Penuche
Encyclopedia
Penuche is a fudge
-like candy made from brown sugar
, butter
, and milk
, using no flavorings except for vanilla
. Penuche often has a tannish color to it and is lighter than regular fudge. It is formed by the caramelization
of brown sugar
, and thus its flavor is said to be reminiscent of caramel
. Nuts
, especially pecans, are often added to penuche for texture, especially in the making of penuche candies. It is primarily a regional food, found in New England
and some places in the Southern United States
, though in the latter it goes by different names, usually "Brown Sugar Fudge Candy".
Most traditional (i.e. not "non-cook" or "quick") fudges follow a similar preparation method. What distinguishes penuche is the use of brown sugar rather than white.
In recent years, it has become common in New England to add maple syrup
to the recipe for penuche fudge. Some confectioners will call this "maple syrup penuche fudge" and others don't make any distinction at all--such is the popularity of this newer recipe.
Penuche is also used as a boiled icing flavor. It was once very popular in Hawaii
where the name was localized as Panocha or Panuche. "Panocha" is said to come from the Spanish word for raw sugar (but also Spanish slang for "vulva"). Hawaiian cooks often reminisce about both panocha fudge and icing. As an icing, it was common as topping for prune cake. Other names for Penuche include Noochie and creamy praline fudge.
One penuche-style recipe is called "no bake penuche drop cookies", which is made from brown sugar, milk, butter, oats, and nuts.
It is believed that the name Penuche originated from the 1924 Boston Bruins player Mark Penuche, after his love of maple syrup.
Fudge
Fudge is a type of Western confectionery which is usually very sweet, and extremely rich. It is made by mixing sugar, butter, and milk and heating it to the soft-ball stage at , and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency...
-like candy made from brown sugar
Brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content, or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white...
, butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
, and milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, using no flavorings except for vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
. Penuche often has a tannish color to it and is lighter than regular fudge. It is formed by the caramelization
Caramelization
Caramelization is the browning of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting nutty flavor and brown color. As the process occurs, volatile chemicals are released, producing the characteristic caramel flavor....
of brown sugar
Brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content, or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white...
, and thus its flavor is said to be reminiscent of caramel
Caramel
Caramel is a beige to dark-brown confection made by heating any of a variety of sugars. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custard and coffee....
. Nuts
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
, especially pecans, are often added to penuche for texture, especially in the making of penuche candies. It is primarily a regional food, found in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and some places in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, though in the latter it goes by different names, usually "Brown Sugar Fudge Candy".
Recipes
Penuche is classed in the fudge family because it follows a similar method of preparation:- a fat-sugar solution is heated to the soft ball stage, about 236 °F (113.3 °C)
- the solution is cooled without disturbance to lukewarm, about 110 °F (43.3 °C)
- flavorings are added and the solution is beaten until thick
- the mixture is poured into a pan, allowed to cool, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Most traditional (i.e. not "non-cook" or "quick") fudges follow a similar preparation method. What distinguishes penuche is the use of brown sugar rather than white.
In recent years, it has become common in New England to add maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
to the recipe for penuche fudge. Some confectioners will call this "maple syrup penuche fudge" and others don't make any distinction at all--such is the popularity of this newer recipe.
Penuche is also used as a boiled icing flavor. It was once very popular in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
where the name was localized as Panocha or Panuche. "Panocha" is said to come from the Spanish word for raw sugar (but also Spanish slang for "vulva"). Hawaiian cooks often reminisce about both panocha fudge and icing. As an icing, it was common as topping for prune cake. Other names for Penuche include Noochie and creamy praline fudge.
One penuche-style recipe is called "no bake penuche drop cookies", which is made from brown sugar, milk, butter, oats, and nuts.
It is believed that the name Penuche originated from the 1924 Boston Bruins player Mark Penuche, after his love of maple syrup.