The holidays wouldn't be complete without home-made Christmas candy.
Holiday baking is a wonderful way to spend quality time with friends and family. We have gathered three recipes just in time for the holiday baking season.
Turkish delight
Ingredients
4 cups white granulated sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
4½ cups water, divided into 1½ cups and 3 cups
1¼ cups cornflour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1-2 drops red food colouring
1½ tbsp rose water
¼ cup icing sugar for dusting
¼ cup cornflour for dusting
Method
Prepare a 23cm x 23cm baking tray by lining it with foil, leaving some hanging over the sides of the tray, and spraying the foil with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Place the sugar, lemon juice, and 1½ cups of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, stop stirring and then bring the mixture to a boil. Brush down the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, and insert a sugar thermometer that has been sitting in a container of hot water.
Allow the sugar mixture to continue boiling, without stirring, until it reaches 115°C.
Place the remaining 3 cups of water in another, slightly larger, saucepan. Add the cornflour and cream of tartar and whisk until the starch dissolves and there are no lumps. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring or whisking continuously. The mixture will become thick and pasty.
Once the sugar syrup is at 115°C, remove it from the heat. Slowly and carefully pour it into the cornflour mixture, whisking until it is fully incorporated.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking it every 8 to 10 minutes, for about an hour, until the candy has turned a light golden-yellow colour and is very thick and gluey.
After an hour, remove from the heat and stir in the food colouring and the rose water. Pour the candy into the prepared baking tray and allow it to set, uncovered, overnight.
The next day, mix the icing sugar and cornflour together and dust your work surface with this mixture. Remove the set Turkish delight from the baking tray, using the overhanging foil as handles, and flip the candy onto the dusting mixture. Remove the foil from the back and dust the top with more of the icing sugar and cornflour mixture. Use an oiled knife to cut the Turkish delight into small squares. Dust each side of the squares with even more of the powdered sugar-starch mix to prevent stickiness.
Turkish delight is best soon after it is made. It doesn’t keep very well, but if you want to try keeping it, store it in an airtight container with waxed paper between the layers. Dust the sides with powdered sugar again before serving.
Gummy bears
Ingredients
Vegetable or liquefied coconut oil
2 cups pure apple juice or grape juice
2 tbs honey or maple syrup (optional)
4 tbs unflavoured powdered gelatin
Method
Use a little oil (not too much) to grease the moulds or baking dish.
Combine the juice and honey or maple syrup, if using, in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once a few bubbles begin to appear at the edges, sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface and then whisk it in quickly until smooth, making sure no clumps form.
Pour the gummy mixture into the silicone candy mould or the baking dish. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the mixture sets. The gummies will be ready to be popped out of the silicone mould, or gently coaxed out of the glass baking dish onto a cutting board to be cut into small squares or other shapes.
Make-ahead: The gummy mixture needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours to set. The gummies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
Where to buy: Silicone candy moulds are available at craft stores and through various online purveyors.
Toffee apples
Ingredients
6 green snack apples
1 gelatin leaf
50ml fresh cream
50ml milk
30g glucose
100g white chocolate pieces
5g red food colouring
6 skewers
Method
Pierce a skewer through the middle of each apple and place the apples in the fridge to get very cold.
Bloom the gelatin in a small bowl of ice-cold water for 10 to 15 minutes. The gelatin will soften but the cold water will stop it from dissolving.
In a small saucepan, bring the milk, cream and glucose to a simmer.
Remove the saucepan and immediately add the white chocolate pieces. Use a hand blender and mix together for two minutes, until the chocolate has melted.
Fish the softened gelatin from the bowl with your hand, allowing excess water to drain before adding the gelatin to the chocolate and cream mixture.
Use a hand blender to mix together for two minutes or until the gelatin has melted.
Recipes: IOL Archives.