My mom was a terrible cook. Like it's a miracle I didn't die of malnutrition. There are lots of reasons for this, which I won't go into now. However...
She made THE MOST WONDERFUL homemade butterscotch candy. She hardly ever made it, so it was a real treat for us. Here's her recipe:
Butterscotch
1 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. butter
1 T. vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucpan over medium heat. Boil until brittle when dropped in cold water (300 degrees on a candy thermometer - hard crack stage). Pour onto well-buttered platter. Let set a few minutes, then score with a knife.
Don't be intimidated by candy making. If you can boil water and read a thermometer, you can make this recipe. Be sure to stir constantly. This redistributes the heat among all the ingredients. It will take about 10 minutes to get to the 300 degree mark, so be patient. Also, remove the pan from heat THE EXACT MINUTE the thermometer hits 300 degrees. I give mine a few good stirs after that point, then pour onto the platter. And speaking of the platter, line the inside of a 9" square pan with foil. Well buttered means just that - you should be able to see the butter easily. I use 2 tablespoons of butter, and schmear it all around with a paper towel. After your candy has cooled, you can pull off the candy and snap it into pieces, and THEN serve it on your grat-grandmother's platter. The "few minutes" to score is actually like a minute. Have that knife ready to rock and roll, and mark as deep as the cooling candy will let you. Don't be afraid to push on it.
So while you are enjoying your homemade candy, here are the details for the giveaway!
In honor of my birthday, I will be giving one of my lucky readers a gift - a 6-pack of handmade dishcloths. These were all made by yours truly.
You can use them for yourself, or to give away. As you can see, they are beautiful wintry colors, and inlcude 2 knit cloths, 3 crochet cloths, and 1 knit snowflake cloth. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment saying which of the cookie ideas from Day One was your favorite. For extra entries (totally optional): Please make sure to come back and leave a separate comment for each entry. Eight entries max (leaving a comment plus the 7 options below).
- Become a Suburban Prairie Homemaker subscriber, OR if you already follow, leave a comment that says so.
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- Share the giveaway on your Facebook page.
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- Link back to this post on your blog, or mention the giveaway in a blog post.
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13 comments:
that sounds so good! my dad's birthday is Dec 12th to! Happy Birthday!
Kaydee Johannsen
This looks almost doable. I was already to give it a try but at my grocery store the only thermometers only measured up to 220 F so I guess I will have to wait to get to the bigger town nearby to find one to get me up to 300F. I am checking back everyday though. I love your ideas.
Butterscotch candy.... a must try recipe! I also love the dish cloths. The snowflake is especially cute!
ClaireSky - MJF
Yesterday my girls and I made lime and black cherry sugar cookies. They were a big hit with the family and tonight they will be shared at the Christmas program for the girls' preschool. Thanks fornthe great suggestion.
I liked cookie idea number 6 the latte cookie!
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With the almost zero humidity of Montana (I know you think we are covered in snow but it is still very dry). Having the cornmeal mask sounds great, I can't wait to try it.
So, I made this recipe yesterday. It tastes great but mine is pretty much white, maybe off white but definately not butterscotch color. It is hard and tasty and I waited until 300 degrees but I am wondering if maybe the edge of my pan was hotter than the candy. Any ideas? It was easy and I love it. Some is already in my dad's present pile as he loves butterscotch. Thanks.
Emily, when you make it be sure to stir well but gently. I make sure to even swirl behind the candy thermometer at the edge of my pan. My thermometer is the flat kind, and I try to balance it somewhat at an angle. I never use the clip that it has. I think it gives me more of an accurate reading that way. Hopefully this will help you. If not, please let me know!
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