This candy is a Christmas memory for me. Beth and I can hardly wait for it to cool every year so we can slice it up and wrap it. We always eat as much as we wrap (or more), so truthfully, I don’t really know how much the recipe makes!

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 to 7 dozen 1-inch cubes

　　3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter

　　1 cup light brown sugar

　　1 cup granulated sugar

　　1 cup dark corn syrup

　　2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream

　　2 cups chopped pecans

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　

Step 1

Generously grease a 9 × 12 × 2-inch pan using 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of the butter.

　　

Step 2

In a large saucepan, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 1 cup of the cream. Heat until the mixture begins to boil. Slowly stream the remaining 1 cup cream into the mixture, stirring while it’s boiling. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan and cook the mixture over medium heat until it reaches 244°F. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining 1/2 cup butter, the chopped pecans, and the vanilla. Pour the candy into the buttered pan.

　　

Step 3

Cool the candy in the refrigerator until it is just firm but not hard, about 1 hour. Cut into 1-inch squares. Cut waxed paper into 4-inch squares and wrap each piece of candy individually. Store in the refrigerator. Remove the candy from the refrigerator and allow it to soften slightly before serving. The wrapped candy’s flavor is improved by aging in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

　　

From Gwen

Step 4

The recipe in my file is written on the back of a mimeographed copy. Does anyone even remember the mimeograph machine? We retired teachers sure do.

　　Reprinted with permission from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours by Trisha Yearwood with Gwen Yearwood and Beth Yearwood Bernard. Copyright © 2008 by Trisha Yearwood. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Trisha Yearwood is a three-time Grammy-award winning country music star and the author of the bestselling cookbook Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. She is married to megastar Garth Brooks.