Chewy Almond Chikki / Butter Almond Chew

This candy reminds me of the kamarkat mittai we used to buy from street vendors during the nearby temple festivals.

Coconut Almond Chikki

Memory Lane:
           When we were in elementary school, me, my siblings and my cousins usually look forward to an annual hindu festival, it was celebrated for three days in a neigborhood temple. The street would have a festive look, colorful and loud with a nice aroma of street food. (There would be loud announcements from speakers, frying smell of pakoras and vadais from make shift kitchens. Hawkers would sell their wares from candies to colorful clay items to their haggling customers).  
          With general crowd milling around the temple, the people who participate in the "live coal" walk- event  would walk around proudly. Adorned with garlands, neem leaf bouquets and sandal- wood paste (applied to their bodies). On the last day, after church, our moms would allow us to go there with our maid. Our group would happily walk around buying things, take few rides on a merry-go-round or just stand there chat and watch the crowd....beautiful memories!

              It's fun making candies for kids. Candies are made with sugar syrup. Different candies call for different consistency in  sugar syrup, it is obtained through boiling sugar and water in different temperatures. The higher the temperature and less water there is in the sugar, the firmer the sugar syrup will be. 
How to find the right consistency of the sugar syrup?:1. Using a candy thermometer will make the work more easy. 
2. My grandma had a way to find out the consistency without thermometers, she'll just dip the tip of her index finger (ouch) in the syrup and press it with her thumb. Then she'll softly open her fingers to find out how many threads are coming between her fingers. For adirasam syrup it's two thread consistency, that's an "early stage" for candy syrup. 

280*-290* soft crack stage

3. Another way to test the required stage for candy, is to drop about a teaspoon of the cooked sugar syrup into a bowl of cold water. Then retrieve the sugar by pressing it gently between your thumb and forefinger to determine the stage necessary for a particular candy. 

spoonful of syrup in cold water

firm yet pliable..soft crack stage

    To make this chewy almond candy, the syrup's temperature should be 280* - 290* (soft crack stage). When  pouring a spoonful of syrup into a bowl of  cold water the syrup will form strands, when we press it with our hands it should be firm yet pliable. 
Ingredients:

3/4 cup       sliced almonds

3/4 cup       shredded sweetened coconut

1 tbs           butter

1 1/2 cup     granulated sugar

3 tbs            water

1 tbs            light corn syrup / honey

1/2 tsp         salt 

 1. Combine almond and coconut and spread it thin in a buttered pan.

combine almond and coconut

2. In a pan melt the butter, add all the other ingredients and mix it well.

melt butter and mix the ing'

3. Reduce the heat to low/med and cook without stirring.

4. Remove from heat when the mixture reaches soft crack stage (290* f)

soft crack stage

5. Pour it evenly over the almonds and coconut.

pour it over the almonds evenly

6. Let it cool, when it's comfortable enough to touch,  make small balls with the mixture. Cool it and store it in refrigerator. 

cool it....

and make into small balls.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe,feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Hav a blessed day :)