Brown Sugar Candy

Brown Sugar Candy is a shortcut version to a recipe that is typically hours in the making. Chocolate covered or not, this old fashioned treat is amazing!

Crumbly and ridiculously decadent, Brown Sugar Candy is a favorite traditional holiday candy. This version uses shelf stable pantry ingredients and is a quick and easy recipe that makes a lot of pieces!

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What is Brown Sugar Candy?

When I was a child, every holiday season my Dad would make a wonderful traditional French Canadian candy (Sucre a la Creme) that took hours.  His mother made it and each of the kids had learned how, but it was tricky and required just the right touch and timing to have it come out perfect.

He tried to pass his knowledge on to my sister and I many times by taking the time to make it with us, leaving wonderful memories of stirring the pot for hours, blending in the butter at just the right time with the right wooden spoon and always, always having it somehow turn out just right.

Since we’ve lost my Dad, both my sister and I have tried to make his homemade candy, sometimes with success, most of the time not, and always knowing that the missing ingredient is him.  I will still work on the traditional recipe until the day I finally get it right but in the meantime…

I found a shortcut! 

This version of Brown Sugar Candy takes 15 minutes. This is crazy to me. 15 minutes!  If you want to cover it in chocolate you can – completely up to you. You don’t need to but there’s a well known franchised chocolate shop that does and it is amazing. We’ll get into that in a bit.

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How to make Brown Sugar Candy

Crumbly and ridiculously decadent, Brown Sugar Candy is a favorite traditional holiday candy. This version uses shelf stable pantry ingredients and is a quick and easy recipe that makes a lot of pieces!

This candy is made of butter and sugar and vanilla and more sugar so the first important thing to know is that before you put it into the pan you need to know how you are going to get it OUT of the pan. 

In Dad’s version, the pan gets generously buttered. That method will work but when it comes time to take it out and cut it up it is so much easier to have the pan lined with parchment paper. Just lift and cut. 

In a medium or large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine evaporated milk, butter and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low so that it continues to simmer.

Cook for five minutes, stirring often. The consistency will change from thin liquid to a thick, bubbling syrup. 

Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla extract and salt.

Add one cup of powdered sugar and blend in using a hand mixer. Continue to add the powdered sugar in, about a cup at a time, scraping the sides of the pan occasionally until you have added 3-4 cups and the mixture has become thickened.

Once the powdered sugar has all been incorporated, transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and let cool until set.  I actually put it into the fridge, especially if I am going to chocolate cover it. 

Once set, cut it into squares. Because it is so rich, I usually make smaller squares, an inch or less.

You can be done here at this point and I promise that you will NOT be disappointed.  It is absolutely delicious.  I needs nothing else. 

BUT…

As I mentioned before, there is a pretty well known chocolate store in the mall that sells this brown sugar candy chocolate covered.  Oh My Gosh.

When you cut up Brown Sugar Candy, sometimes the pieces don’t end up exactly perfect because it’s crumbly.  I sorted the square ones from the not so square ones and decided to dip the not so square ones in candy melts. 

Using chocolate melts or chocolate, using a microwave oven, a double boiler or a melting pot, melt the chocolate according to package directions until it is smooth and ready for dipping.

Dip the brown sugar candy in the melted chocolate and remove. I use a little chocolate dipping tool or two forks for this. Place the dipped candy onto wax paper and sprinkle with festive baking sprinkles if desired.

Note: If you set the wax paper on a lipped baking sheet and you use sprinkles, they will not travel all over the counter!

After they are dipped, they need to cool so that the chocolate can set.  I also like to use the refrigerator for this because I am not patient at all. 

This is quite possibly the cutest little chocolate that I have ever seen.  No matter if you chocolate cover it or just eat it plain – or both – this shortcut version of Brown Sugar Candy is definitely worth a shot. 

It might not be my Dad’s recipe but it is darned close.  Happy Holidays!  Enjoy!

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Some Other Easy Holiday Treat Recipes

Rolo Turtles – these little bites of sweet and salty with a pecan half on top are perfection in one bite!

Classic Sponge Toffee – this light and airy vintage crunchy treat is addictive and fun to make!

Cookie Dough Truffles – chocolate covered, safe to eat cookie dough truffles!

Christmas Pretzel Candy – the perfect blend of sweet and salty for the holiday season!

Easy Peanut Butter Balls – Decadent, delicious and chocolate covered peanut butter balls.