Posted on by Kerry Pelesky

Old-fashioned Molasses Candy

Candy Pulling
The Candy-Maker: A Practical Guide to the Manufacture of the Various Kinds of Plain and Fancy Candy. 1878

I found these recipes for Molasses candy in “The Candy-Maker: A Practical Guide to the Manufacture of the Various Kinds of Plain and Fancy Candy.” 1878. Please reply in the comments section if you try any of these and which you like best. Also, if you have any memories that involve molasses candy I’d love to hear them. At the end of the story, it is saying to “boil to the ball.” I did some research and this seems to mean that when you drop the molasses into cold water to cool it down it will form a soft ball.

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Posted on by Kerry Pelesky

Overview of Vintage Candy Making Techniques

Candy Making
From one of my favorite vintage image sources, freevintageillustrations.com

This entry is the first in a series about candy making. With summer and salt water taffy season around the corner I thought this would be a useful starting point to find out the vintage way of making some favorite candies. I found this overview in “Scammer’s Universal Treasure-House of Useful Knowledge. An Encyclopedia of Valuable Receipts in the Principal Arts of Life,” compiled and edited by Henry B. Scammell. Assisted by Experts in Every Department. 1889. Keep in mind that when referring to “bladders” I found that this means small air bubbles. I also tried in vain to find a definition of what “flirt” means in terms of cooking. If anyone knows what this was referencing, please comment in the section below the story.

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