Mmmmm. . . C A N D Y

People have been enjoying sweet candy confections for thousands of years. Halvah, a sesame seed/honey type of candy, is known to be one of the earliest recorded candies made and dates as far back as the year 3000 B.C.. At the turn of the 20th century one could purchase ready-made candies such as Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum, Cracker Jack, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars, Tootsie Rolls and more as well as making your very own from the latest cookbooks of the day. According to the 1900 U.S. Census there were 31,242 people engaged in the candy industry. Wow! that’s a lot of people making tasty candy! For more candy trivia see below after the historical recipe.

The candy recipe below is from Mrs. Curtis's Cookbook by Isabel Gordon Curtis, first copyright in 1909.

A note to young chefs: Always remember to have an adult help when cooking - it's much safer and more fun too!

Cocoanut Kisses

Beat up together the whites of 3 eggs and whip in 2 cupfuls of powdered sugar, 2 cupfuls of freshly grated cocoanut, and 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Brown slightly in a quick oven (400 degrees).

You might find that a non-stick cookie sheet might work very well for placing your drops of cocoanut kisses to be baked.

• Like to try old recipes? Click Here! for our other old time recipe page.

Just when was your favorite candy* first introduced?...

• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar...1890s

• Cracker Jack ...first named in 1896 (toy prize added to the inside of the box in 1912)

• Tootsie Roll (the first penny candy wrapped individually in paper, it was named for the inventor's daughter's nickname) ...1896

• Hershey's Kisses (wrapped) ...1907 (the paper ID plume was added in 1921)

• Necco Wafers ...1912 (did you know that 2 1/2 tons of these were brought to the Artic & South Pole by the explorer Richard Byrd?)

• Mint flavored Life Savers ...1912

And Other Later Arrivals-

Baby Ruth ...1920, Mounds ...1922, Milky Way ...1923, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups ...1923, Bit-O-Honey ...1924, Mr. Goodbar ...1925, Milk Duds ...1926, Raisinets ...1927, Heath Bar ...1928, Butterfinger ... late 1920's, Snickers ...1930, 3 Musketeers ...1932, Kraft Caramels ...1933, Krackel Bar ...1938, Mike & Ike ...1940, M&M's Plain ...1941, Almond Joy ...1948, Hot Tomales ...1950, Jolly Rancher Fire Stix ...1951, Marshmallow Peeps ...1953, M&M's Peanut ...1954, and SweeTARTS ...1963.

Candy Prices of Long Ago: Just what were the prices of candy in 1908? What about Easter candies? Could one buy Marshmallow eggs? Why yes, you could. To view a .pdf file* of an actual page from an 1908 Montgomery Ward Catalogue click on the Cracker Jack Pail on the right. When downloading please be patient - it may take several minutes to pull up due to file size.

*To view .pdf files you will need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® on your computer click here to get a free copy of this software from the maker’s website.

Candy Links...

Marshmallow Peeps ®: Who hasn’t seen or tried these happy treats for the first time at Easter and now at many other holidays too?! Did you know that these tasty chick-shaped confections were first made by hand squeezing marshmallow through a pastry tube and that the eyes were painted on by hand? For “Peep-tastic” history, recipes, e-cards, fun facts and more Click Here! to visit Peepsville. Brought to you by the fun folks at Just Born Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of novelty marshmallow candy. You can even join their free online Peeps® Fan Club.  

For additional candy history and a fun step into the past with nostalgic photos visit McKeesport Candy Company’s website at www.candyfavorites.com. Serving candy lovers since 1927, McKeesport is one of the oldest candy wholesalers in the US. Their site also offers for purchase the internet’s largest candy selection including bulk and retro candy.

VictorySweets.com specializes in classic, nostalgic candies and gum. Sales directly support the seed variety preservation work of the Victory Seed Company. Aside from products for sale, company and confection histories are well represented. Click Here! for some of this fascinating research or learn to make a fun chewing gum wrapper chain Click Here!.

Candy links... do you have a tasty & fun candy website that you would like for us to list? If yes, by all means email us with your suggestions.

* Please note all candy brand names are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

This fun fact page brought to you by the 1895 Rosson House at Historic Heritage Square in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. For historical trivia, optical toy flip books you can download & print, early recipes and more Click Here! to visit our Historical Fun links page.