We grew up making our own sweets. Some of my favourites:

Sherbet

12 tbsp Icing Sugar
3 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tsp cream of tartar
3 tsp citric acid

Mix well and store in an air-tight container.

Peppermint Creams

1 Egg White
450g Icing Sugar
Peppermint Essence

Beat the egg white until frothy but not stiff. Sieve the icing sugar, adding enough to produce a fairly stiff mixture.
Add a few drops of the essence.

Knead the mixture in to a firm paste and roll on surface dusted with sieved icing sugar. Cut into rounds or form small balls and flatten.

Place the peppermint creams onto baking paper and place in a warm place to dry for 24 hours. Store in an airtight container.

Acid Drops

450g sugar
120ml warm water
1 tsp tartaric acid
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Few drops of lemon essence

Place the sugar, water and cream of tartar into a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has completely dissolved. Boil the mixture without stirring, to a temperature of 154 C. Remove from the heat and immerse the base of the saucepan in cold water to prevent further cooking.

Mix the tartaric acid with a little warm water and a few drops of the lemon essence, stirring well. Add to the sugar mixture and stir to ensure that it is fully combined.

Allow to cool for a few minutes then with lightly oiled hands, shape as desired (balls, twists or whatever). Allow the drops to cool and set, then store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Tablet

1kg sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
100g unsalted butter
Milk to damp down the sugar (approx 1/2 cup)

Grease a large shallow baking tray.

Damp the sugar down with milk, add butter and condensed milk, and place in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Keep stirring evenly until mixture just starts to come to the boil (about 10 minutes). If small streaks of brown (caramel) start to appear, turn the heat down.

Once the mixture reaches the boil, turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally to stop it from sticking. It can double in volume while it's simmering, so you need a BIG saucepan. Cooking comes down to preference a bit, and how strong a flavour & colour you like, but it should take around 20-25 minutes from coming to the boil. When it's cooked, it should be a golden/caramel colour. To test, get a small amount of mixture on a teaspoon and plunge it into cold water. It should form a soft, sticky ball that drips very slowly off the spoon.

Remove from the heat and stir quickly and vigorously until the mixture begins to thicken and feel slightly gritty, trying to incorporate the crystals that have accumulated on the sides of the saucepan (hard to explain, but it will happen pretty quickly). Pour into greased tray - you need to pour fairly quickly or you just end up with clumps of sugar sitting in the saucepan. Allow to set, mark into bars and cut.

4 tablespoons of applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon baking powder


1) preheat oven at 350
2) mix all ingredients together and form into 2 inch balls sit on baking sheet
3) bake for 8 to 10 minutes
4) let sit for 5 mins
5) enjoy!