Buttermilk Candy

This crumbly, melt in your mouth Buttermilk Candy tastes just like Werthers and is a great way to use up the last of the buttermilk from baking!

If you're like me, when you buy a carton of buttermilk you never use it all in one shot. Often, it's three quarters of a cup for biscuits, or a cup for cake. The rest of the quart sits languishing in the fridge until I come up with something! Not needing to expand the baked good stash in our freezer, I looked around to see if there were any other alternatives and came across a recipe for crumbly, caramelly candy using the dairy in one of my old cookbooks. Interested, and seeing as I had all the ingredients on hand, I gave it a shot.

I soon discovered that buttermilk can be finicky to work with in a candy, especially since the acidity doesn't always react as you'd expect. However, with careful watching and stirring, the whole process was well worth it! If you know Werthers caramels, a taste of this will bring you right back to your grandma's house (if you're like me, my grandparents hoarded those caramels!). The candy is made like fudge, but the texture is crumbly and somewhat sandy instead of creamy and smooth (maybe due to the acid?) and melts in your mouth. The tang of the buttermilk also cuts the cloying sweetness usually found in candy like this, meaning that it's just a little bit easier to eat a little bit more (hey, I never said I was one for New Years resolutions!).

So, if you've got that carton of rich, tangy goodness hanging out in the back of your fridge, give this candy a shot. You'll fall in love with it too, and since sharing is caring you can spread the love (and calories) to everyone!


Buttermilk Candy
Serves 16
1 cup buttermilk
2 oz butter
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1. Prepare an 8" square pan by lining it with well greased parchment paper.
2. Place the buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. 
3. Stir until the sugar and butter dissolve, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the thermometer reads 242 F.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla and nutmeg on top, but do not stir. 
5. Allow the candy to cool until it reaches 150 F.
6. Begin beating the mixture with a wooden spoon (or sturdy silicone spatula) until thickened, opaque and without gloss.
7. Scrape the candy carefully into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. 
8. Allow to set at room temperature overnight, then remove from the pan and cut with a heavy, sharp knife.