Best Needhams Recipes

MAINE NEEDHAMS

Steps:

• Pare, cook, and mash potato to make three-quarters of a cup.
• Add salt.
• Using double boiler place butter in it and melt over boiling water.
• Add mashed potato, confectioners sugar, flaked coconut, and vanilla.
• Mix well and turn into a buttered jelly roll pan and spread evenly.
• Place in a cool place to harden.
• When hard, cut into small squares.
• For the dipping chocolate, again use a double boiler.
• Place paraffin in the top over boiling water to melt.
• Then add the two kinds of chocolate and allow to melt.
• Stir well to mix ingredients.
• Dip in the chocolate mixture (with a fork, toothpick, or cake tester--I use a fork and put the square on top of the tines and dip it, letting the excess chocolate drip off before I lay it on the waxed paper).
• Hold each square over the chocolate mixture after dipping so the square drains well (I usually will have to reheat the chocolate inbetween dippings so it is nice and thin and drips of easily).
• Place on waxed paper to harden.
• Should make about 66 good sized needhams.
• This halves easily.

NEEDHAMS

Steps:

• Put the confectioners' sugar in a large heatproof bowl; make a deep well in the middle. Add the mashed potatoes, butter, vanilla and salt to the well. Place the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Starting in the center of the well, stir the ingredients, gradually incorporating the sugar, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture forms a smooth paste, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the coconut. Transfer to the freezer and chill until firm, about 20 minutes. Roll tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into balls, then flatten each ball into a small square using your fingers (you should have about 40 squares). Put the squares on a large plate or baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny-side up. Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate melts. Add the shortening and stir vigorously until glossy, about 2 minutes. Transfer half of the chocolate to a glass liquid measuring cup. One at a time, place each candy square on a fork and dip in the melted chocolate to coat; let the excess drip back into the cup. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining squares, refilling the cup with melted chocolate as needed. Let the candies harden at room temperature, about 1 hour. Photograph by Charles Masters

MAINE NEEDHAMS RECIPE

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and cut into cubes.
• Add potatoes to a 2 quart pot with water and add salt.
• Boil potatoes until soft.
• Drain and place in bowl.
• Mash potatoes with 1 stick melted butter
• Add confectioner's sugar, coconut, and vanilla.
• Mix well.
• Spread the mixture out on waxed paper or a buttered cookie sheet.
• Place in fridge to cool til firm.
• Cut into small squares or candybar shape and dip into the chocolate mixture
• Place on waxed paper to cool.
• Melt paraffin in a double boiler over simmering water
• When the wax is melted add chocolate and stir well to mix
• Dip each piece of candy in the chocolate mixture -use a fork and dip it, letting the excess chocolate drip off before laying it on waxed paper to harden

BEST NEEDHAMS

Steps:

• Pare and cook potato to make 3/4 cup mashed. Add salt.
• Use a double boiler to melt the margarine.
• Add the potato, confectioner's sugar, coconut & vanilla.
• Mix well, then turn onto a buttered jelly roll pan, spreading evenly.
• Place in a cool place to harden. When hard, cut into small squares and dip in the following chocolate mixure.
• In a double boiler, place paraffin on boiling water to melt.
• Add both types of chocolate to the pan and melt. Stir well to mix.
• Use a toothpick to dip the squares in the chocolate and put on waxed paper to harden.