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.

JIM BAILEY

Steps:

• 1 Make sure your potatoes have just been cooked and mashed. Ifyou want to do this ahead of time, say the night before, cook and mash potatoes, cover and refrigerate overnight 2 When ready to begin recipe, mash the potatoes again to loosen, cover with film wrap and microwave for a minute or two until completely hot. 3 Place mashed potatoes in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. With an electic mixer, beat ingredients until as smooth as possible, on low speed. 4 Transfer Needham dough to an 8-inch pan and smooth the top with a large spoon, dipping in water if needed to prevent sticking. Cover with film wrap and place in the freezer for an hour to completely firm up. It does not have to be frozen, just really firm. 5 When ready, melt chocolate chips and oil for 2 minutes and remove to stir until smooth. If there are still lumps of chocolate remaining, microwave for a few seconds at a time, mixing until the melted chocolate is smooth. 6 Remove Needham pan from freezer and cut into desired sized squares. 7 Working one at a time, dip each into melted chocolate, turning over with a fork to evenly and completely coat. Transfer to a rack or plastic wrap-lined pan and continue with remaining squares. Set aside on the counter or refrigerator until chocolate has hardened.
• 1 Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in bowl for 2 minute. Remove and stir until smooth. Heat for an additional 15 seconds if needed if there are unmelted chocolate chips 2 Pour melted chocolate mixture into bowl of hot mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff(if desired), 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and remainder of ingredients and follow directions above.

BEST NEEDHAMS

Steps:

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

TRADITIONAL MAINE NEEDHAMS

Steps:

• Cook potatoes unseasoned, then mash to
• make 3/4 cup.
• Combine salt, potatoes, melted butter, confectioner's sugar, flaked
• coconut and vanilla in a mixer until smooth and well blended.
• Turn into a lined jelly roll pan.Spread evenly (mixture will be very thick), then.
• place in refrigerator to harden (24 hours).
• Cut into small squares and dip in chocolate coating.
• For coating: melt paraffin and semi-sweet chocolate at the top of a double boiler.
• Turn down heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate has melted but mixture is still slightly thick. Keeping heat low to maintain melt, dip Needhams to coat. Place dipped squares on wax paper to cool. Needhams will keep very well for a long time refrigerated and will
• actually improve in flavor over a few weeks.

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