Candy, also known as sweets, confections and confectioneries are treats made from candy recipes that contain concentrated sugar. Candies can be used in place of dessert and often are given as a gift for holidays and special occasions. Some candies are intensely rich and sweet, while others are tart and sour. Candies come in different shapes, sizes and colors.http://www.thefreedictionary.com/candy

Most candies are made by a cooking process of boiling down a sugar mixture at a medium heat. It is best to use a heavy bottomed saucepan. The higher the temperature the sugar is boiled to, the firmer and harder the candy will be. Boiling points can be measured by cooking techniques or by using a candy thermometer.http://www.baking911.com/candy/chart.htm

The first candy known of is when man took honey from bee hives and dried it out. This produced a taffy-like candy.http://www.tqnyc.org/2007/NYC074098/thehistoryofcandy.html

The pods of the cacao tree were used by the Maya and Aztec to produce a chocolate drink. The Spanish brought back this food item to their native land and the drink became a trend.http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/history.html

Milk chocolate was made by Henry Nestle and Daniel Peter in 1875. Milton Hershey, who had been making caramels, installed a chocolate making machine in his factory and started producing chocolate bars in 1894. Other candy bar makers started adding other ingredients. Candy bars became more widespread during World War I when soldiers were given them.http://www.candyfavorites.com/shop/catalog-candybars-history.php

1. Syrups are boiled down to a thread stage, which is determined by dripping the liquid into the pan. It has reach the thread stage if it spins like spider web. This temperature can be measured at 215 F–235 F /108 C–118 C
2. Fudges and cream candies are boiled to the soft ball stage. This is determined by dropping the hot boiled mixture into cold water and seeing if it will flutter when touched with a utensil. The soft ball temperature is 235 F–240 F /118 C–120 C.
3. Caramels are cooked to the firm ball stage. Place a drop into a cold container of water. When the candy is done, it will form a firm ball that will not flatten unless pressed on. The firm ball stage is 245 F–250 F /123 C–125 C
4. Hard ball stage is used for divinity and gummy candy. The mixture will be thick and won’t drip. It will hold consistency and be rope like. When dropped into cold water it will form a hard ball that will hold shape. The hard ball candy temperature is 250 F–265 F /125 C–133 C
5. Taffy uses the soft crack candy method. The mixture dropped into cold water will be hard but flexible threads. The boiling point for this candy will reach 270 F–290 F /135 C–145 C
6. Hard crack stage is used for making brittle like candies. It will form hard threads when put into cold water, which will break when pressure is applied. The boiling point for brittle like candy is 300 F–310 F /150 C–155 C
7. For hard candies the stage is the same as the hard crack except the temperature will go just a bit hotter. It is best to use a thermometer for this stage, which is 320 F–335 F /160 C–168 C

• Velveeta Cheese Fudge
• Buttermilk Fudge
• Sour Cream Fudge
• Coffee Fudge
• Dreamsicle Fudge