Pumpkin Candy

Making candy has always frightened me a little.  The precise tempteratures, the risk of burning-hot splattering sugar drops, and, of course, the fear that my homemade candy will not compare to the machine-made, storebought varieties.

But let's be realistic.  When have I ever let mere intimidation stop me from attempting some crazy, half-thought-out recipe?

I based this idea off of techniques for making maple sugar candy, which requires you to heat maple syrup until the water cooks off and the sugar binds together into the most deliciously sweet, classic New England treat.  But the technique could be used to flavor lots of types of candy, and at this time in the season, I thought pumpkin.

So try to imagine a candy with the texture of maple sugar candy and the taste of extremely sweet pumpkin.  Crazy, right?  I really liked it, but next time, I'm going to add sweetened condensed milk instead of some of the sugar for a creamier, pumpkiny taste. 

So have a great Thanksgiving, everyone.  And if you're not sold on the pumpkin candy, take a look at what I made last year: a lovely little pumpkin tart.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Prepare any molds by greasing them lightly. Or use a sheet pan and break the candy into pieces once it cools.

2. Mix the ingredients together in a saute pan and bring them to a boil. Heat the mixture to the soft crack stage, around 280 degrees F. When it reaches that temperature, pour the mixture into the molds as fast as possible. Set aside and allow to cool 2 hours.

Makes about 6 large candies, or 12 smaller pieces. Candy lasts two weeks if covered tightly at room temperature.