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Sugar: a Great Source of Heat and Energy: Bonbons

COFFEE BONBONS Roll small pieces of fondant into balls. If the fondant is too soft to handle, add a little XXXX or confectioner's sugar. Let the balls stand until dry on the outside. Put a cup or more of the fondant in a double boiler over warm, but not boiling water, add a few drops of coffee extract and a tablespoonful or more of caramel syrup, also a little water (perhaps a teaspoonful) if needed and stir until melted; drop in a center, then with a dipping fork (made of wire) push it under the coating; when covered, lift out, draw the fork across the edge of the dish to remove superfluous coating, then turn the fork and drop the candy onto waxed paper or oil cloth. In lifting the fork from the bonbon a design may be made.

OTHER BONBONS Candied fruit, particularly cherries, cut in bits, nuts, broken in pieces or chopped, pieces of fig, dates or ginger may be mixed with fondant for centers. These centers may be dipped in plain white fondant, flavored to harmonize with the center, or, the fondant may be tinted green, pink, etc., with color paste, or brown with chocolate. Black coffee, much reduced by boiling, may be used instead of coffee extract.

PISTACHIO BONBONS Blanch a few pistachio nuts; split a few and leave these half meats to set on the top of the bonbons. Chop the rest of the nuts; mix with fondant and roll into oblong shapes. Coat these with fondant, tinted light green and flavored with almond and vanilla. If a teaspoonful of vanilla be used for flavoring, add only one-fourth a teaspoonful of almond. Set the half nut in place the instant the center is coated, as the coating stiffens very quickly. To make the coating a little heavier or hold its shape a little better, beat in a few drops of glycerine. Put the rounding side of the nut down. FONDANT WITH GLUCOSE 2 1/2 cups of sugar 1 cup of water 1/3 cup of glucose (any pure corn syrup) Put the sugar, glucose and water over the fire, and stir until boiling; wipe down the sides of the saucepan, over and cook as in the first recipe for fondant. Cook to 238 deg F. This fondant, on account of the glucose, is less liable to grain than the one previously given. Begin to cream before the syrup becomes cold. When the fondant begins to stiffen, scrape it into a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Use at once or after a time. This fondant, on account of the glucose, as also fondant to which almond paste or chocolate is added, or fondant made with part maple sugar, will not "cream" as quickly as the ordinary fondant. It is "sticky" and can not be easily shaped by hand into centers. It is used almost exclusively for centers that are molded in starch. TO MOLD CENTERS IN STARCH Buy a cheap grade of cornstarch and keep it for this purpose. Sift the starch into a biscuit pan, filling it to the top. Smooth the starch with a flat stick long enough to rest on two sides of the pan. The impressions may be made, one at a time, with a thimble, a cork, glass stopper to a bottle or similar articles, but the easiest way is with small plaster moulds glued to a thin strip of wood. The stick should be of such length that the ends may rest on the sides of the pan. Lift up the molds and make a second row of impressions; also make other rows, if it can be done without injuring the shape of the impressions already made. Melt the fondant over hot water, stirring it meanwhile; tint with color paste, if desired (a little on the point of a wooden skewer will tint MAKING IMPRESSIONS IN STARCH TO MOLD FONDANT. - Page 242. a large quantity), and flavor according to the color. Use rose extract for pink candies and vanilla and almond for light green. Coffee extract will give both tint and flavor. Keep the fondant hot and thin and with a teaspoon drop it into the starch impressions, filling each level with the top of the starch. When cold pick out the candies and brush off the starch. They are now ready for coating with chocolate.