Candy Making Question

Would this recipe found in an All States cooking resource and attributed merely to one of the U.S.
Dakotas turn out as a hard candy, or would it retain the "gum-drop" texture I am wanting?

MEXICAN ORANGE DROPS

Heat in the top of a double boiler or a small saucepan and watch it, or nuke it: 1 cup evaporated
milk. Melt 1 cup sugar in a deep saucepan. When the sugar is a rich brown, stir in slowly:
1/4 cup boiling water or orange juice (juice is best) Add the hot milk and stir in 2 cups sugar and
1/4 tsp salt until dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 3 minutes until the steam
washes down any crystals on the sides of the pan. Cook uncovered over low heat without stirring to
soft-ball stage 238=B0. =A0 Add grated rind of 2 oranges. Cool these ingredients, then beat until
creamy and stir in 1 cup chopped nutmeats. Drop from a spoon onto foil. Makes about 2 pounds.

=A0=A0=A0Picky ~JA~

>"Richard's ~JA~" <JeanineAlyse29@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:13454-3FDCB889->191@storefull-3197.bay.webtv.net...
>Would this recipe found in an All States cooking resource and attributed merely to one of the U.S.
>Dakotas turn out as a hard candy, or would it retain the "gum-drop" texture I am wanting?

>MEXICAN ORANGE DROPS

>Heat in the top of a double boiler or a small saucepan and watch it, or nuke it: 1 cup evaporated
>milk. Melt 1 cup sugar in a deep saucepan. When the sugar is a rich brown, stir in slowly:
>1/4 cup boiling water or orange juice (juice is best) Add the hot milk and stir in 2 cups sugar and
> 1/4 tsp salt until dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 3 minutes until the steam
> washes down any crystals on the sides of the pan. Cook uncovered over low heat without stirring
> to soft-ball stage 238°. Add grated rind of 2 oranges. Cool these ingredients, then beat until
> creamy and stir in 1 cup chopped nutmeats. Drop from a spoon onto foil. Makes about 2 pounds.

>Picky ~JA~

It sounds like it would *not* have the gumdrop type of texture you are looking for. Here's a recipe
for orange gumdrops from Betty Crocker, and you can change the flavor too. Also you can use mini
cookie cutters (the metal kind) to make different shapes. Hope it helps, kimberly Advertisement

Orange Gumdrops Ingredients Vegetable oil 1 cup sugar 1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup orange juice 1 package (1-3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin
4/2 tsp baking soda 2 drops red food coloring, if desired Sugar

Instructions Line loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches, with aluminum foil. Brush with oil. Heat 1 c. sugar and
the corn syrup to boiling in 1-1/2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until
sugar is dissolved. Cook, without stirring, to 280 degrees F. on candy thermometer or until small
amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard but not brittle threads.

While cooking sugar mixture, heat orange juice, pectin and baking soda to boiling (mixture will be
foamy) in 2-quart saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat.

Slowly pour hot sugar mixture in a thin stream into orange juice mixture, stirring constantly
(this should take 1 to 2 minutes); remove from heat. Stir in food color. Let stand 2 minutes.
Skim off foam.

Pour mixture into pan. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature 24 hours. Lift foil from pan and
remove foil from sides. Cut into 3/4-inch squares with knife dipped into sugar. Roll squares in
sugar. Let stand uncovered at room temperature 1 hour. Store gumdrops in airtight container. About
72 gumdrops. 28 calories per gumdrop.

Grape Gumdrops: Substitute grape juice for the orange juice and blue food color for the red. 28
calories per gumdrop.

Apple-Cherry Gumdrops: Substitute apple-cherry drink for the orange juice and use red food color. 28
calories per gumdrop

Richard's ~JA~ wrote:
> Would this recipe found in an All States cooking resource and attributed merely to one of the U.S.
> Dakotas turn out as a hard candy, or would it retain the "gum-drop" texture I am wanting?
>
> MEXICAN ORANGE DROPS
>
> Heat in the top of a double boiler or a small saucepan and watch it, or nuke it: 1 cup evaporated
> milk. Melt 1 cup sugar in a deep saucepan. When the sugar is a rich brown, stir in slowly:
> 1/4 cup boiling water or orange juice (juice is best) Add the hot milk and stir in 2 cups sugar
> and 1/4 tsp salt until dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 3 minutes until the steam
> washes down any crystals on the sides of the pan. Cook uncovered over low heat without stirring
> to soft-ball stage 238°. Add grated rind of 2 oranges. Cool these ingredients, then beat until
> creamy and stir in 1 cup chopped nutmeats. Drop from a spoon onto foil. Makes about 2 pounds.
>
> Picky ~JA~

Soft-ball stage means the candy will be chewy, not hard. For best results get a candy thermometer to
gauge the temperature. I wouldn't recommend doing this in the microwave until you're comfortable
with the recipe and can eyeball it.

Jill

"jmcquown" <jmcquown@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:sr7Db.16023$T14.7090@bignews3.bellsouth.net...
> Richard's ~JA~ wrote:
> > Would this recipe found in an All States cooking resource and attributed merely to one of the
> > U.S. Dakotas turn out as a hard candy, or would it retain the "gum-drop" texture I am wanting?
> >
> > MEXICAN ORANGE DROPS
> >
> > Heat in the top of a double boiler or a small saucepan and watch it, or nuke it: 1 cup
> > evaporated milk. Melt 1 cup sugar in a deep saucepan. When the sugar is a rich brown, stir in
> > slowly:
> > 1/4 cup boiling water or orange juice (juice is best) Add the hot milk and stir in 2 cups sugar
> > and 1/4 tsp salt until dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 3 minutes until the
> > steam washes down any crystals on the sides of the pan. Cook uncovered over low heat without
> > stirring to soft-ball stage 238°. Add grated rind of 2 oranges. Cool these ingredients, then
> > beat until creamy and stir in 1 cup chopped nutmeats. Drop from a spoon onto foil. Makes about
> > 2 pounds.
> >
> > Picky ~JA~
>
> Soft-ball stage means the candy will be chewy, not hard. For best results get a candy thermometer
> to gauge the temperature. I wouldn't recommend doing this in the microwave until you're
> comfortable with the recipe and
can
> eyeball it.
>
> Jill
>
>

It's actually going to be more like fondant than really chewy, from what I'm reading in the recipe.
I do agree about the microwave, though! kimberly

In article <13454-3FDCB889-191@storefull-3197.bay.webtv.net>,
JeanineAlyse29@webtv.net (Richard's ~JA~) wrote:

> Would this recipe found in an All States cooking resource and attributed merely to one of the U.S.
> Dakotas turn out as a hard candy, or would it retain the "gum-drop" texture I am wanting?
>
> MEXICAN ORANGE DROPS
>
> Heat in the top of a double boiler or a small saucepan and watch it, or nuke it: 1 cup evaporated
> milk. Melt 1 cup sugar in a deep saucepan. When the sugar is a rich brown, stir in slowly:
> 1/4 cup boiling water or orange juice (juice is best) Add the hot milk and stir in 2 cups sugar
> and 1/4 tsp salt until dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 3 minutes until the steam
> washes down any crystals on the sides of the pan. Cook uncovered over low heat without stirring
> to soft-ball stage 238°. * Add grated rind of 2 oranges. Cool these ingredients, then beat until
> creamy and stir in 1 cup chopped nutmeats. Drop from a spoon onto foil. Makes about 2 pounds.
>
> ***Picky ~JA~
>

It's not going to be hard cardy at that temp. Not sure it will be gumdroppy, either. I cook my
caramels to 246 deg F. You're making orange fudge.
--
-Barb 12-13-03: The first two days of Melba Does Manhattan have been added to my site:
<www.jamlady.eboard.com> "If you're ever in a jam, here I am."