If I have a choice of chocolate or cinnamon flavored candy I pick the red stuff every time. Red Hots, Big Red gum, Hot Tamales, and Atomic Fireballs are all my choices.
Before the Tik Tok and internet challenges of hot peppers and hot sauces, I grew up in the time of the atomic fireball challenge. These red cinnamon balls are around 3500 Scoville Heat units. The challenge was an informal, word-of-mouth dare among friends to see who could endure the intense, constant cinnamon heat of the candy for the longest time. It was a common childhood test of toughness in junior high and elementary schools, where the candy was sometimes treated as a form of currency. The primary goal was to keep one or multiple Atomic Fireballs in the mouth without spitting them out due to the escalating “burning” sensation. These aren’t candies… they’re a challenge. Atomic Fireballs start sweet, then immediately choose violence. Cinnamon heat that builds fast, lingers long, and lets everyone within a 10-foot radius know you’re not to be messed with. They are so hard to find now that I haven’t had one in ages, but I can still remember the good “pain” that they invoked. I know that spicy sweets aren’t for everybody, but some people just must have them.
What makes cinnamon so intriguing is that its “heat” isn’t the same as chili peppers. Peppers get their burn from capsaicin, which activates pain receptors on the tongue. Cinnamon’s fiery sensation comes from cinnamaldehyde, a compound unique to cinnamon trees that tricks our senses into feeling warmth. That’s why cinnamon feels cozy in autumn treats like Mexican horchata, but also powerful enough to deliver the spicy punch of Hot Tamales. It’s a spice that can comfort and challenge your sweet tooth at the same time.
Around Christmas and Valentines Day Red Hots appear in stores. Red Hots are small, fiery red, spicy cinnamon candies made by Ferrara Candy Company. Introduced around 1932, they’re made with cassia cinnamon for their signature heat and have a hard shell, often sold in classic little boxes or theater boxes.
Red hots were first sold in 1932. The Ferrara family came to the US from Italy, where they opened a bakery. Candy sales started to outstrip pastry sales and the family realized that there was an opportunity to make the most of this change in the market.
They started making panned candies because these were the easiest candies to make on the top floor of the small two-story brick building, they built for their candy-making plant. Panned candies were much easier to make and much less costly than things like candy bars. Before refrigeration became commonplace this was a clever strategy by the family. Candy bars would melt in the summer, which meant that any candy sales that involved chocolate would not be viable during the summer months.
Items like panned candies could survive the heat of the summer and they were able to be sold year-round. When the candies that they were making had begun to make a name for themselves, the Ferrara Candy Company was made. Their direct competitor was Farley’s & Sather’s who sold candies that were made in the same way. For years these two candy companies battled for supremacy in this space. They would eventually merge in 2012 to create the Ferrara Pan Company.
Today the Ferrara Pan Company has 7 plants that manufacture their candies. They are the largest maker of candy canes, and they also make a large portion of the Jellybeans that are sold in the US as well.
The Ferrara Pan Company became recently purchased by Nestle. This means that Red Hots are a part of the Nestle company these days. Nestle owns almost all of the most traditional candies that are still sold on the market today. They have been preserving the marketing appearance and flavor of other candies for generations.
A snack doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. Old-school-style roasted, salted peanuts mix surprisingly well with classic red-hots for an understated party snack. It’s like trail mix with a kick. Red Hots poured into my popcorn at the movies is always my favorite snack.
Red Hot Brownies
Directions
Add red hots to your brownies. Use your favorite brownie recipe or a boxed mix and ½ cup of red hot candies. Fold about 2/3 of the candies directly into the batter just before pouring it into the baking pan. Topping: Sprinkle the remaining Red Hots evenly over the top of the batter in the pan for added visual appeal and concentrated cinnamon flavor. They will melt slightly in the oven. Baking: Bake according to your brownie recipe’s instructions. Cooling: Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan before slicing. The melted candy helps form the brownie’s texture and cooling is important for them to set properly.
Red Hot Cookies
Ingredients
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup Red Hots, crushed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined. Add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until completely combined. Stir in crushed red hots until evenly distributed (either by hand or with the stand mixer). Place powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Roll one heaping tablespoon of dough into a ball and coat in powdered sugar. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1-inch for spreading. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until centers are set. The cookies will not look browned or cooked, but they are (they will finish cooking while cooling on the cookie sheet). Remove from oven and let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Red Hot Applesauce Jello
Ingredients
¼ cup Red Hots candies
1 cup water
1 3 oz box cherry Jello powder
2 cups applesauce
Instructions
Put 1 cup water and ¼ cup Red Hots candies in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until the candies are dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the 1 3 oz box cherry Jello powder until dissolved. Add the 2 cups applesauce and stir until combined. Transfer the mixture to your serving dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (but up to 3 days) before serving.
Red Hot apples
Ingredients
3 lbs. apples
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
½ cup Red Hot candies
Instructions
Wash 3 lbs. apples. Remove cores and peel if desired. Cut into your preferred shape. Rings, chunks or slices work. In a large saucepan, dissolve the 1 cup granulated sugar in 1 cup water over medium heat. Add the prepared apples and ½ cup Red Hot candies. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop the heat to medium-low and simmer until the apples are cooked to your preferred tenderness. Add a couple of drops of red food coloring if you would like a deeper red color. Allow to cool then serve or transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to enjoy. These apples are great served warm or chilled as a side dish, snack or simple dessert.