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                                The Legend of the Candy Cane

         The Legend of the Candy Cane:
         According to legend there was a candy maker who wanted to invent a
         candy that was a witness to Christ.
         First of all, he used a hard candy because Christ is the rock of
         ages. This hard candy was shaped so that it would resemble a “J” for
         Jesus or, turned upside down, a shepherd’s staff. He made it white
         to represent the purity of Christ.

      Finally a red stripe was added to represent the blood Christ shed for the
      sins of the world, and three thinner red stripes for the stripes He
      received on our behalf when the Roman soldiers whipped Him. Sometimes a
      green stripe is added as a reminder that Jesus is a gift from God.
      The flavor of the cane is peppermint, which is similar to hyssop. Hyssop
      is in the mint family and was used in the Old Testament for purification
      and sacrifice. Jesus is the pure Lamb of God, come to be a sacrifice for
      the sins of the world.
      So, every time you see a candy cane, remember the message of the candy
      maker: Jesus is the Christ!

Recipe for candy canes

Recipe for candy canes
6 c. sugar
3 c. cold water
2 T. light corn syrup
1/8 t. salt
1 t. cream of tartar
flavoring OIL (peppermint, etc., found
at pharmacies and specialty stores)
food coloring

Combine sugar, water, corn syrup and
salt in a heavy 6/7 quart pan. Heat
and stir until sugar crystals are
dissolved, then stop stirring. Bring
to a rolling boil and wash down the
crystals, then add the cream of tartar.
Boil rapidly to the hard crack stage.
Pour two-thirds of the syrup out quickly
onto a slab or greased flat pan. Pour
the rest into a buttered glass pie pan.
and do not move until partly set. Turn
the edges in on each portion and add
flavoring to each..about 6 drops of oil
to the large portion and 3 to the small.
Add food coloring to the small dish.

As soon a humanly possible, start to
pull the portion in the large container
until pearly-colored. (It will be really
hot. .butter your hands and set it
down when it gets too hot!) Form it
into a ball. Meanwhile gather up the
colored portion and form it into a rope
and wrap it around the ball. With one
person on each end, start to stretch
and twist the ball in opposite directions
to form a long rope
with the traditional stripe. Cut into
lengths as necessary. When the
desired diameter is achieved, cut and
form into canes (roll it on the board to
get it smooth). If it gets too cold
to work with, put on a wooden breadboard
in a warm oven to soften.

Hints: I hate to suggest a temperature
because of the problem of altitudes (and
at this moment I can't find the copy of
the recipe that has the temperature I
use.) Even two degrees too hot can make
it virtually impossible to work with. Too
cool and it doesn't set up hard, although
it's still good. My second batch is
always better than the first one. Hope
you like it!

ChristmasCandy Canes cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes or hard peppermint candies
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter or margarine, at room temperature
1/2 cup plain or butter-flavored shortening
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon liquid red food coloring

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Have ready two ungreased baking sheets. In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the crushed candy; set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat together the butter, shortening, confectioners' sugar, egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract until light and fluffy, 2 or 3 minutes. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually add the flour, beating just until blended. Remove half of the dough from the bowl and set aside on a sheet of waxed paper. To the dough remaining in the bowl, add the red food coloring and beat until evenly colored. (At this point both of the doughs can be tightly wrapped separately in aluminum foil and refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to three months. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

For each candy cane, scoop 1 teaspoonful of the plain dough and the same amount of pink dough. Roll each scoop between the palms of your hands to make a 4-inch rope. Twist the ropes together and shape into a candy cane. As they are made, arrange the canes on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them about 1-inch apart.

Bake for about 9 minutes until firm to the touch and barely golden. Reverse the baking sheets on the racks and from front to back once during baking. The moment the cookies come from the oven, sprinkle each one with the sugar-and-peppermint mixture. With a wide turner, immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in a tightly covered container, separating the layers with sheets of waxed paper.

Yield: About 48 cookies