Each December, Joyce Johnson and her daughters spend one long day making a variety of candy and other sweets.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
All the ingredients are gathered for the 2023 Johnson family candy-making.
Holidays and family traditions go hand in hand. Often the focus is on delicious food, including sweet treats created once each year.
Such is the case in the Kurt and Joyce Johnson family. Each December, for decades, Joyce and their three daughters have spent one long day making a variety of candy and other sweets.
“My mother died when I was 15 after being very ill for a couple of years,” Joyce Johnson says. “My grandmother made great desserts and foods for the holidays but not candies in quantities. My sister, Jan Bahr, and I started this sometime in the early 1990s. Back then, the girls were too young to help. But as they got older, they took Jan’s place.”
The Johnsons moved from Dallas Center to their home at Lake Panorama in 2007. Their three daughters are adults, each married with children of their own. The family tradition of making candy together always takes place in the Johnson kitchen.
After a long day, the finished product in 2023 is prepared for dividing all the candy evenly between the four families. Some items, like the peanut brittle and toffee, are weighed. The rest is counted piece by piece.
“We start early in the morning and don’t finish until evening,” Joyce says. “Sometimes, the girls stay overnight so we can get an earlier start. We do not stop except to eat a bowl of traditional chili.”
The recipe list has remained much the same ever since Joyce and her sister started the Christmas candy tradition.
“We have had to increase the quantity we make because the girls have their own families and friends to share with now,” Joyce says.
Last year was the first time grandchildren were allowed to participate in the candy-making tradition. Back row: Joyce Johnson, Jaimee Knorr and Ashlee Lund. Front row: Kelcee Hawbaker and her children, Owen and Zoey, and Ashlee’s daughter, Anna.
To get a sense of how big of an operation this is, here’s the tally for last year’s candy-making day: 500 Oreo balls, 213 peanut butter balls, 276 dipped cookies, 330 peanut clusters, 208 cashew caramels, 200 caramels, 96 pieces of cherry mash, 96 pieces of nut fudge, 96 pieces of fudge, 192 pieces of pecan bar, 4 pounds of dipped pretzels, and 7 pounds each of toffee and peanut brittle.
The list of ingredients is even longer. Six pounds of butter, 1 1/2 pounds of cream cheese, 18 chocolate bars, 15 pounds of almond bark, 10 ounces of walnuts, 20 ounces of cherry chips, 4 pounds of powdered sugar, 3 pounds of brown sugar, 2 1/2 pounds of flour, 7 pounds of peanut butter, 5 pounds of chocolate chips, 21 ounces of marshmallow fluff, 10 ounces of marshmallows, one quart of heavy whipping cream, 24 ounces of evaporated milk, 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk, two quarts of light corn syrup, 4 pounds of Oreos, one pound of pretzels, four boxes of Ritz crackers, 20 ounces of pecans, 104 ounces of Spanish peanuts, 9 ounces of cashews, and 12 pounds of sugar.
“Kurt and I used to buy all the supplies, but when our girls all got married and had their own families, we started splitting the cost evenly,” Joyce says. “Prices have skyrocketed, but we haven’t cut back yet. Usually, one or two of us shop for the necessary supplies. We do try to shop the sales but have learned not to buy too cheap, as quality makes a huge difference in the taste of our goodies.”
This table of goodies shows items that included “dipping” as the final step.
At the end of the day, all the candy is divided evenly between the four families, down to the ounce. Some items, like the peanut brittle and toffee, are weighed. The rest is counted piece by piece. Almost all of the final product is gifted to family and friends.
“Kurt and I have several people we share with — family, friends, neighbors, workplace, someone who needs a special thank you, someone who needs a pick me up. Our list of recipients changes from year to year,” Joyce says. “We try to get our gift plates out right away while it is fresh. Occasionally, we hold some in reserve for our family holiday meals, unless we eat it before then.”
This year’s candy-making day was Dec. 8. Joyce keeps an Excel spreadsheet with recipes, plus ingredients and shopping lists. Annual notes and recipe tweaks are added to the sheet to prepare for the next year.
Ashlee Lund is the Johnson’s oldest daughter and lives on a farm in Polk City with her husband, Bryce Lund. They have a daughter and two sons — Anna, Jack and Avery.
“Mom made and shared Christmas candy for as far back as I can remember,” Ashlee says. “As kids, we were very proud to pass out plates of it to our friends and neighbors. It was always a hit at family gatherings, too.”
“The recipes we use are, for the most part, the same ones we’ve made for as long as I can remember,” she says. “Years ago, we added peanut brittle because Mom’s coworker had an excellent recipe. We took off the mini cheesecakes because those didn’t hold up on the plates like everything else.”
Lund says, every year, the group talks about how expensive ingredients are getting and considers taking something off the list.
“We can never decide on what to let go, though. Each candy is someone’s favorite, and that makes them all indispensable,” she says.
Jaimee Knorr is the Johnson’s middle daughter. She and her husband, Andrew Knorr, have lived at Lake Panorama since 2016. They have two daughters, Kennedy and Everly.
“We have been making the same candies for as long as I can remember. The recipes have been fine-tuned over the years, but it is always the same,” Jaimee says. “The only difference is we had to keep adding to the totals as we got older and wanted to start handing out to our friends and family.”
Kelcee Hawbaker is the Johnson’s youngest daughter. She and her husband, Matthew Hawbaker, live in Dallas Center. They have a son, Owen, and a daughter, Zoey.
“Mom started this tradition with us, and I do not remember ever not doing it,” Kelcee says. “I’m 36 years old, so it’s been going on a long time. I have so many memories of candy making. Much of my joy comes from being able to give these treats to family and friends.”
For many years, Hawbaker has added to the family tradition by making a Facebook post with pictures of all the ingredients, plus the finished candy.
“People comment how much they love to see the post, even people who don’t get to enjoy our treats,” she says. “One tough thing for me is trying to figure out how many people I can get on my list. I want to give it to all of my friends and co-workers and neighbors, but I can’t. That quarter of goodies I get goes fast.”
In December 2023, the three oldest grandchildren were given the chance to join the annual candy-making tradition and did the same again this year.
“They are amazing helpers,” Joyce says. “We do a lot of dipping, and they mastered our system quickly. It helps get the process completed faster. They are so proud to be a part of it all.”
Ashlee’s daughter, Anna, was one of the lucky ones.
“I was skeptical about how it would go because the four of us moms have such a great system down,” Ashlee says. “But they are all used to cooking, and they helped a lot. I was especially impressed by their candy-dipping skills. That is my least favorite part, and the extra hands made that part go much more quickly.”
Kelcee’s son, Owen, and daughter, Zoey, also got their start in 2023.
“It makes me so proud to know they want to be a part of this, and they take so much pride and joy in it,” Kelcee says. “Owen, who is the oldest grandchild, has been waiting so long to be a part of something he thinks is awesome. Both of my kids are proud and excited for Grandpa and Dad to try the things they make.”
It will be a few more years before Jaimee’s daughters are old enough to help, but she appreciates the difference the three oldest have made.
“We roll a lot of Oreo and peanut butter balls, then do a ton of dipping, so it’s great to have more hands helping,” she says. “They also get to help on the mixers and with measuring, and wrapping the hundreds of caramels we make.”
Joyce and all three of her daughters say they have many memories of their annual candy-making days. One memory in particular was mentioned by all.
“One year, more than 20 years ago, my sisters were in the kitchen making whatever recipe they were working on, and I was in the dining room. Mom went into the kitchen and was giving them a lot of grief for the mess they made,” Kelcee says. “I proudly said ‘I’m not making a mess, Mom.’ Though I still insist it was to rub it in my sisters’ faces, they insist otherwise. I will never live it down, but it brings fun and laughs every year.”
When asked what this long-time family tradition means to them, the four women have quick answers.
“I love that we get to spend the day together, just us girls, and now some of our kids,” Ashlee says. “We plan the day to be very focused, so there are no distractions interrupting us from each other. We usually start to get giddy as we get tired. I have laughed so hard I cried on more than one candy-making occasion.”
“I love that we can still find time in our increasingly hectic schedules to dedicate an entire 10-plus-hour day to getting together. We always play a game of Canasta to finish the night off, which can take another few hours depending on the game,” Jaimee says. “It is great to spend time with family unplugged, getting into the Christmas season.”
“It has always been something we make a priority,” Kelcee says. “We get to spend the whole day together. We make a yummy soup, get our work done, and finish the night off with cards. It is a lot of work but always ends with rest and pleasure and full tummies.”
Joyce Johnson calls the day hectic and tiring, yet a great tradition.
“I treasure family, and I love our traditions,” she says. “This candy-making day is something that is, and always has been, very important to me. What better way to spend the holidays than making great candy with those you love? I am beyond thrilled our grandchildren have taken such an interest in this tradition. With more grandchildren coming on board in the next few years, the fun has only just begun.” n
