Honey Walnut Candies

Honey Walnut Candies
(Gozinaki)

Yield: 30 diamonds

HOLIDAY: New Year's

TYPE: Poured candy

HABITAT: Russian Georgia

DESCRIPTION: This fudge is so easy and so foolproof that even if you have never made candy before, I guarantee great results! How can you pass that up? The chocolate combines with the sweetened condensed milk to make a creamy fudge that also just happens to be very quick to prepare.

FIELD NOTES: I have given you a very basic recipe along with several variations (see Candy Tidbits) and you may think of more yourself.

LIFESPAN: 2 weeks refrigerated in airtight container in single layers separated by waxed or parchment paper.

Honey Walnut Candies

Ingredients

1 cup honey
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2-1/4 cups toasted walnut halves, finely chopped
30 small square candy wrappers or cellophane

1. Rinse a clean, large wooden board with cold water. Allow water droplets to remain on board.

2. Stir honey and sugar together in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 220 degrees F.; do not burn. Stir in nuts and continue to cook until it reaches 240 degrees F. (soft-ball stage) or until golden, which will likely be less than 10 minutes.

3. Scrape mixture onto prepared board. Rinse fingers in cold water and press the mixture out to a flat even layer (about l/2 inch thick); be careful, as candy will be hot.

4. Let candy sit at cool room temperature until cooled and set, about 2 hours.

5. Cut into diamond shapes with a sharp knife dipped in water to help prevent sticking. Pick up individual candies with an offset spatula. Wrap individually in candy wrappers.

Make sure your wooden board does not smell like onions or your candy will pick up the flavors! You could try making these by spreading the mixture on a rinsed jelly-roll pan, but I found that the candy sticks to metal even more than to wood.

Buy the Book!

from:
A Baker's Field Guide to
Holiday Candy & Confections
by Dede Wilson
Harvard Common Press
$16.95 U.S.; $21.95 CAN
ISBN: 1-55832-309-0
Recipe reprinted by permission.