Nutty Sticky Bun Candies

Michael is ten months old and he has two teeth. Two. The bottom front ones, small and white and sharp as opinions, and he uses them on everything — teething rings, Devon's shoulder, the edge of the high chair, and, memorably this Saturday, a piece of cornbread that I may or may not have slipped him from my plate while Kayla was in the bathroom.

The cornbread incident was not planned. It was spontaneous. It was the result of a ten-month-old boy looking at a piece of cornbread in his great-grandmother's hand with an intensity that could only be described as "biological imperative." He wanted the cornbread. The cornbread was right there. Kayla was not right there. The math was simple. I gave him the cornbread.

He gummed it. He mashed it between his two teeth and his gums and his determination, and pieces of cornbread fell out of his mouth and onto his bib and onto the high chair tray and onto the floor, and what remained in his mouth was tasted and swallowed and followed by "nah nah nah," which I am choosing to interpret as "nana, this is the best cornbread I have ever eaten," and which Kayla — who returned from the bathroom to find cornbread shrapnel everywhere — interpreted as "Granny gave me contraband."

"Mama gave you cornbread?" Kayla said to Michael. Michael grinned. The Henderson grin. The guilty, delighted, cornbread-covered Henderson grin. "Granny," Kayla said to me, "he's not supposed to have cornbread yet. The pediatrician said—" "Kayla Marie Henderson-Brooks," I said, "the pediatrician has never tasted my cornbread. If the pediatrician had tasted my cornbread, the pediatrician would prescribe it." She sighed. The sigh of defeat. The sigh that says: you win, Granny. You always win.

The cornbread was made in Hattie Pearl's skillet. The cornbread has no sugar. The cornbread is the law. And the law has been administered to Michael Devon Brooks, who at ten months old has tasted the thing that holds this family together and who will never taste anything better, because there is nothing better. There is only cornbread. There is only the skillet. There is only the grandmother and the law.

Now go on and feed somebody.

Now, the cornbread is its own religion and I would never pretend otherwise — but the other thing I always keep on the counter, the thing that comes out after the plates are cleared and Michael has been wiped down and Kayla has forgiven me (mostly), is a tray of these Nutty Sticky Bun Candies. They’re the dessert version of what the cornbread already is: simple, unapologetic, made with your hands and meant to be passed around. Devon takes three. Kayla takes one and then a second one “just to make sure.” And someday — not yet, but someday — Michael will take one too, and I will not ask the pediatrician for permission.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min + 30 min chilling | Servings: 24 pieces

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup walnut pieces
Flaky sea salt for topping (optional)

Instructions

Prep your pan. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan or a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Have your chopped nuts measured and ready before you start the candy — once it moves, it moves fast.
Cook the caramel. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Stir gently until the sugars dissolve, then stop stirring and let the mixture come to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 240°F (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 8–10 minutes.
Add butter and flavor. Remove from heat. Add the butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the butter is fully melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Fold in the nuts. Add the pecans and walnuts and stir quickly to coat every piece in the caramel.
Spread and cool. Pour the mixture onto the prepared pan and spread into an even layer with your spatula. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if using. Let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until fully set.
Cut and serve. Once firm, lift the parchment out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into approximately 24 small pieces. Arrange on a plate and set on the counter where people will find them. They will find them.

Nutrition (per serving)

Nutty Sticky Bun Candies — Because Granny Always Keeps Something Sweet for After the Cornbread