Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Combine the brown sugar, white sugar, and sour cream in a saucepan.
- Have a mixing bowl ready with the measured amount of nuts inside.
- Cook the mixture to the soft-ball stage, approximately 235° F (113° C) using a candy thermometer to verify. *See notes below.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Beat the mixture at low to med speed, being careful to not splash, until it begins to thicken.
- Stir in the nuts until they are evenly coated.
- Allow the coated nuts to cool and set before serving.
Notes
*Soft-ball stage is a cooking term meaning that a sugar syrup being heated has reached 112 – 116 C (234 – 240 F.)
It is a test of how hot a sugar syrup is, and of how much water is left in it. At this point of heating, the sugar concentration in the syrup is 85%.
You test by drizzling a small amount of the sugar syrup from a spoon into a cup of cold water. If the stage has been reached, the syrup will come together and briefly form a soft ball (more accurately, a soft clump with a bit of height to it.) If you take the clump out of the water, it will hold its shape for a short while then start to flatten back down further.