Penuche

Sugar is kind of a crazy little guy.

It's the most energy ready molecule we can eat, it plays well with other food, and especially here in the South, it's both sweet potato and tea's best friend.

I was recently contacted by the big daddy of all sugar companies, Domino/C&H, and they asked me to make a sweeeet recipe off of their website for the holidays. They even gave me a $20 gift card to help me pay for expenses for the sweets. That was a very awesome day for me.

It was like they read my student loan/mortgage/eat 8 times a day mind :)

So I scanned though the recipe index they have, and honestly, their list is super extensive. I was flooded with tons of good looking recipes. It reminds me to always check out the back of your flour and sugar bags, because there's some really interesting gold on there. Perfect for those days when I am out of baking ideas :)


My neighbor used to always make this caramel-y, almost maple sugar tasting candy for the holidays called Penuche. It's a really, really funny word... but it tastes really good. It's like an anti-fudge fudge, with minimal ingredients, and no chocolate. It's a whole lot of brown sugar, which gives it this maple/molasses flavor.

It's pretty awesome, and def worth a taste at least once. Especially if you like blondies or something like that.

Plus, I think if brown and white sugar got in a fight... brown sugar would probably win. It sticks together better... and we all know there's strength in numbers :)


Penuche
Domino Sugar

Recipe found here

-1 lb Domino Brown Sugar
- about 2 1/2 cups

-3/4 cup milk

-1/8 tsp salt

-2 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter

-1 tsp vanilla

-1 cup nuts (I used walnuts)


Grease 8x8 pan; set aside.


Combine sugar, milk and salt in heavy 2-quart saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Wipe sugar crystals from side of pan as necessary.

Cook without stirring until candy reaches 238°F or soft ball stage. Remove from heat; add butter. Without stirring, cool to 110°F or lukewarm.
Add vanilla and nuts.

Stir continuously until thick and creamy. Spread into prepared pan at once. When firm, cut into squares. Store in airtight container.


Makes 24 pieces or (1 1/4 lbs.)


Sweet looking bricks...

This was actually my first candy making experience, which was pretty neat. I am proud to say that yes, I am a football loving male that weight trains and owns a candy thermometer :) I really liked the flavor, it's simple and smooth... just be careful because a little goes a loooong way. Make sure to share with friends. Enjoy your weekend, and to everyone in the 10in10 group, keep going, you guys are doing great!

Comments

slush said…
That looks awesome. I love that stuff and have never made it at home. Maybe I should!
Christine said…
Really cool! Penuche sounds like a pretty fantastic candy.
Gloria Baker said…
This look fantastic Adam, but we dont have this type of sugar but I love the recipe!! gloria
Unknown said…
ooh, not sure if i've ever tried anything like that, but good choice!

they read my postdoc salaried/living in boston/student loan mind, too :)

ps- i replied to your email from my personal google acct so maybe it got spammed, but i thought deadlifts were done with only a slight bend in the knee?
Jannett said…
This sounds like a great candy. I will show this to Daniel...to try to make... Great photos... :)
Maria said…
Nice job on the candy-my teeth hurt from all of the sugar and I am only looking at the photos:)
Beautiful looking brown sugar fudge. I just made some Mexican coffee fudge. "Great minds" and all that. ♥
Dee said…
Well there goes this morning's run... uhm, waddle. That penuche is looking good and very calorific. Want the candy... but you know what, I'm really loving the fact that you work out with weights and own a candy thermometer :)
Ivy said…
The fudge sounds great but I need to get a thermometre.
That is some serious sugar! What a privilege to be about to get some free stuff.

I love your idea of adding kielbasa to my mushroom ragu. Now I want to play with the recipe and try a new sausage with it!
Barbara said…
Penuche is a delightful tasting fudge. We used to buy it on Mackinac Island- as far as I am concerned, the world's best fudge place-it was my dad's favorite. Wish he were still with us so I could make your recipe for him!
Donna-FFW said…
That looks sinfully delicious!! Id love to try it!
Kerstin said…
Brown sugar would totally win! I always gravitate towards non-chocolate desserts so it's great to know about a non-chocolate fudge version - it looks like it melts in your mouth!
Pam said…
Yum! I haven't had penuche for so long - now I am craving some.
miss v said…
whoo! i can taste the sweetness on that one!

and i love your white vs. brown sugar battle. so true!
Your first paragraph reminded me of the time my mom and I took my cousin from 'Smalltown', NC to Washington DC... We were out at dinner, and my cousin ordered sweet tea. The girl gave her a funny look and was like, "You want iced tea? Cuz we don't got sweet tea." My cousin couldn't believe it. It was like the server was speaking Martian! Too funny :D

Hmm I got a gift card from Domino, too. I fall for bribes easily. But I'm such a slacker, I hope they don't think I ripped them off for $20!! =/
hungryandfrozen said…
Yum, lucky you getting free sugar! Brown sugar would definitely hold its own in a fight. I love the stuff. This penuche sounds delicious - like the sort of fudge we'd make here in NZ.
Emily said…
I've always wanted to try penuche. This looks great! Good choice. I had a tough time myself, deciding on a recipe.

Great pictures!
Clumbsy Cookie said…
i love you just a little bit more just because you have a candy thermomether ahahahaah! You funny guy! I also think penuche it's quite a cute word. I would go for a piece now ;)
I've never seen Penuche before but it looks like my brown sugar fudge :)
Steph said…
Hey Adam!!! Sorry for not commenting in ages. I wish we had Domino sugar here. I always buy boxes of powdered sugar and Jif PB when we come down to the states. The penuche looks really yummy and I totally agree, brown definitely beats white.
Trudy G. said…
I love the fact that you are willing to experiment with candy. I love Penuche and it is also called brown sugar fudge as someone mentioned. My mother was a wonderful candy maker when I was growing up. I recently found a wonderful penuche recipe (on the back of a sugar package) that makes it a fail proof recipe. You really have to beat the candy to get the smooth texture, this recipe cheats.

http://pomegranatelane.blogspot.com/search/label/Brown%20Sugar%20Fudge
I have to check out Domino recipes. You certainly got a good one to display. Thanks for sharing.
Thistlemoon said…
I LOVE Penuche!!! There is this awesome ice cream place in Northampton, MA that makes a Penuche
sauce - it is TO DIE FOR. OMG! I need some and SOON. Good thing I am going up North for a coupla weeks. :)
Astra Libris said…
I'm so impressed that you made candy - and such a dreamy-sounding candy, too! I've always been a bit intimidated by candy making, but you've inspired me to give it a whirl now! :-) Thank you, Dr. Adam! :-)
Hey guy! Did you know it's March, and you're last post was in JANUARY!?! You better be busy spending lottery money or macking in the clubs... something productive!
torilink said…
that is exactly my moms fudge recipe, we added either peanut butter or chocolate, and when feeling really crazy, both! When you use peanut butter - leave out the butter and add PB or chocolate pieces at the very end. Also, Mom would often use canned milk.
Anonymous said…
Penuche sounds like a really good kind of candy. Men who weight train and own candy thermometers sound good too. :P

http://thefunkykitchen.com
Mary Bergfeld said…
This really looks delicious. This is my first visit to your blog, so I've spent some time reading your earlier posts. I really enjoyed my visit and love your recipes. I'll be back often. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary
Anonymous said…
Yum! and who doesn't love saying "Penuche"!!
I've never seen that kind of sugar in Canada. That a nice gift. I like the fact that they did send along a gift card. Your treats look good.
Unknown said…
I agree that Brown sugar will win over White sugar if they had a fight:) Love your sweet bars!!
Mini Baker said…
wow this candy looks so delicious and overly sweet. only people like you and I could handle something this awesome!! :)
stevesmith said…
Hi,
Penuche is really very delicious recipe.. Thanks for sharing this recipe.. Easy to prepare.

http://www.raymeds.com/
Anonymous said…
Hey just found your blog looks like you have some great recipes.

I LOVED your guest post you did for Veggie Girl! Actually made me laugh a few times, im not not much of a laugh out loud kinda girl... So it's always nice to make read something that makes me smile :)
Anonymous said…
When I made this recipe, I was really upset with the consistency of the liquid candy as I poured it into the pan...so different from other penuche recipes I've made. I was certain that the recipe was a failure (although I was willing to accept that it was perhaps an error in execution rather than the recipe itself). When the candy cooled and my husband and I tasted it, we found it to have an absolutely heavenly texture and a great flavor. The best penuche we've ever had, and the only recipe I'll ever use in the future. Thanks!