat is pressed against the form; this must be done while the nougat is still warm. When cool turn out of form or mold, and these may then be filled with candied fruit and whipped cream, candies or ice-cream.

White Nougat

Boil two pounds of honey to the crack stage, or nearly to the crack, have the whites of four eggs beaten stiff, and add to the honey. Stir over a slow fire until it has reached the crack stage; then add two pounds of blanched almonds cut into strips and slightly browned in the oven. Mix all together and pour on platter or marble slab, or else line a nougat frame with wafer paper which can be bought at a confectionery shop, then pour the nougat into the frame, put board and weight on top.

Peanut Brittle

Take two cupfuls of light brown sugar, one cup of corn syrup, one-half cupful of water, one tablespoonful of butter and cook to the crack stage, then add a teaspoonful of vanilla, and two cupfuls of peanuts that have been slightly roasted, and stir until it begins to turn brown. Be careful not to let it burn, or become more than a golden brown in color. Add one tablespoonful (level) of soda, stirring it quickly, then pour over a greased platter or marble slab. As soon as it is thin enough to handle, loosen from the platter or slab with a knife, turn over and stretch out very thin. Break up into any desired shape when cold.

Almond Toffee

Take two cupfuls of brown sugar, two tablespoonfuls of butter and one-half cupful of cream and boil to the hard ball stage; then add one cupful of chopped almonds and one teaspoonful of vanilla. Boil to the crack stage. Pour into buttered pans, and mark off into squares.

Southern Hazelnut Toffee

Melt one-half cupful of butter in a saucepan, add one cupful brown sugar and one cupful New Orleans molasses. Boil to the hard ball stage, add one cupful of chopped hazelnuts and boil to the crack stage. Pour into buttered pan, and mark off into squares.

Mexican Panocha

Take two cupfuls of brown sugar, one-half cupful of corn syrup, one cupful of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of butter, and one square of chocolate. Mix the ingredients and boil to the hard ball stage, stirring the mixture constantly while on the stove. Add one cupful of pecan or any chopped nut meats, and pour into buttered pans. When cold cut into squares.

Pralines

Take two cupfuls of light brown sugar, one cupful of cream, and boil to the soft ball stage. Remove from fire and add one cupful of whole pecan meats, and one teaspoonful of vanilla. Stir until creamy, but be careful not to break the nut meats. A good way is to stir until it begins to cream, then add the nuts, and stir until the meats are well mixed with the creamy mass. Place in a cool place for a while, then separate the nut meats, keeping each one roughly coated with the cream candy.

Cream Nut Bars

Take two cupfuls of light brown sugar, one cupful of maple sugar, and one cupful of cream and boil to the soft ball stage. Remove from the fire and stir in one teaspoonful of vanilla, then stir until it begins to get creamy; add one cupful of finely chopped nut meats. Pour into a square pan, mark off into small squares, and press a half nut meat in center of each square. Cut into bars when cool, allowing two or three squares to a bar.

Maple and Butternut Cream

Take two cupfuls of maple sugar, and one cup of cream. Boil to the soft ball stage. Remove from the fire and add one cupful butternut meats, and stir until it turns creamy. Pour into buttered pans, and cut into squares. Maple and walnut creams may be made in the same manner. Place a half of a nut meat on top of each square.

Chocolate Nut Candy

Take two cupfuls of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of water, one-fourth teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and boil to the soft ball stage, then add one-fourth cupful of melted chocolate, one teaspoonful of vanilla and one cupful of nut meats. Beat up until creamy. Pour into buttered pans, and when cold cut into squares or bars. Peanuts, walnuts, pecans or any kind of nuts can be used for this candy.

Nut Bonbons

Take two cupfuls of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of white corn syrup, one-fourth teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Boil to the soft ball stage. Pour into four different plates. In one plate put a little melted chocolate and a fourth teaspoonful of vanilla, on another plate pour a few drops of red coloring and flavor with strawberry, on another plate pour a little yellow coloring and flavor with orange or lemon. Drop about a dozen almonds on each plate, the fourth plate being left white. Stir each plate until syrup is creamy, and each nut is well coated with the sugar. Separate each nut and place on waxed paper.

Candied Chestnuts

Take the chestnuts that are to be candied and score each nut on one side with a sharp knife. Cover with boiling water, cook five minutes and dry. Add a teaspoonful of butter to each pint of nuts, and stir or shake over the fire for five minutes. This loosens the shells and the inner skins, which can now be removed together. Cover the shelled nuts with cold water, and to each pound of nuts add the juice of one lemon. Let stand in this over night, since this will help to harden the nuts, so they can be boiled without breaking up. In the morning, drain, and simmer slowly for one or two hours, or until the nuts are tender. Make a syrup using a pound of sugar to each pound of nuts. Add to each two cupfuls of sugar a half cupful of water and cook until thick, add the nuts and simmer slowly for a half hour, then drain; let them stand in the syrup over night, removing them from the fire. The next day boil the syrup until thick as honey.

Remove the nuts and place on plates and set in the oven or in the sun to dry. Boil the syrup down a little thicker, and pour over the nuts several times while drying until all is absorbed. Dry the nuts and store between layers of waxed paper in a box.

GlacÉ Nuts

Take two cupfuls of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of water, and one-half teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Boil to the hard crack stage or until the syrup begins to turn brown. Add a teaspoonful of vanilla. Take the nuts to be dipped separately on a long pin, dip into the syrup to cover, remove and place on oiled or waxed paper. Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and peanuts can be used for dipping.

Walnut Bonbons

Place in a saucepan one cupful of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of golden corn syrup, one-half cupful of water, and a pinch of cream of tartar. Boil to the hard ball stage, then add one-half teaspoonful of vanilla and one-half cupful of English walnut meats chopped fine. Pour over the beaten white of one egg, and beat up until light. When it begins to harden drop on halved English walnut meats and press a half nut meat on the top of each bonbon.

Peanut Molasses Candy

Take one cupful of sugar, one cupful of New Orleans or sorghum molasses, and a tablespoonful of butter and boil to the hard crack stage. Stir in two cupfuls of peanuts, or just as many as you can, as the more nuts in this candy the better. Pour on a greased pan. When cold break into pieces or cut into squares with a very sharp knife.

Mexican Nut Confection

Take two cupfuls of light brown sugar, a quart of sweet milk and boil until the sugar is all melted, then stir in the well beaten yolks of six eggs. Boil until thick and smooth, stirring constantly, then add one pound of almonds that have been blanched and worked into a paste, and one teaspoonful of cinnamon. Boil to a firm mass, and stir to keep from sticking. This should be made in a double boiler. Pour into a buttered mold at least two inches thick, and when very cold slice. This is good dipped in chocolate or fondant.

Nut Loaf

Take an equal quantity of walnut, hickory-nut, almond and pecan meats and chop fine. To each cupful of nut meats have one-half cupful of chopped fruit, using dates, figs, raisins or candied cherries. Work the fruit and nuts well together. For each cupful of this mixture take one cupful of fondant. Melt the fondant, and stir the fruit and nut mixture into it; then remove and knead. Form this into an oblong loaf, flatten on top. Cover with paraffine paper and let stand for several days until the fruit and nuts are well blended with the fondant, then cut into slices.

Nut Stuffed Fruit

Dates are especially nice stuffed with nut meats. Remove the stones and insert a salted blanched almond in each, or chop up some walnut meats and work into a paste with a little cream or fondant and insert in the center of the dates. Close up and roll the dates in powdered sugar or else dip into fondant. Large prunes soaked over night until plump, and then stuffed with chopped almonds or pecan nut meats are fine. Large Sultana raisins are also good stuffed with nut meats.

Cherry and Almond Confection

Take two cupfuls of sugar, one-half cupful of corn syrup and a half cupful of milk and boil to the soft ball stage. Add a half cupful of chopped almonds, one-half cupful of candied cherries, and one teaspoonful almond extract. Stir until creamy, pour into buttered pan, and when cold cut into squares. Decorate some of the squares with almond meats and others with candied cherries.

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