Oh, Baker, is “white sugar” just regular granulated sugar and “white syrup” just plain corn syrup?
Glad to hear you think it sounds good. When I first started making it, taking over for my grandmother at the holidays, I screwed it up a couple times. Then I got the hang of it.
As for the sugar and syrup, yes to both questions.
We make it with black walnuts, it’s tradition you know. Tried it once with pecans, and though it was good it wasn’t right , if you know what I mean.
If you have a really heavy duty mixer, like a Kitchen Aide or the like, you can put the hot candy in there, turn it on low speed, and beat it with a paddle attachment. I work in a kitchen, and the last couple of years I have made the candy at work, so as to take advantage of the Hobart mixer.
Let me know how it turns out!..I can always send you some at Christmas if you don’t get it to work by then. If you lived here we could do it together. A Candy making Dopefest sounds like fun!!!
COOL! 
I think I’ll try a batch your way, with the black walnuts, and also a batch with almonds, which I think would compliment the other ingredients nicely. My only mixer is a wimpy $6.99 electric hand mixer from Kmart that often poops out on me when I mix cookie dough (which isn’t that thick), so it looks like my right arm’s in for a workout! I’ve had my eye on one of those nifty $300.00 mixers with all the trimmings, but yikes, not right now.
Nonetheless? NONETHELESS? How about at least some courtesy acquiescence my way!? 
Hey, I’m going to be in San Francisco for a conference around mid-December (why do I think that’s where you live?). You could pit your favorite restaurant against mine…
Sounds like a plan. Email me with the particulars when your arrangements are all set. It’d be a pleasure to meet you. Us left coasters may have to hold a mini-fest or something to welcome you.
Every year I make what the singing group calls “that thing.” My kids call it “cherry bread.”
First you make bread. Soften up 1/3 cup of butter and 12 oz of cream cheese (or just use two packages and go with 16oz–more is better, with cream cheese!). Put 2tsp of yeast in 2/3 cup of warm water and stir it around and let it bubble.
Combine 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the water/yeast stuff and stir it around. Add the already softened butter and 2 eggs. Then add flour gradually (stirring in between additions) until you have a soft dough. Turn it out on a floured surface and knead it for about 6-8 minutes. Put it in a greased bowl and let it double in size.
Then punch it down, and cut it in half. roll out each half until it’s a rectangle, 12x7 or 8 inches.
Mix the softened cream cheese with 1 egg white and 1/3 cup of sugar (maybe a little more if you’re using more cheese). Spread half of this down the middle third of each rectangle. Then open yourself up a can of cherry pie filling and spoon some down along the cream cheese. (or you can open two cans if you like a lot, or two different fruits and make them half and half or…whatever you like).
with a scissors, cut sort of diagonal strips in the sides of the rectangle–the same amount on each side, from the outside edge all the way into the filling. Start at one end, and fold strips over so they overlap each other–right, left, right, left, on down. Each end should be tucked in under the next strip you fold over. You can pinch the last one shut. Do this with both rectangles. Let them rise for about a half an hour, and bake them in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. Try and keep them on the upper racks, and keep an eye on your oven, I’ve found that baking times and temps for this change if I make it in a different oven.
This really isn’t as much work as it sounds like, and it always looks very impressive. Oh, it never hurts to pour some powdered sugar icing over it, either.
You can do the bread in the bread machine–use any sweet dough recipe you like, really, and cut the filling ingredients in half.
You know what I always liked? My german Grandma would make these balls of fried dough topped with confectioner’s sugar. They were light and fluffy and oh so decadant. Unfortunately, the only thing I know for sure is my mom always used a deep-fat fryer to make them. (Grandma already had the dough and first batch made for us when we visited. She loved cooking)
I miss those.
Try these:
French Breakfast Muffins
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
Heat oven to 350. Grease 15 medium muffin cups. Mix thoroughly shortening, 1/2 cup sugar and the egg. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg alternately with milk.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Immediately after baking, roll puffs in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve hot.
These should approximate what granny made, although they’re not deep fried.
Morelin, were those filled? If they were they might be Berliner. You could probably use Berliner dough to make the doughnuts, without filling them. Or did they look more like a cruller? Or they could be the following
Baby doughnuts
Sieve 500 grams flour into a mixing bowl with 2 level teaspoons baking powder. Add 150 grams sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla or rum flavoring, 3 eggs, a dash of salt, and 150 grams soft margarine or butter. Using the kneading attachment on the mixer, knead the ingredients on a low setting, swithching to high. Remove from the mixing bowl and knead on the work surface until you have a smooth ball. If the pastry sticks refigerate it for a while. Roll the pastry out to a thickness of 1 cm, and cut out shapes with a small oval pastry cutter. Deep fry in hot fat. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to drain and cool. While still hot dredge with confectioners sugar. Recipe taken from Dr. Oetker’s German Baking Today
Sounds like aebleskiver to this Viking. Besides, an aebleskiver pan is far more interesting than a deep fryer.
Wow!
Thanks so much, y’all. And I also hope that a meeting between Zenster and Chefguy happens! Man! Wouldn’t I like to be a “taster” in a cook-off between those two? You bet I would!
Q
May I offer you some Hot Buttered Rum with that holiday snack, sir? 
Q
Here’s a Christmas recipe that’s been in my family for decades. Other families have their own variations, I’m sure. Every year this is the one Holiday mainstay that stands out against the rest.
Ingredients:
10 parts alcohol
10 to 15 relatives
2 parts familiarity
6 parts resentment
1 part exhaustion
Stew the relatives in resentment over much of the year then slowly add the alcohol over 3 or 4 hours on Christmas day. Make sure the female family members have plenty of exhaustion from cooking, cleaning and running around in preparation for at least a week.
When all of these ingredients have reached the boiling point add familiarity for that distinct, one of a kind flavor.
You forgot the bitters.
Q
Wow, you guys. Thanks for all those suggestions.
However, I really don’t think it’s that exotic. Ryujin has introduced me to funnel cakes which taste almost the same. Sp maybe it’s just a slight variation on those.
Oh, and can I continue my hijack to say that I would love to work with Quasi?
Here’s my twice-a-year favorite (Thanksgiving and Christmas).
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Preheat oven 350 deg. F.
Crust:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, chopped finely
3/4 cup graham crumbs
Mix together and press into the bottom and a bit up the side of a 9" springform pan. Chill about 1/2 hour or so.
Filling:
3 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups canned, unspiced pumpkin (375 mL)
3 pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Optional - 1 tsp. liquer of choice: Bailey’s, Tia Maria, etc.
Garnish:
With whatever! I like whipped cream with a sprinkle of crushed pecans.
Mix together the pumkin, eggs, brown sugar, spices and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together until smooth the cream cheese and sugar. There should be no lumps in the mixture. Beat in the pumpkin mixture, vanilla and (optional) liquer. Pour into crust and bake 55-60 minutes at 350 deg. F.
Remove from oven and run knife around edge to prevent cracking. Cool thoroughly to room temp. Cover and chill overnight. Garnish just before serving.
Cheesecake Tips:
Oven Temperature turned out to be the cause of my cheesecake flops. I finally bought an oven thermometer and discovered my oven was running 50 degrees hotter than it was set for. Just sayin’…
Cracks are caused by temperature fluctuations, so no peeking when it’s baking! Cracks are also caused by not running the knife around the edge.
Overbaking - there should be a small circle (about 1-1/2" in diameter) of jiggly filling when you take out your cheesecake, because it continues to cook when cooling on the counter.
You would be most welcome, Morelin! And if you can bring that hunk of yours along with ya’, it would be that much better!
Hope to see you two for Christmas!
Q
Laughs Deal, if only to watch your expression when I out-eat him.
criminey.jicket, that cheesecake sounds to die for! It seems we have another cooking authority on the board.
And BTW, welcome out of lurking mode, and into the wider world of actually posting!