Let's Compare Candy to Crack

Actually, I've never tried crack so comparing the two would be useless. But seriously, how many times have you read or heard the phrase "this stuff is like crack"? Well, the recipe I'm about to share with you is like crack. You can't have just one piece (I know, I know, that's the potato chip slogan) and it's so easy to make, you'll never go back to store-bought butterscotch.

Yes, kids, today we're making candy.

I love candy. Homemade candy especially. But the thing is, I'm lazy. Very lazy. So if I want candy, I usually just grab some at Target or Fry's or whatever store I happen to be in that has a candy aisle. Also, the last time I made candy I broke the thermometer so I couldn't have even made candy if I wanted to (which I didn't).

Then I was looking through Sugarbaby, the delightful cookbook devoted to all things sugar by Gesine Bullock-Prado (yes, Sandra Bullock's sister), and her recipe for butterscotch forced me to get up off my duff and buy a new candy thermometer.

This is some serious butterscotch, folks. I'm talking teeth-breaking, your-dentist-will-hate-you, you'll-want-to-eat-it-all-at-once-and-totally-wreck-your-diet butterscotch. I guess you could always give some away to friends and family. If you must. But I doubt you'll want to. Trust me on this.

Teetotaling Butterscotch

Makes approximately 88 pieces

(Recipe from Sugarbaby by Gesine Bullock-Prado)

Ingredients

2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

½ cup corn syrup

¼ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1.       In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, water, salt, cornstarch, and vanilla paste, stirring constantly until the sugar has melted.

2.       Increase the heat to medium-high. When the temperature reaches 280 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam.

3.       Pour the mixture onto a parchment-lined sheet pan liberally sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, or transfer to a heatproof pitcher (a large glass measuring cup works well) and carefully pour into the individual compartments of a silicone mold sprayed with nonstick spray. If pouring onto a sheet pan, score (or scotch) lines into the still warm candy so that you can break it apart easily after it has cooled.

4.       Allow to cool completely. Break into small pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

·         If you don’t have vanilla bean paste on hand and don’t want to run out and buy some, just use vanilla extract.

·         It’ll take about 20 minutes for the candy to reach the right temperature; be patient. Candy-making is all about patience.

·         I swear I scored the candy while it was still warm, but the lines I made completely disappeared by the time it cooled. And then I struggled to break the rock-hard sheet into pieces. Luckily, my brain was working and I decided to see if a rolling pin could help me out. It could and it did. Beautifully. Just make sure your loved ones aren’t around because chances are they’ll find themselves ducking flying pieces of butterscotch.