Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (66 page)

9.
Sprinkle more colored sugar over the chick to coat before it dries.

10.
Pipe the rest of the chicks and let them dry overnight at room temperature.

Yield:

About 16 chicks

Storage:

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

General Description:

These creamy, coconutty no-bake candies are pecan- studded balls of coconut and condensed milk that are dipped in chocolate, making them a cross between
fondant candies
and
rum balls
. They often include chopped maraschino cherries.

History:

There is no proof that Martha Washington ever made this candy; perhaps the cherries inspired the name. Her surviving family cookbook contained recipes dating back to Elizabethan England. There are no recipes in the cookbook for chocolate candies, but there is a recipe for cherry preserves.

Serving Suggestions:

This easy-to-make candy is a good choice for a candy-making session with kids, as are
sugarplums
,
rocky road
, and
peanut butter balls
.

Candy-Making Notes:

Many older versions of this recipe call for dipping the candies in a mixture of melted chocolate and paraffin wax. This method was common in the early 1900s. The wax gave the chocolate a firm, glossy finish. Today, food-grade paraffin wax is available but generally meant for such purposes as sealing jars or coating fruit to make it shiny. There are better methods of making attractive dipping chocolate, including tempering chocolate and buying specially formulated coating chocolate.

Recipe:

1.
In a stand mixer, beat butter and condensed milk on medium speed until smooth.

2.
Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition until fully incorporated.

3.
Add coconut, pecans, and cherries and beat until just combined.

4.
Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

5.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

6.
Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

7.
Form the mixture into 2-inch balls and dip into melted chocolate with a dipping fork. Place dipped candies on the baking sheet and let set until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour.

Yield:

About 60 candies

Storage: