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Sweet treats to tempt your tastebuds at Christmas


May Hardcastle came from a family that was in Mobridge from almost the very beginning of the town. Her father, John Edwin “Ed” Hardcastle was in his twenties when he arrived in South Dakota in 1908 to work as an engineer on the Milwaukee Road between Mobridge and the west coast. He was the son of a Methodist minister in Wisconsin and served during the Spanish-American War. He and his wife, Nora, and two children, John and Irene, lived in the Windsor Hotel until they were able to get a house. Six more children were added to the family, May, Jane, William, Agnes, Morris and Mary Elizabeth “Betty”.
After May’s graduation from Mobridge High School, she went to work at J. C. Penney Company and remained with them until her retirement in 1977, after 46 years with the company. She lived in the apartments above the Penney Store and she was left homeless by the Penneys/Dady Drug fire in December of 1970.
The family was well known for Hardcastle Transfer Co., a moving company run by Bill Sr. (May’s brother) and then Bill Jr., her nephew.
May was a candy maker and in the November 22, 1979 issue, she was Cook of the Week and shared some of her candy recipes.
She made most of her candy for her family for Christmas and of course, the hospital bazaar.

Cream Candy
2 cups white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
Pinch of cream of tartar
Flavoring (1 tsp. vanilla or maple or almond etc.)
Nuts optional and as desired
Mix the sugars, cream and cream of tartar. Cook to soft ball stage, add flavoring. Cool completely, then beat until creamy and ready to set. Add nuts. Drop on waxed paper using two teaspoons.
Note: Maraschino cherries may be added. You may shape into balls and dip in chocolate. I prefer semi-sweet chocolate with a small amount of paraffin melted with it for dipping.

Chocolate Caramels
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 cup syrup
1 cup cream
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
Chopped nuts as desired
Combine all ingredients except vanilla and nuts. Boil until firm ball stage, add vanilla and nuts, if used. Pour into buttered 9×13 pan.

Divinity
2 ½ cups white sugar
½ cup white syrup
½ cup water
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
Nuts
Boil sugar, syrup and water until it spins a thread. Then pour over the stiffly beaten egg whites and add vanilla, using mixer on high speed. When it begins to thicken, continue to beat with a wooden spoon until it loses its gloss. Drop on waxed paper using two teaspoons. (My mother-in-law, Elsie Jackman, made wonderful divinity and told me two secrets. She said not to tell anyone, but she’s dead and someone should know. She said not to use new eggs, better to have eggs a couple of weeks old and if the divinity started to set up too fast while you are dropping it, add a little hot water.)

This recipe is from Ione Stiles and very easy and good.

Candy Turtles
Arrange 3 pecans face down on a greased cookie sheet. Place 1 Kraft caramel (or Rolos) on the nuts. Put in 325 degree oven for 8 minutes. Flatten with the back of greased spoon and put 1 small square of Hershey’s chocolate on top of caramel.

I do a Pretzel version
Place as many pretzels as possible on a cookie sheet. Place a caramel on each one. Put in oven until soft. When you take them out, press a pecan half onto each one.

Every one has a fudge recipe, but I always used the one on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa can. It’s a boiled fudge, but here is a white fudge from Ione Oster.

Texas Cream Fudge
3 cups white sugar
1 cup light syrup
2 cups cream
¼ cup butter
½ cup flour
2 cups pecans
Butter 9×13 pan. Set aside. Blend in 3 qt. saucepan, sugar, syrup and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook to 234 degrees or soft ball stage. Remove from heat. Cool 5 minutes. Blend in butter and beat until mixture begins to thicken (about 5 minutes). Add flour and beat until thick and creamy – about 15 minutes. Stir in chopped pecans and pour into pan.

Here are really good date balls that I’ve made since before I got married (50 years ago).

Date Balls
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 lb. pkg. pitted dates, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
2 tsp. vanilla
5 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup finely chopped nuts
Coconut, powdered sugar or finely chopped nuts
Mix together sugar, eggs, dates, salt and butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, cereal and the cup of chopped nuts. Mix well. Roll into balls about the size of a walnut. Roll in coconut or powdered sugar or finely chopped nuts. These freeze well.

I always rolled in coconut so I never tried powdered sugar or finely chopped nuts, but everybody really liked them and they disappeared fast.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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