“That’s right. And we have to figure out something else, too.”

“What’s that?”

“The next time it happens, we have to figure out how to get her to put on the coffee before she leaves.”

BROWN SUGAR DROPS

Hannah’s 1st Note: Candy told us that the original name of this recipe was “Browned” Sugar Drops. Over the years, it got shortened to Brown Sugar Drops, even though there’s no brown sugar in the candy.

To make this candy, you will need a candy thermometer. I use the kind with a glass tube and a sliding metal clamp that attaches to the side of a saucepan. And even though the recipe calls for a 3-quart saucepan, I always use my 4-quart pan. That way I don’t have to worry about the candy foaming up over the sides.

1 cup buttermilk

2 ½ cups white (granulated) sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 Tablespoons (1/8 cup) white Karo syrup

½ cup butter, room temperature (1 stick, ¼ pound)

Before you start, get out a 3-quart saucepan and your candy thermometer. Place the thermometer inside the saucepan with the sliding clamp on the outside. Slide the thermometer through the clamp until it’s approximately ½ inch from the bottom of the pan. (If the bulb touches the bottom of the pan, your reading will be wildly off.)

On a cold burner, combine the buttermilk, sugar, baking soda, and white Karo syrup in the saucepan. Stir the mixture until it’s smooth.

Turn your burner on medium high heat. STIR the candy mixture CONSTANTLY until it boils. (This will take about 10 minutes, so pull up a stool and get comfortable while you stir.)

Move the saucepan to a cold burner, but don’t turn off the hot burner. You’ll be getting right back to it.

Drop the butter into the candy mixture and stir it in. (This could sputter a bit, so be careful.) Slide the saucepan back on the hot burner and watch it cook. STIRRING IS NOT NECESSARY FROM THIS POINT ON. Just give it a little mix when you feel like it. Enjoy a cup of Swedish Plasma and one of those yummy cookies you baked last night while you wait for the candy thermometer to come up to the 240 degree F. mark.

When your thermometer reaches 240 degrees F., give the pan a final stir, turn off the burner, and take your candy from the heat. Let it cool on a wire rack or a cold burner until it returns to almost room temperature. Then stir it with a wooden spoon until it looks creamy.

Lay out sheets of wax paper. Drop the Brown Sugar Drops by a spoon onto the paper. Don’t worry if your “drops” aren’t of uniform size. Once your guests taste them, they’ll be hunting for the bigger pieces.

Hannah’s 2nd Note: If the time gets away from you and your candy hardens too much in the pan, you can stick it back on the burner over very low heat and stir it constantly until it’s the proper creamy texture again.