Penuche - Brown Sugar Fudge

When I was a little girl, living in Southern California, my family used to take weekend trips to Tijuana Mexico every once in a while. My greatest memory was visiting the candy shops during the Autumn when they had displays full of Dia de la Muerta (Day of the Dead) candies: little sugar skulls,  bright colored marzipan figures, and cubes of buttery caramely brown sugar fudge that had a bit of a salty finish. I had no idea what it was but I loved it, and I got some every time we went. 

This recipe is an homage to the candy I had and loved as a child. 

If you don't have a candy thermometer, which I highly recommend having if you make candy with any frequency, you can use the cold water method to check the state of your candy.  With a bowl of very cold water (throw a piece of ice in there for good measure) once the mixture has been boiling for about 10 minutes (this is totally an estimate, look up water method if you've not used it before, please) over medium to medium low heat, drop a small bit of sugar mixture into the cold water and create a ball, it should smoosh like a pancake when you take it out of the water hence “soft ball stage.”

Chex Muddy Buddies

Muddy Buddies are a wonderful holiday treat, and making a few changes to the recipe Chex provides makes them yeast-free. If you have an aversion to peanut butter, any nut or soy butter will do!  I do recommend using the name brand cereal, as the generic is not as tasty.

I like to use my Muddy Buddies in holiday packages to make "Reindeer Chow" in which I mix the treats with M&M candies and yeast free pretzel pieces.

Old Fashioned Fudge

Fudge is so very delicious but so expensive when other people make it for you, which seems silly when one understands how easy it is.  Of course, there is the chance of burns and the fear of not getting the temperature just right, but, with how cheap the ingredients are, you can always start again, or enjoy some chocolate caramels. This recipe is an old-fashioned fudge.  Simple, salty, sweet and delicious. If you want to add nuts or  marshmallows, or anything else to it, go for it... just add it towards the end of the last stirring stage.