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Penuche (pronounce puh-NOO-chee), a creamy, fudge-like candy make with brown sugar, salt, butter, cream or butter and vanilla. Chopped nuts are sometimes added to the mixture for texture and taste. The mixture is heated to softball stage (or 236 degrees F on a candy thermometer), beaten until thicken and poured into a pan or on a cookie sheet and allowed to set before cutting into squares. Penuche is derived from the Mexican word “raw sugar or brown sugar”. In Newfoundland this recipe was simply called “Fudge or Sugar Fudge”. The olden days, brown sugar was rather expensive and sometimes hard to come by, we used white sugar with a mixture of molasses and sometimes cocoa. It was still very delicious.

Ingredients
2 cups brown sugar
¾ cup cream (or milk)
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
¾ cup chopped pecans
1 tbsp vanilla

Method
In a saucepan, combine sugar, cream, salt and cream of tartar. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking, without stirring, to a softball stage (236 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside until mixture is cool to lukewarm. With a wooden spoon, beat the mixture until thicken. Stir in pecans. Pour mixture into prepared pan. When fudge is firm and completely cooled, cut into squares.

Tips:

Use milk vice cream
Use any type of nuts
Use lemon or vinegar vice cream of tartar
If no brown sugar, 1/4 cup molasses with one cup white sugar and decrease cream or milk by 1/4 cup


Kevin J Phillips
saltjunk.com