In this small quaint town, there are few people that you don’t run into on a daily basis. It’s been a culture shock, a climate shock, and definitely a culinary shock since moving to this northern Canadian burg. And while there are moments where I long for my urban desert home, there are also moments of sweet and utter bliss. One of those moments happened when I met Pat.
Pat is a sweet old lady who lives just a few houses down from me. She’s a fun witted grandma with a few stories to tell. She belongs to the same Church as I do, and when you have less than 30 members in your area, you get to know them really well. Pat’s husband passed away last July, and all of her children and grandchildren have long since moved away. She’s been having trouble getting around on her own these days, so she’s moving closer to her family. We have been assisting Pat in packing up her house and finding little treasures along the way.
We stumbled across an old trunk that was filled with love letters, hand-made baby blankets and booties, knick-knacks, and a plethora of hand written recipes. My heart began to beat faster as I ran my fingers through them, and I could see Pat become excited when I asked her about them. She hasn’t cooked much since her husband passed, and it was something she loved to do. She graciously gave me a stack of intriguing recipes and I couldn’t wait to dig in.
The first one that really caught my eye was this Fluffy Brown Sugar Icing.
What I love about old recipes is the way they are written.
Pat wrote: “drops like a hair from spoon” as to know when the brown sugar mixture is ready. It was interesting, and I had to see what she meant.
Plus… hello… FLUFFY BROWN SUGAR ICING!! How could you not want to know what that tastes like?!
Sure enough, the mixture of brown sugar, water and corn syrup becomes thick like a rich caramel and when dropped from a spoon makes tiny (even smaller than pictured) strands that resemble hair.
Then you: “Pour hot syrup in a thin stream into egg whites, beating constantly.”
I thought for sure this wouldn’t work. Maybe I am just really novice when it comes to egg whites, but I assumed pouring a hot liquid into them would almost immediately deflate them.
But no, it didn’t.
In fact, it held it’s shape and gained a glossy shine.
It was amazing, and the taste is stellar. It’s like a fluffy caramel marshmallow frosting.
I dipped many things into that Fluffy Brown Sugar Icing. Chocolate covered graham crackers, pretzels, and peaches. The peaches won in my book. My husband just rolled his eyes said, “Oh, now peaches need frosting?!”
But seriously, this icing would be amazing when paired with just about anything… even a spoon.
Thanks for letting me introduce you to Pat. I have several more recipes that I can’t wait to share with you!
UPDATE: Here are some more of Pat’s Recipes: Cherry Nut Bread and Very Nice Chocolate Frosting
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Fluffy Brown Sugar Icing {Pat’s Recipes}
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 4 egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix brown sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil. (Be careful, as it will rise, so make sure the sides of your pan are taller). Let it boil at medium to medium high until the syrup drops like a hair from spoon (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from burner and set aside.
- Meanwhile, beat egg whites until stiff.
- SLOWLY pour the hot syrup in a THIN stream into egg whites, beating constantly. Beat until icing holds peaks, then blend in vanilla.
- Let cool to room temp, then store covered in the fridge until ready to use.
Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Recipe
Josh
Just made this to christen my new KitchenAid mixer and I was NOT disappointed. It turned out perfectly shiny and light just as promised. This is so easy and I want to inhale it on everything!!! I’ve always loved these old recipes like my mother’s and grandmother’s the most. Glad to continue traditions! Thank you and thank you to Pat!
Paula
I showed this to my mother and she immediatly ran off to make a copy. Turns out my grandmother used to make this all the time and it’s the ‘missing family recipe’ my mom has wanted for ages because it’s less sweet than her regular frostings! Grandma used to put it on Chocolate and Spice Cakes and it’s one of my favorite childhood memories (maybe the reason Spice is my favorite cake?) and i’ve always wondered how it was made and wished someone had the recipe vs just the memories of watching her do it. So, thanks much for posting this and I thank those who Pinned and brought it to my attention – my family is very very happy!
Paula
Shawn
Wow, that is so special! Thank you for sharing that with me. 🙂 I’m so glad you found this recipe. Best wishes to you and your family!
Brittany
Will this frosting hold up in room temperature or for an outside party???
Shawn
Hi Brittany, the frosting will hold up at room temperature, but it’s not like a buttercream where you can make it several days in advance. This can only be made a day or two ahead of time. I would serve it the same day for the best taste and consistency.
Brittany
Will this frosting hold up in room temperature or for an outside party?
Carolyn
Great post. I can’t wait to try the recipe!
Romzs
I used Agave syrup instead of corn syrup because I don’t have it on hand (I don’t have maple either!). It went pretty darn well – except mine doesn’t look like yours lol It’s not quite stiff and it’s glossy? I’m guessing i didn’t whip the egg whites enough? (I just don’t work well with egg whites! Separating egg whites & yolks already gives me anxiety!) But oh well, still SO GOOD.
Beenish
Amazing recipe! Might try it this weekend. Do you think it would work well as a cake frosting?
Lq
Sounds very close to the white divinity candy I always make as Christmas gifts.
Lq
Sounds very close to the divinity candy I make Christmas.
Natalia
Would it work with canned full fat coconut milk instead of eggs? We do not allow eggs in our kitchen due to allergies. This kind of coconut milk whips well and I am always in the market for new recipes that work for my family’s needs. Thank you for your time!
Michelle @ Modern Acupuncture
Thanks so much for sharing this! The elderly get a bad rep sometimes. We forget that they were young and cared about all the things we care about… like killer frosting! Can’t wait to give this a try. Say hi to Pat for me 🙂
lindsey
Question: what kind of cake would be good to use this on? The icing is amazing, I just don’t know if I should do a spice cake or devils food one. I am amazed at how u make this brown sugar syrup mix into icing by just adding eggs.
Murvella McKenzie
My family has made this for many years calling it “Sea Foam”. Mom could drop it with a swirl on top then top it with nuts cherries coconut or whatever and it always set up beautifully. My grandmother spread it on her Angel Food Cakes and it was to die for.
nitty
Hey, will this work if i beat it by hand?
Monica
I was wondering, since this is very close to an Italian meringue, would you think that they would bake into nice little cloud puffs, if pipped onto parchment or silpat and baked in a low and slow oven?
Candace
I just made the recipe, but the sugar syrup just splattered all over the sides of the mixing bowl instantly turning to a rock hard clump. It didn’t matter if I poured slowly or quickly or beat the egg whites at different speeds. How do you get the syrup to combine with the egg whites?
Joy
I grew up in on a farm in the midwest during the 40’s and I still have this recipe that
my mom always used on our spice cakes.
Kendall
Using this on my pumpkin cupcakes that I am making 🙂 but, can I make the frosting the night before using? Or will it not keep in the fridge?
Hollie
can you beat this to long? I made it and beat until it was cooled down and think I messed it up. It was hard to get in a piping bag.
Cassie Hickel
I just found this recipe and used it on some pumpkin cookies…oh my word! It’s light and fluffy and complements them PERFECTLY! Totally labeling as a dip so I can use it on everything and with everything 😉
Debi Nattier
I just found your blog, love it. It’s so nice to be able to print your recipes, but hate the little note in the middle that says “watch how this expert preps his BBQ”. Kinda takes away from the recipe. Just saying.
Shawn
Thank you for your input Debi! Those little notes are a type of ad to help counter balance the cost of ingredients, hosting my website, and other costs involved with running a website. I agree, they are completely annoying to have printed on the recipe and I’m working on a way to figure out how to have it not included in the printing process. I hope you’ll still enjoy the recipes in the meanwhile and come back for more. 🙂
Sidney
This is kind of silly, but I can’t really tell if I made it correctly. My icing tastes good and a bit more brown than your picture. The problem is it has the texture of what I’m assuming marshmallow fluff does? Is this correct or did I do something wrong? Also.. there was a little bit of the corn syrup mixture at the bottom of my pan and it hardened. Any idea on how to get that out? Lol it’s as hard as a rock. Beautiful photos!
Shawn
Hey Sidney, sounds like you made it correctly. I think it totally tastes like a caramel flavored marshmallow fluff. And the hard sugar in your pan will easily come off when you soak it in warm water. 🙂 Hope that helps!
kirk
I will defiantly be giving this a try. I to love reading old tucked away forgotten recipes.
brandy
I want to bake this on top of a pie. Like a delicious, sweet meringue.
Shawn
That sounds fun! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂