Needhams Candy

Directions

1. 1
   Butter a rimmed 15½x10 ½-inch baking pan (we use a jellyroll pan) and set aside. (A 9x13-inch pan will also do, but the needhams will be thicker.)In a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, add the sugar, potato, melted butter, coconut, vanilla, and salt.
2. 2
   Mix on low speed (mixture will be very dry at first) until a thick paste forms; then increase the speed for 30 seconds, or until all of the sugar is completely incorporated.
3. 3
   Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, and press down evenly.
4. 4
   Let the mixture set and firm up at room temperature, about 1 hour. Then cut into small, even squares.Melt the chocolate and the chips in a double boiler until smooth; then remove from the heat and add the shortening, stirring vigorously until shiny. Now place one coconut/potato square onto the tines of a fork and lower into the chocolate until coated; lift it and let the excess chocolate drip back into the pot.
5. 5
   Transfer the square to a sheet of parchment to harden, about 1 hour. Repeat with the remaining squares.Store in an airtight container for up to two days for best flavor and appearance. After then the chocolate may begin to discolor.For the best homemade needhams, be sure to start with warm (not hot) mashed potato for a smooth filling, and don’t be afraid to return the chocolate to the heat for a moment or two if it starts to cool and thicken while you’re still dipping the squares.Supposedly named after a popular late-19th-century evangelist preacher, needhams (sometimes called just “potato candy”) are a mystery to most Americans but a staple in Maine, where potato production, at one time the highest in the country, is still a way of life in Aroostook County. The mashed spuds add no detectable flavor but are as crucial to making “real” needhams (whether they help cut the sweetness of the sugar, as some claim, or not) as the cube of salt pork is to baked beans—it’s tradition.--------------I have stored these for up to 3 months wrapped individually in plastic wrap easily. Tastes just as good as the day they were made. They definitely store for more than 2 days and the chocolated doesn’t discolor.I don’t use vegetable oil – I use parafin wax – half of a block. It makes the chocolate really shiny.I have made these for years…but my recipe has only 8 oz of coconut and they are good for a couple weeks.