Penuche
Don't be lulled by the simple appearance of these candy squares. Although modest in form, they are the unsung stars of the Christmas plate, quickly devoured while more ornate cookies sit neglected. If smooth were a flavor, it would want to be called penuche (pronounced peh-NOO-chee). This brown sugar fudge melts in your mouth, beating traditional chocolate fudge hands down for richness.
My great-grandmother Nana used to make penuche long, long ago. My only memories of her look suspiciously like faded polaroids. Are those real memories, or remembrances of pictures I've seen? Fortunately for all of us, Nana passed the recipe to my grandmother, who in turn taught my mother. This past week, I called mom and asked her for the recipe. "I don't know if I'll make it this year," she explained. "It takes a lot of stirring, so I need to make it when I've got help around... Everyone loves it though." The tone in her voice tells that she's reconsidering as we speak.
Anecdotal reports date the introduction of penuche to the turn of the 20th century, with a peak in popularity in the 1920's to 1940's. Home candy-making has steadily declined since World War II to the point where few people seem to have heard of it today Oh, if they only knew what they were missing.
Penuche
These directions are nearly verbatim from my mother, and must be followed exactly. While making this batch, I read up on candy making in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen and discovered that every instruction from this family recipe is guided by clear scientific principles all leading towards the smoothest, most predictable penuche.. Who knew the matriarchs in my family were such precise chemists?
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 2 c. granulated sugar
- 12 oz. evaporated milk (1 can)
- 1/8 t. baking soda
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)
Bring the sugars, milk and baking soda to a boil in a saucepan over medium high heat, stirring constantly. If you let your guard down for even the briefest moment, the penoche notices and promptly scorches. It's obstinate that way.
Continue heating until the temperature reaches 236 degrees on a candy thermometer. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can heat to a "soft ball." A few drops of candy into a glass of cold water should result in a ball that feels spongy and malleable to the touch. Stir frequently while heating to soft ball, but you don't have to obsess as much as when heating to the initial boil. By my clock, it took 25 minutes of stirring from start to soft ball stage. I can understand my mother's pause-- that's a long time to stir in front of a steaming pot of candy.
Set the saucepan on a wire rack to cool and don't disturb it until the temperature has dropped to 110 degrees, or as my mom described it, "you can barely hold your hand to the bottom of the pan." Stirring it too soon causes a grainier candy. When the candy has cooled enough, beat in the vanilla and nuts. Beat like mad for at least five minutes, or until the mass holds shape. This beating is crucial for the silkyness. Don't beat too long though or the mixture will become too stiff.
Turn the candy out in to a buttered 8x8 pan and press it down with a buttered spatula. Cut into squares when completely cool. Savor.
For more information on the science of making penuche, please see the followup prompted by comments below.
This post was submitted to the Virtual Cookie Swap hosted by The Domestic Goddess and Il Forno.
Aloha ! Guess what? I tried your recipe and they taste so good! I made this dessert and brought to New Hope Women's Ministry party. They said that they are so ono and asked me for the recipe! Ah! Actually, I told them about your food blog and most of them never heard of that word "blog"..ah! Gave them the details of defined blog and your blog site's addy. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
If you can't recall who I am, I'm from other blog: www.musicinkitchen.blogspot.com (AlohaMamma) =-)
Yvette, yes, I remember you! There aren't that many food bloggers in Hawaii, but you're doing your part to spread the word.
I'm glad the penuche was a success for you.
Aloha, Alan! Laurel here. We haven't chatted for a while and when I read your wonderful penuche recipe, I just had to drop you a note! I love penuche!!! The main way I was familar with it as a child (oddly enough) was when my mom would make a prune cake with penuche icing for my birthday. It sounds like an odd thing to make a kid (particularly a choco-holic like myself) but there is something magical in the combo of the not too sweet but ever so moist prune cake and almost maple flavour of penuche icing. I used to beg Mom every birthday for one... now Mom's gotten too old to bake anymore... aaaahhh what I'd give to taste one of those cakes again. I'll just have to treat myself come May this year. In the interum, I will most definitely try your recipe. Mahalo nui! & Aloha!
Alan--These sound and look like something I need to try!!
Hey Laurel, welcome back! You read my mind-- prune cake with penuche sounds odd. Do you have a recipe you can share? I'd like to try it.
LisaSD- My plan is working. I'm converting the world to penuche fans, one blogger at a time ;-)
I remember eating penuche in the 1970's at my parent's Christmas cocktail parties! Yummm!
Rorie, vintage foods fun for their own sake, eh? This penuche is the same as the one they were eating thirty years ago... except fresher. Thanks
for stopping by!
Wow, there isn't really even any fat in this fudge - just through and through sugar rush! :-)
I've got a can of evaporated milk winking at me in the lazy susan, so I think this might be a nice post-holiday project, for those friends of mine who just didn't get enough sugar over the last few weeks (or those who have already given up on their resolutions...).
Miss Tenacity- do you honestly know someone who kept their resolutions all the way to the 3rd?! Now that's perseverence! Enjoy the penuche, and remember that a little harmless winking back at the milk is okay, but anything more than that and I don't want to hear about it... ;-)
Greetings! My father's family has been making panocha for generations (we're a founding family in Santa Barbara, CA). My tia Blanche had the recipe in her head, but ended up with Alzheimer's and recently passed away. I'm not sure if any of her daughters or granddaughters ever wrote down the recipe, so I've been searching the net for some to try. The Panocha aka Penuche that has been traditional to our family is not soft and chewy like fudge, but somewhat crisp and crumbley with a grainy texture, more like semi-hard brown sugar. Is your recipe like this, or more soft and creamy like a traditional fudge?
TEA, your question was thought provoking enough that I wrote an entire post in response: .
thank you so much for your penuche post - for your recipe, and for your thoughts on this flavor that is so near and dear to my heart. it was one of my father's favorites, and so few people (that i encounter) are familiar with penuche today. it was a pleasure to come across your blog.
Emily, thanks for stopping by, and for sharing your own penuche memories.
Alan, I ran across a recipe for Penuche in my Better homes and garden cookbook, while on the phone with my Mom-in-law. After describing the recipe she told me about a Boston Cream Fudge that her MIL used to make and they don't know how to make it. I first made the recipe from my Better homes and garden cookbook and let my MIL try it. She says that the Boston Cream Fudge was similar in taste but more creamy. So I came to the internet to find the Boston Cream Fudge...nowhere on Google or Yahoo does a Boston Cream Fudge exsist, but one link took me to Penuche from Boston and then somehow I found your blog. I now know because of TEA's question how (or how to attempt) to control the sugar crystals! Maybe the texture is due to this "science". So I will attempt to make your recipe and see if it is any closer the the Boston Cream Fudge...I am wondering if they are one in the same, just called differently. Thanks for all your info!
Melissa,
I've never heard of Boston Cream Fudge either, but I'm wondering if the main
difference is that it isn't cooked to quite the same temp. That would give
a creamier texture, but might also slow down the ability for the candy to
set.
Good luck with your batch of penuche, and Merry Christmas!
I just posted to my blog asking if anyone had a really good recipe and then immediately found your recipe! I can't wait to try it, Penuche was a family tradition growing up, and I've never found any that was as good as I remember!
BTW, I just moved from Princeville to Idaho....real bummer! We're freezing! My baby (2.5) keeps bringing me her swim suit and saying "beach" with the most imploring look! ;o( Sorry babe!
Anne, yeowch, Idaho is quite a bit colder than Princeville. I hope the penuche recipe works well for you.
Where is your blog? You mentioned it but didn't share a link?!
Aloha!!!! It has been quite awhile since i have been able to say that. I grew up in Hawaii and miss all the wonderul food. I was searching for a recipe for Penuche and your blog came up. Your recipes have brought back so many wonderul memories of Hawaii and all the wonderful food i miss. I love penuche and miss it so. I have a family of my own now and only have my Hawaii memories of growing up. Your recipes are great. When i lived in Hawaii i learned to eat so many different foods I wish i could have them again. I especially miss the steamed buns (Manapuas). and the sweet rice cakes. I will give your penuche a try it looks wonderful.
Tina - Mommy's Kitchen
http://tinamommyx3.blogspot.com/
I grew up with penuche. When we wanted something sweet, my mom would make this for my 2 brothers, my sister and myself. I have tried numerous recipes and yours is the best, although the one from the joy of cooking cookbook is a very very close second. Aloha and mahalo. Thank for bringing back some great memories.
Tina and Skippy, thanks for the kind words! -alan
Ah, I was delighted to see a recipe for penuche! My mother used to make it and so it brings back wonderful memories. It was one of those recipeds that she never wrote down though so it was lost with her. She also used to make, if she had time, penuche frosting for devilsfood cake. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Gingerken, I had forgotten all about penuche frosting, but I know my family used to make it long ago. I'll have to ask about it, because the thought has my mouth watering too.
wow this is a little different than the recipe i have been making for 30+ years not by much. I will try both this year. MY recipe sounds a little less finicky less chance of failure maybe??
Quick penuche
1=3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup of butter or margarine
1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of milk
1 cup chopped walnuts ( optional)
Grease 8x8 pan. melt butter in saucepan stir in brown sugar cook and stir over low heat for 2 minutes stir in the milk cook til boiling cool to room temp beat in powdered sugar til fudge like consistency pour in pan chill and cut. store in refrigerator.
your sounds maybe a tad creamier cant wait to taste it!
wow..you have a great blog....i really want to try this recipe..Thanks!
I remember begging my grandmother to make the beige-colored fudge which required so much stirring. I know that she used brown sugar (only), butter (2 sticks, perhaps?), a can of evaporated milk, walnuts, and she used at least a cup of marshmallows. I used to watch over her shoulder as she stirred, and the melted marshmallows bubbled to the top like a beautiful buttery cloud. Alas, she is gone now and there is no precise recipe.
I am SO tickled to have found this recipe. We made penuche when I was a kid, but my mom is gone and I have no idea where the recipe would be. A few weeks ago I bought someone's peanut butter fudge thinking it was penuche. What a disappointment! It is so interesting to see how long ago you posted the recipe, but steadily, all this time, people keep finding it! Excellent! I am headed to the kitchen. Happy Holidays!
I have been wanting to add chocolate to a penuche recipe.. is that an abomination to penuche? I only see one recipe in my internet searches for "mexican penuche" that involves adding chocolate, and it looks sketchy. I guess I want the best of both worlds but I wonder if adding chocolate will only detract from the caramelized sugar flavor and still not be chocolatey enough... I have looked at dozens of penuche recipes and have never made it, I will probably use yours if I go the purist route. Thanks for all the extra scientific info, it makes recipe evaluation easier and I love that kind of stuff anyway!
Tara, I expect your recipe is easier, yet not as creamy. With penuche, we've created a saturated fluid, where the candy has absorbed as much sugar as possible. As the candy cools, the change in temperature means the candy becomes "supersaturated" -- it now contains a higher percentage of absorbed sugar than should normally be possible at that temp. Any disturbance at this point will cause some of the sugar to drop out of solution and crystallize. The candy becomes grainy. All this to say that you method largely avoids this problem by using different ratios and no supersaturation, but those ratios also result in a candy that isn't as creamy and rich. Depending on your tastes and patience, that could be a good thing!
Jill, does this recipe look similar enough to the one your grandma made? For all I know, maybe the grandmas all based their penuche off a newspaper column they read, and were making essentially the same candy.
Shannon, I hope it works out for you!
Abby, I've never come across chocolate penuche, and am nervous to give any advice that might lead you astray. Sometimes the best recipes come from just trying it and making a few tasty mistakes along the way. Good luck!