Kentucky Cream Candy (Printer-friendly)

Silky Southern candy with rich creaminess; perfect for holiday gifts or dipping in chocolate.

# What You Need:

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01 - 3 cups granulated sugar
02 - 1 cup heavy cream
03 - 1/2 cup whole milk
04 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
05 - 1/8 teaspoon salt
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How to Make It:

01 - Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, or lightly butter a marble slab for working the candy.
02 - In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, heavy cream, whole milk, unsalted butter, and salt. Stir continuously over medium heat until the butter has fully melted and the mixture is well blended.
03 - Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling, reduce the heat and cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 240°F (soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer.
04 - Remove the saucepan from heat. Add the vanilla extract without stirring it in. Set the mixture aside to cool undisturbed until it reaches 110°F, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
05 - Once cooled to 110°F, beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until it thickens, turns creamy, and loses its glossy sheen, about 8 to 10 minutes.
06 - Working quickly, pour or spoon the thickened candy onto the prepared pan or slab. Gently shape into logs or squares. Allow to set for 20 to 30 minutes.
07 - Cut the set candy into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • This candy has a way of disappearing faster than anything else on a holiday dessert tray, and people will assume you spent all day on it.
  • The texture is unlike anything store bought, smooth and creamy with a gentle vanilla warmth that melts the moment it hits your tongue.
02 -
  • Humidity is the enemy of cream candy, and I learned this the hard way when a rainy August day turned my beautiful batch into a weeping, sticky puddle by morning.
  • Leaving the vanilla unstirred when you first add it feels wrong, but that undisturbed cooling period is what builds the supersmooth texture that separates grainy sugar from real candy.
03 -
  • Your wooden spoon matters more than you think, and I keep one specifically for candy making so it never carries residual oils or strong flavors from savory cooking.
  • The single biggest secret is patience during that cooling period, and every time I have rushed it the results reminded me why I should not have.

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