An old fashioned homemade candy – this Shaggy Dog Candy Recipe is perfect for the Christmas plate! Chocolate and marshmallows are rolled in coconut in this decadent treat.
Originally posted December 14, 2007 – I have wanted to remake this candy recipe forever, and what better time than the Christmas season? These Shaggy Dogs are a little bit messy to make, but they really are super easy. If you are wanting to try your hand at making some candy this year but you are a little intimidated, these candies are a good start. Just be ready to get your hands a little bit messy! These would make another great addition to any holiday plate!
I had every intention to post this yesterday, but things got too busy. Oh well…
I can’t believe this is my first post of the month for my Cookbook of the Month – Candymaking. December is such a busy month. I see all of the wonderful cookies and holiday treats on everyone’s blogs, and I feel like I am so far behind!! So instead of one recipe from my cookbook, I’ll tell you about 3!!
I’m a bit intimidated by candymaking. So I started with what I thought would be 3 foolproof recipes. We’ll start with the fudgels. Fudgels – according to Ruth Kendrick and Pauline Atkinson, are a mix between fudge and truffles. I decided to try the brown sugar fudgels, since the heading says that they are a family favorite. A combination of vanilla-flavored compound coating, brown sugar, evaporated milk, butter, marshmallows and vanilla make up these confections. I was really excited to try these because I love fudge and I love truffles, but unfortunately, these were my least favorite of the 3 recipes I tried. I’m not sure if it was the brand of compound coating I bought, but these were extremely sweet. One small square was more than enough. I think the thing that disappointed me most about them was that they were not smooth and creamy. They were a bit dry. If you could get past the sweetness and texture, the taste was actually quite nice. And as far as candy goes, they were very easy to put together – no thermometer or long cooking times required. I may play around with this one a bit – try out some different compound coatings and such to see if I can get a less sweet, smoother candy.
Next up were the caramels. The caramels would have been my favorite, but user error put them second best to me. These are called 30-minute caramels – they are a short cut caramel. Caramels are my favorite homemade candy, and there are several versions in this book that I’d like to try, but I made these all on a week night, and time was a bit short. The caramels used brown sugar, which deepens the color and taste faster, so you don’t have to cook them as long. You are supposed to cook these until they are 240F, but I think that my thermometer must be wrong. I cooked these for about 40 minutes (when they are only supposed to take 30 minutes) and I was still 4 or 5 degrees below where I was supposed to be. I gave up and poured them into my dish. In the morning, when I went to cut them, they were quite hard and very difficult to cut. Now I’m thinking I should have stopped them even further below where I did. I really should get a new thermometer, I guess!! These taste just as good as any long cooking caramel. You had to soften these a bit before you could chew through them, but that didn’t stop us from eating far too many!! I just ended up cutting them into bite sized pieces, and although a bit hard, they are delicious!!
Last, but certainly not least, are a candy recipe called Shaggy Dogs. I actually made this Shaggy Dog candy recipe by mistake. I saw a picture in the book, and there were 3 candies featured. I thought one of them looked really good, and not really paying attention, I read the caption and guessed that they were the Shaggy Dogs. Well, when I got home with my ingredients, I realized that the ones I actually wanted to make were a different one in the picture!! Well, my mistake was worth it because these were my favorite of the bunch. They were the hardest to work with, but they were eaten up the quickest! You make a chocolate mixture and then add in marshmallows. After letting the mixture cool, you are supposed to make it into logs that are coated in coconut, chilled, and then cut into pieces. Maybe I didn’t let the mixture cool long enough (I am impatient, after all) and forming the logs was a bit messy. It worked out though. I took a plate of the candy to work, and the Shaggy Dogs were the first off the plate. I’ll definitely remember this Shaggy Dog candy recipe!!
Looking for more candy recipes?
Creamy Cranberry Pistachio Fudge
Blonde Rocky Road
Homemade Caramel Recipe
Cherry Nut Chocolates
Butter Pecan Fudge from Spicy Southern Kitchen
Caramel Nougat Pecan Rolls from the Food Charlatan
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Shaggy Dogs
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 mins
- Yield: 48 pieces 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
An old fashioned homemade candy – this Shaggy Dog Candy Recipe is perfect for the Christmas plate! Chocolate and marshmallows are rolled in coconut in this decadent treat.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 10 oz. miniature marshmallows
- 2 cups sweetened coconut
Instructions
Combine the butter and chocolate chips in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chocolate and butter are both melted and the mixture is smooth.
Turn off the heat and then very slowly, whisking continuously, pour in the eggs. Continue to whisk until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until completely incorporated until smooth. Stir in the marshmallows. Refrigerate the mixture until it starts to set up.
Lay down a piece of parchment paper or wax paper. Sprinkle 1/3 of the coconut over the top. Divide the chocolate/marshmallow mixture into 3 equal portion. Place one portion of the mixture on the coconut and form it into a log, about 1 1/2” thick and 8 inches long. (I found that it is easiest to do with greased hands.) Roll the log over the coconut, pressing the coconut into the sides to adhere. Transfer the coconut covered log to a piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Repeat with the remaining 2 portions.
Refrigerate the candy until set up, at least a couple hours, up to 3 weeks. When ready to serve, unwrap the log and cut it into 1/2-inch slices.
Recipe Notes:
adapted from Candymaking
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 pieces
- Calories: 172
- Sugar: 19 g
- Sodium: 56 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 26 mg
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Terri Asher says
I make a candy like this but no eggs or powdered sugar. Just melt semi sweet chocolate chips with butter, cool a minute or so; stir in marshmallows and put onto coconut lined foil and waxed paper. Liberally sprinkle with more coconut then roll up foil/paper into logs twisting the ends. Store in freezer and slice when cooled. Been making this for over 40 years. Now my daughter makes it for her family. Your Shaggy Dogs look just like my chocolate candy. No messy hands. Thanks for your recipies. Good stuff!
Linda Pekar says
Have been making something very close to these for years, use colored Marshmallows and we call them Church Windows.
Juju says
What are the eggs for?
Deborah says
They just work as a binder to keep everything together. Some people have said that they have made these successfully without eggs, though.
Ruth Kendrick says
Hi, This is Ruth Kendrick, the author of Candymaking. Glad you are enjoying some of the recipes. Sorry they aren’t all working for you. Thermometers are very important, but so is your altitude. You have to adjust the temperature if you are not at sea level. Don’t give up on making candy. I always say that there are no mistakes in candy making. You just need to rename it.
Paula says
Hello, Deborah! We made these yesterday and love them. Thank you for sharing the recipe. We are just wondering if you’ve ever tried freezing them? What are your thoughts?
Sorsha says
We have egg allergy in the family. Any ideas or suggestions on how to replace the eggs needed?
Deborah says
I am afraid I’m not versed in egg replacements, so I don’t even know. So sorry!!
Megan says
Is the heat still on when you add the eggs and sugar?
Deborah says
You will turn off the heat just before adding the eggs. I have updated the recipe. Thanks!
Jess says
These remind me a bit of my famous Grandmama’s cookies she would make every Christmas. They are called cathedral cookies. Yum! Thanks for the post, I love the idea of coconut!
Tricia says
My grandmother created this recipe. This dates back to WWII. She won $50 from a magazine for the creation. We still have the letter she received congratulating her. I love seeing people post this. Reminds me of her and all of the time I spent in her kitchen. She used colored marshmallows to mimic the windows in a church, that’s how they got their name.
Lily says
They look fabulous but I’m a little concerned about the raw and uncooked egg. Your thoughts.
Deborah says
The eggs are actually whisked into the hot chocolate mixture, which cooks the eggs, so you don’t need to worry about raw egg.
Lawnrence @justpressurecooker says
Those Shaggy Dogs look good! I will have to add them to the repertoire! Thank you for sharing!
Emily says
These look so yummy! I must try them!
Chels R. says
I have never heard of these before but I just love this idea! So so much fun!
Joanna says
can you substitute with dark chocolate?
Deborah says
Absolutely!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
I have never heard of this, but man it sounds delicious!!! 🙂
Tori@Gringalicious.com says
MMMMmmmm! These are so awesome! I can’t believe I’ve never heard of shaggy dogs!
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
I have never heard of shaggy dogs before and I’m so happy you posted these! So many of my favorite things in one candy bite. Pinned 🙂
Linda says
I used to make a recipe similar to the Shaggy dogs, it used the colored marshmallows. They were called Cathedral Windows, they were very pretty. I am sure you could substitute the colored marshmallows here for the extra color for Christmas. Thanks for all your hard work and great recipes.
mrsblocko says
we called them stained glass windows! So fun!
Melanie says
These are one of my favorites! My grandmother used to make them:) She used multicolored marshmallows when she could find them and they looked so festive.
Carla says
Your candy looks so delicious!
chronicler says
Oh wow! Those Shaggy Dogs look good! I will have to add them to the repertoire!
Patricia Scarpin says
Well, Deb, this is some delicious mistake, I can tell! 🙂
Happy cook says
Wow they just looks delicious. I love them. But i have never ate home made ones. 🙁
Lynnylu says
Great job making candy! The caramels look perfectly beautiful.
April says
They all look beautiful. Sorry that the caramels didn’t turn out. I can’t wait to see what else your make from the book.
Dhanggit says
i feel like im going to have diabetes with all these goodies..yummy!!a real feast of the eyes..i havent tried candy making yet..not even one time..i agree with abby these candies look store-brought..really you have a touch of a “pro”
Tracy says
Well, your caramels LOOK delicious. That’s too bad they didn’t turn out right. I hate it when that happens.
The Baker & The Curry Maker says
Yum Deborah! They look great! I’m inpatient too.
The Baker & The Curry Maker says
Yum Deborah! They look great! I’m inpatient too.
Kevin says
The Shaggy Dogs look delicious. Chocolate, marshmallows and coconut…mmm…
Paz says
Oh, wow! Very impressive and delicious-looking! Great job. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Paz
eatme_delicious says
Those shaggy dogs look amazing! There’s this “rocky road square” that I love from a coffee place here that has marshmallows and nuts in chocolate. I don’t love the nut part of it so this recipe looks perfect! I can’t wait to try it. Those caramels look really delicious too.
Emiline says
It’s too bad about your fudge and caramels. I need to buy a new thermometer, too. Last time I tried to make candy, I had bad lucky. My peanut brittle was soft.
I’m glad the shaggy dogs turned out! I’ve never heard of them, but they look really good. I love coconut.
Gigi says
wow! Delicious looking candy! I can’t wait to see more delicious candies!
Katy says
they look great! i’ve made fudge, but not caramels. i love them though — definitely on my to-do list!
Abby says
I love to make candy, but it’s totally trial and error for me – more error! I love a challenge.
Your caramels look store-bought! V. professional.
glamah16 says
It’s so great to see you making candies. Hard work ,but so worth the effort.Cant wait to see some more.
Brilynn says
I need to get a new thermometer as well, and then I need to make caramels!
Bellini Valli says
Things are looking good around the Taste & Tell household!!!