Candy canes are like snowflakes – no two are ever the same.
At least that’s the case when they’re made from scratch like Nelson’s Candies has done every holiday season for the last quarter century. Doug Nelson was just 14 when his grandfather showed him the trick to making a good candy cane. And when he opened his candy store in Wilton in 1993, Nelson made sure to keep the family tradition going.
So every weekend, starting in late October, there’s a distinct smell of peppermint in the air when you walk into the Main Street location.
Over the course of nine hours, Doug, his brother Mark Nelson, store manager Rachael Barnard and several helpers who come in just for cane production, make about eight batches, each one taking a little more than an hour to complete. A single batch will result in 75 to 150 candy canes, depending on the desired size. The smallest canes are about 6 inches, while they’ve been known to make some that stand three feet tall.
The recipe all starts with a simple mixture of corn syrup, sugar and salt, weighed out using an old-fashioned scale and cooked using a copper kettle, which allows for the heat to conduct well and is just like the ones the Nelsons’ father and grandfather used.
“It’s about as natural as we can get it,” Doug said. “And [the recipe] hasn’t changed one bit.”
The mixture is brought up to 300 degrees and then dumped onto a cold table that has water flowing underneath to maintain an even cool temperature. At that point it looks more like a large puddle of molasses than the start of candy canes.
Some of the batch is continually mixed to keep it from hardening to the point where it can’t be worked with, while a portion is separated onto the warm table (212 degrees) and is destined for red and/or green stripes. The colors are created using an oil-based dye that can both withstand the heat and folds in nicely to the candy mix. The dye has a desired density that a water base just can’t achieve.
When the main part of the batch gets to a temperature where workers can actually handle it (still using two pairs of canvas gloves) it is taken over to the pulling machine, where Mark has the job of constantly working what he describes as “like 25 pounds of bubble gum.” The pulling allows air to mix and slowly lightens the color, and three cap fulls of peppermint oil is added to give the mixture that minty taste.
“It’s sticky and heavy and stretchy,” Mark said.
As the candy starts to grain and string, it’s time to return it to the warm tables, and begin the labor-intensive process of making candy canes. The colored portion has been kept at a high temperature to preserve its workability while the rest is pulled. The base for the canes is molded into a giant rectangle while a section of red is used to cover one entire side and three red stripes are put on the opposite edge.
“If it gets hard, we can’t use it,” Doug said. “The heat is the only thing that allows us to do this.”
It might not look like the start of a traditional candy cane, but it will once the final steps of the creation process are complete.
Kevin Latour, a seasonal helper who has been at Nelson’s for 15 years, gets it all started through the roll and pull method. He rolls the mixture away from himself and pulls it back, which allows the stripes to take shape.
“You have to keep rolling it and working it,” Doug said. “It’s all about the temperature and timing.”
While Latour keeps his motions constant, which seems hard with such a big block to work with, Barnard is taking the end of the candy and rolling it constantly.
“He’s the one creating the swirls, and she’s setting the stripes,” Doug said. “They have to be in tandem or the stripes will be all over the place.”
Once the stripes really begin to show and set, Barnard will cut off a section for the final steps. As the canes start to harden, they get that candy shine.
“I’m just feeling what the candy wants to do,” Barnard said.
Doug continues the rolling process and then makes more cuts for the desired sizes, while Mark gives them each one more roll for that nice smooth appearance. From there, the canes return to the cooling table, where Jackie Merrill, Jillian Rafter (Merrill’s daughter) and Julie Anderson give each candy cane the all-important hook, which is about a third of its size, and set them aside to cool down for packaging.
The canes are weighed and priced ($14.95 per pound) and put on sheet trays to complete the hardening process. Nelson’s has numerous candy canes hanging in the store, but each one must be set aside for 24 hours before being hung.
“We want them to be beautiful. Our name is on it,” Doug said.
The smallest candy canes are packaged with solid chocolate Santas, while broken canes or oddly shaped ones are used for peppermint bark. And they even sell broken pieces.
Doug considers making candy canes a bit of a lost art, since it’s much more than just mixing some ingredients.
“Not many people are doing this anymore,” he said. “But for us, it’s tradition.”
The Wilton location just celebrated 25 years earlier this year, and the annual making of the candy canes is something that customers have come to expect when they stop in for a raspberry cream or chocolate Santa on a weekend during the holiday season. That is unless its raining or humid outside; candy canes can’t be made in those conditions.
Sure, the Nelsons could have decided at some point over the years to buy candy canes from a distributor and save themselves the hassle. But furthering the legacy started by their grandfather is something that’s important.
“It’s a tradition, so we’ve got to make candy canes at Christmas,” Doug said.