Aunt Mary has decided that I should be called the Goddess of Cocoa. Probably because every other sentence out of my mouth was “You know, chocolate / cocoa / sugar _______ would go really great with this. I made candy, pudding, hot cocoa, and cake. We had a bit of chocolate with almost every meal. This won’t surprise anyone who knows me and my sweet tooth, but I kind of like the new moniker, Goddess of Cocoa – it suits me. In honor of this title here’s my Mom-Mom’s candy recipe, which is what started this whole thing. We used to have this always at Christmas – but I’m sure it’s delicious anytime of year. This recipe takes patience, and doesn’t always turn out right (it didn’t set completely in New Mexico) but even the mistakes are delicious.
3 cups sugar
3 heaping teaspoons cocoa
1/8 teaspooons salt
1 1/2 cups milk
Mix the dry ingredients in a medium pot
Stir in milk – heat on low and stir continuously
Let mixture boil (about 20 minutes)
When the mixture begins to thicken (approximately another 15 minutes) Add 1/2 stick a butter
Test every minute with the cold water test:
Use a spoon to drop a drop of the candy mixture into a cup of cold water
When the mixture forms a ball in the water take the mixture off of heat
Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter
Pour onto a buttered platter (13 – 18 inch oval or round) one with a vertical lip works best. Let platter sit until candy is hard. (several hours)
If the candy sets correctly it can be cut into squares of a hard sugar like consistency. If it does not set correctly it will be more like taffy and should be eaten with a spoon.
Enjoy!