Potato candy or as New Englanders call them Needhams

[pumba]

3/4 cup mashed potatoes
1 lg. pkg. coconut
2 tsp. vanilla
2 lbs confectionery sugar.
1 stick oleo............
Melt butter in double boiler, add cooked potatoes and salt. Mix this part in top of double boiler. Add Confectioners sugar and coconut and mix well.....Pour into greased cookie sheet....Store in refrigerator over night.....cut into squares.....dip in chocolate mixture that follows.....makes around 65 candies.....

Chocolate dip
One large pkg chocolate bits...
4 squares semisweet chocolate....
1.2 cake paraffin wax....

Melt this all together and stir well.....

Dip and let them harded and enjoy....these are a must at most households in our area.....and also I go and get these at a candy store that makes them around xmas.........hope you enjoy it

 

[*Robin*]

Pumba, it seems you posted these last year...I remember thinking then, boy that sounds like an odd combination...but I thought about trying them...never did...

What exactly do they taste like? hehehe...have to ask


Robin

 

[pumba]

I think that this recipe was lost on the transfer of the old boards......anyway.....they are delicious.....I could eat them forever......and kids if they do like the coconut ..love these.....I hope that you all will try them.....they are more of a chocolate covered coconut with a flavor to them.......yummy...I guess i will go to the corner store and get some......

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

I'm going to have to try this one. It sounds like one of those things that tastes different than the recipe sounds.

Now I have to go find Oleo.

 

[piratesmate]

Don't know if it's true, but I was told the potatoes were used to cut down on the amount of confectioner's sugar needed. (Potatoes were cheaper.) I wouldn't say that you can taste the potato in the candy, any more than you can taste it in potato bread. It just makes a moist consistency.

The recipe we always made uses no coconut - but does use peppermint extract.

Potato Candy

1 medium-sized potato
pinch salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
10x sugar (confectioner's)
green food coloring
Baker's chocolate

Cook potatoe, then mash. Add pinch of salt. Let cool.
Add 10x sugar to cold mashed potato - a little at a time. (It will get runny.) Keep adding sugar until mixture reaches consistency you can handle with your hands. Before it gets too thick, add a few drops of green food coloring & peppermint extract to taste. Shape candy into small balls, place on waxed paper & flatten.
When candy is set (firm) dip half of each patty into melted chocolate. Work fast to avoid the heat from chocolate softening the candy. Place on waxed paper & cool.

Peanut butter, chopped walnuts or chopped Maraschino cherries may be used instead of peppermint.

 

[chessie]

This was a candy that one of the ladies used to make for the church bazaar. I always looked forward to buying some. She passed away several years ago and I have missed them so much.

We called them sweet potatoes. She made them in sort of a football shape and rolled them in cinnamon in stead of chocolate.

I think I might make a batch this year.

pumba, thanks for the recipe.

chessie

 

[piratesmate]

Oooo, my great-great aunt used to roll them in cinnamon instead of dipping in chocolate. I forgot that! Thanks for reminding me Chessie!!! Now that I think about it, we made them with the cinnamon in 7th grade home ec & called them Irish Potatoes. No wonder I forgot - that was 37 years ago! AAUUGGHH!! Now I really feel old!

 

[*Robin*]

ohhh, this is sounding really good! I think I'll make a batch this weekend, half chocolate, half cinnamon, half peppermint...........wait a minute.....somethings wrong here.................

Robin

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

LOL Robin!