Correspondent photo by ERIC STANWAY The combination of candy corn, popcorn and marshmallows makes a treat more delicious than each ingredient on its own.
Correspondent photo by ERIC STANWAY The combination of candy corn, popcorn and marshmallows makes a treat more delicious than each ingredient on its own.
ERIC’S ON THE RADIO
Listen to Eric Stanway from noon-1 p.m. today with Robin Ann Peters on WMSN’s “Arts In Action.”
There are some foods that are indelibly connected with the season in which they appear – chocolates for Valentine’s Day and hot dogs for the Fourth of July, for instance. In that spirit, we have candy corn, which seems to pop up the beginning of every October, disappearing by the time Christmas rolls around. It is as essential to Halloween as ghosts, vampires and werewolves.
For something as closely tied to this particular ancient holiday, it comes as something of a surprise that candy corn isn’t all that old. By all accounts, it was invented around 1884 by one George Renninger, an employee at the Philadelphia-based Wunderlee Candy Co. Wunderlee was a relatively small company and lacked the resources for real large-scale mass marketing.
In 1898, The Goelitz Candy Co., headed by German immigrant George Goelitz, stepped into the fray. It began producing candy corn in huge quantities, and soon became the primary producer of the confection. Along the way, the company changed its name to the Jelly Belly candy company, but still maintained its commitment to producing candy corn.
The original recipe for the candy involved sugar, corn syrup, fondant and marshmallow. The corn syrup and sugar were cooked together in huge 45-pound pots, creating a watery mixture. Then the marshmallow would be added, thickening it up. The resulting slurry would then be poured into cornstarch molds, which would be discarded at the end of the process.
First, each indentation would be filled with standard white syrup; then, when the mixture is partially set, the orange syrup would be added to the molds. Finally, the yellow syrup was added, and the whole shebang would be left to cool, the cornstarch being brushed away.
Back in the old days, workers would toil for eight months to make candy corn. Now, it’s a relatively easy affair, mechanization having taken a lot of the drudgery out of the process. These days, the ingredients include sugar, corn syrup, honey and carnauba wax, which stabilizes the candy during storage.
Of course, since candy corn can only be sold during a relatively brief part of the year, Jelly Belly has attempted to create new versions that can be applied to other holidays. There is a red, white and blue variety being marketed on the Fourth of July, and Cupid Corn, colored white and pink, adds some charm to Valentine’s Day. And then, of course, there’s Indian corn, which replaces the yellow layer with a chocolaty-colored brown, ideal for Thanksgiving.
It has been estimated that Americans consume nearly 8.3 billion candy corn kernels a year, primarily between September and October. The following recipe puts them into a whole new dimension. As a Halloween treat, it should have all the ghouls of whatever age in your house slavering. Just one thing – make sure your hands are well-covered with non-stick spray before you start rolling the balls. The mixture stuck to my hands like you wouldn’t believe.
CANDY CORN BALLS
Makes about 20 popcorn balls.
1 package light butter microwave popcorn
1 cup candy corn
½ stick butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 (10-ounce) bag marshmallows
Prepare two large cookie sheets. Cover with aluminum foil, and then spray generously with non-stick cooking spray.
Pop the corn in the microwave. Allow to cool, and then pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the candy corn. Mix thoroughly.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the vanilla and salt. Add the marshmallows, and cook until the entire mixture becomes liquid, stirring constantly about 7 minutes.
Pour the marshmallow mixture into the popcorn, and mix briskly with a wooden spoon. Spray cooking spray on your hands, and quickly form the mixture into balls, about 2 inches in diameter. Place on cookie trays, and allow to cool.
(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine)
Eric Stanway can be reached at Eric.Stanway@yahoo.com or www.Eric Stanway.com.
