The history of Oklahoma Brown Candy, also known as Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy, is deeply rooted in the state’s cultural traditions. The recipe was first published in December 1928 by Edna Vance Adams Mueller, who wrote under the pen name “Aunt Susan” for The Daily Oklahoman. Mueller created the recipe as a tribute to a “dear courageous friend” named Aunt Bill, who was a symbol of the homemaker spirit and never too occupied to give of herself. The candy quickly became a beloved holiday tradition, with Mueller’s column featuring the recipe annually starting in 1933.
The confection gained national attention when it was featured in a 2008 Bon Appetit magazine article by Molly Wizenberg, highlighting its significance beyond Oklahoma. The recipe, which calls for a significant amount of sugar—typically six cups—along with cream, butter, vanilla, baking soda, and nuts like pecans, is known for its rich, fudgy texture and is traditionally made in large batches, often requiring two people to stir the mixture.
The candy’s popularity led to commercial production. Woody Candy Co., located in Oklahoma City, has been manufacturing Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy for nearly as long as the recipe has been published in The Oklahoman, offering a ready-made version for those who prefer not to make it from scratch. The recipe has also been adapted into a microwave version by Melba Lovelace, a well-known local figure, providing an alternative method for home cooks.
#OKLAHOMA BROWN CANDY 3 pints white sugar 1 pint whole milk (or cream) ¼ pound butter ¼ teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 pounds pecan meats
Pour 1 pint sugar into heavy aluminum or iron skillet and place over low heat. Begin stirring with wooden spoon and keep sugar moving so it will not scorch at all. It will take over half an hour to completely melt this sugar and at no time let it smoke or cook so fast that it turns dark. It should be about the color of light brown sugar syrup. As soon as you have the sugar started to heat in the skillet, pour remaining 2 pints of sugar together with the pint of milk into a deep heavy kettle and set it over low heat to cook along slowly while you are melting the sugar in the skillet. As soon as all the sugar is melted, begin pouring it into the kettle of boiling milk and sugar keeping it on very low heat and stirring constantly. The real secret of mixing these ingredients is to pour a stream no larger than a knitting needle and to stir across the bottom of the kettle all the time. Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture forms a firm ball when dropped into cold water. When this stage has been reached turn off heat and quickly add soda, stirring vigorously as it foams. Soon as the soda is mixed, add the butter, allowing it to melt as you stir. Set off the stove but not outdoors or in a cold place, for about 20 minutes, then add vanilla and begin beating. Use a wooden spoon and beat until mixture is thick and heavy, having a dull appearance instead of a glossy sheen. Add broken pecan meats and mix. Turn into square pans so it can be cut into squares when cooled slightly. Makes 6 pounds of candy. It stays moist and is most attractive when decorated with a sprig of holly, candied cherries and halves of pecans.
Jo Daniels
Fuzzy_Welcome8348
Sounds like a hybrid of butter scotch or some kind of caramel
newimprovedmoo
That classic candy flavor, brown?
UTtransplant
Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy is an unforgettable part of our family’s Christmas traditions. It takes forever to make! The melting of the sugar is bad enough, but the beating after everything has partially cooled is a task that gets shared with whoever is around while it is making. It is kind of like a praline, but softer like a medium firm fudge. Absolutely delicious. My grandmother made the recipe in the late 50s/early 60s, and her paper recipe came from the Oklahoma Natural Gas Company who distributed little recipe booklets with their bills. BTW, the microwave version is an abomination using packaged caramels. Go for the real stuff.
sweetnsaltycaroline
In Texas & Louisiana, that would be called “Poor Man’s Pralines”.
Back in the 70s people were using a fridge recipe that also had you beat it until thick and heavy. That step is a monster. My arm is tied just reading this recipe but I bet it’s wonderful.
CartoonistExisting30
Penuche or brown sugar fudge is what my mom called this.
ChickenFriedPickles
It is also very similar to a Penuche with almost the exact ingredients. Very tasty, extremely rich in flavor with a smooth, creamy fudge like texture
13 Comments
There is a pic here: [https://mycountrytable.com/oklahoma-nut-candy/](https://mycountrytable.com/oklahoma-nut-candy/)
The history of Oklahoma Brown Candy, also known as Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy, is deeply rooted in the state’s cultural traditions. The recipe was first published in December 1928 by Edna Vance Adams Mueller, who wrote under the pen name “Aunt Susan” for The Daily Oklahoman. Mueller created the recipe as a tribute to a “dear courageous friend” named Aunt Bill, who was a symbol of the homemaker spirit and never too occupied to give of herself. The candy quickly became a beloved holiday tradition, with Mueller’s column featuring the recipe annually starting in 1933.
The confection gained national attention when it was featured in a 2008 Bon Appetit magazine article by Molly Wizenberg, highlighting its significance beyond Oklahoma. The recipe, which calls for a significant amount of sugar—typically six cups—along with cream, butter, vanilla, baking soda, and nuts like pecans, is known for its rich, fudgy texture and is traditionally made in large batches, often requiring two people to stir the mixture.
The candy’s popularity led to commercial production. Woody Candy Co., located in Oklahoma City, has been manufacturing Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy for nearly as long as the recipe has been published in The Oklahoman, offering a ready-made version for those who prefer not to make it from scratch. The recipe has also been adapted into a microwave version by Melba Lovelace, a well-known local figure, providing an alternative method for home cooks.
Here’s the story of Oklahoma brown candy. https://www.oklahoman.com/story/entertainment/columns/dave-cathey/2021/12/21/tis-season-aunt-bills-brown-candy/8967671002/
It sounds a lot like [tablet](https://scottishscran.com/traditional-scottish-tablet-recipe/), but with nuts added in. There’s enough caramelization going on that it ends up looking sort of like light brown sugar.
*Image Transcription: Book Page*
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#OKLAHOMA BROWN CANDY
3 pints white sugar
1 pint whole milk (or cream)
¼ pound butter
¼ teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 pounds pecan meats
Pour 1 pint sugar into heavy aluminum or iron skillet and place over low heat. Begin stirring with wooden spoon and keep sugar moving so it will not scorch at all. It will take over half an hour to completely melt this sugar and at no time let it smoke or cook so fast that it turns dark. It should be about the color of light brown sugar syrup. As soon as you have the sugar started to heat in the skillet, pour remaining 2 pints of sugar together with the pint of milk into a deep heavy kettle and set it over low heat to cook along slowly while you are melting the sugar in the skillet. As soon as all the sugar is melted, begin pouring it into the kettle of boiling milk and sugar keeping it on very low heat and stirring constantly. The real secret of mixing these ingredients is to pour a stream no larger than a knitting needle and to stir across the bottom of the kettle all the time. Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture forms a firm ball when dropped into cold water. When this stage has been reached turn off heat and quickly add soda, stirring vigorously as it foams. Soon as the soda is mixed, add the butter, allowing it to melt as you stir. Set off the stove but not outdoors or in a cold place, for about 20 minutes, then add vanilla and begin beating. Use a wooden spoon and beat until mixture is thick and heavy, having a dull appearance instead of a glossy sheen. Add broken pecan meats and mix. Turn into square pans so it can be cut into squares when cooled slightly. Makes 6 pounds of candy. It stays moist and is most attractive when decorated with a sprig of holly, candied cherries and halves of pecans.
Jo Daniels
Sounds like a hybrid of butter scotch or some kind of caramel
That classic candy flavor, brown?
Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy is an unforgettable part of our family’s Christmas traditions. It takes forever to make! The melting of the sugar is bad enough, but the beating after everything has partially cooled is a task that gets shared with whoever is around while it is making. It is kind of like a praline, but softer like a medium firm fudge. Absolutely delicious. My grandmother made the recipe in the late 50s/early 60s, and her paper recipe came from the Oklahoma Natural Gas Company who distributed little recipe booklets with their bills. BTW, the microwave version is an abomination using packaged caramels. Go for the real stuff.
In Texas & Louisiana, that would be called “Poor Man’s Pralines”.
There’s a microwave version on this page:
[https://www.oklahoman.com/story/entertainment/columns/dave-cathey/2021/12/21/tis-season-aunt-bills-brown-candy/8967671002/](https://www.oklahoman.com/story/entertainment/columns/dave-cathey/2021/12/21/tis-season-aunt-bills-brown-candy/8967671002/)
Looks good
Back in the 70s people were using a fridge recipe that also had you beat it until thick and heavy. That step is a monster. My arm is tied just reading this recipe but I bet it’s wonderful.
Penuche or brown sugar fudge is what my mom called this.
It is also very similar to a Penuche with almost the exact ingredients. Very tasty, extremely rich in flavor with a smooth, creamy fudge like texture