Miners Candy Recipes

MINER'S CANDY

Steps:

• Heavily butter a 9" x 13" pan.
• In a large, heavy kettle, add the sugar, dark corn syrup and vinegar.
• Stir just to mix ingredients.
• Place kettle over medium heat.
• DO NOT STIR!
• Boil mixture until it reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in the baking soda. Mixture will fizz!
• Mix baking soda in well and pour into the prepared pan.
• DO NOT TRY TO SPREAD MIXTURE.
• Trying to spread it will break the foam, just plop it in the pan.
• Cool and break into pieces.
• Melt chocolate chips in top of double boiler (a bowl placed in a pan of simmering water works fine as does the microwave).
• Dip candy in chocolate sit on wire rack (or if like me, you don't have one, set it on waxed paper).

CANDY COAL

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a piece of aluminum foil large enough to overhang the sides by about 2 inches. Set aside.
• Bring sugar, 3/4 cup water, and corn syrup to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar, and wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystals from forming. Once mixture comes to a boil and all the sugar has dissolved, clip a candy thermometer to pan, and raise heat to high. Continue cooking without stirring until mixture registers 300 degrees. Remove from heat.
• Carefully add food coloring, extract, and baking soda; stir slowly with a clean wooden spoon until thoroughly combined and mixture no longer bubbles, about 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan, and let cool completely. Lift foil to remove candy from pan, and transfer candy to a large plastic bag. Crush with a kitchen mallet into chunks.

MINE RUN CANDY

Steps:

• Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil and grease the foil with butter; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and vinegar. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage).
• Remove from the heat; stir in baking soda. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Do not spread candy. Cool. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Gently peel off foil; break candy into pieces.
• In a microwave, melt chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip candies in the chocolate mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 2 pounds.
• Editor's Note: We recommend that you test your candy thermometer before each use by bringing water to a boil; the thermometer should read 212°. Adjust your recipe temperature up or down based on your test.