homemade treat instead of store bought candy. Here are some great sweet recipes for you to try: RUM AND SPICE CARAMEL APPLES 6 medium Red Delicious apples 6 3-inch pieces cinnamon sticks 1 14-ounce bag vanilla caramels 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 tsp imitation rum extract 2 Tbsp water 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/16 tsp ground nutmeg 1/16 tsp ground Allspice dash ground mace Wash apples and dry thoroughly. Push a sturdy cinnamon stick into stem end of each apple then set aside.

Melt caramels with remaining ingredients in top of double boiler over boiling water, until smooth stirring frequently. Keeping sauce over hot water, dip apples into hot caramel sauce and turn until apple is completely coated.

Allow excess sauce to drip off apple. Place on wax paper. Refrigerate until caramel coating is firm.

Makes 6 caramel apples.

From 100 Best Recipes for 100 Years from McCormick.

*** FUDGE 4 cups sugar 2 cup milk 3 cup white syrup 3 tablespoons cocoa Pinch salt 1 tablespoon butter 3 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup chopped nuts Mix sugar, milk, syrup, cocoa and salt together. Cook over medium heat until mixture forms a ball when dropped in cold water. Add 1 tablespoon butter. Beat mixture well. Add 1 cup chopped nuts and pour into pan to set. Yields approximately 24 pieces.

*** MOLASSES POPCORN BALLS 1 cup molasses 1 cup corn syrup 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 1 tablespoons butter 6 cups salted popcorn COMBINE molasses, syrup and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning until a small amount of mixture forms a hard ball in cold water. Remove from heat, add butter and pour over corn.

Cool slightly. Butter the fingers and lightly mold corn into balls. Yields 8-10 balls.

*** BROWNIES Beat well: 1 lb butter 2 cups sugar Add 4 eggs (one at a time) keep beating well Add 1 cup flour and beat well Add 4 squares of unsweetened chocolate Add 2 teaspoons vanilla and a little salt Add 1 c. chopped nuts Grease pan (1 large cookie sheet or a jelly roll pan). Pour mixture into pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cut before cooling.

*** PEANUT BRITTLE 2 cups sugar 1 tbsp. butter 1 cup salted cocktail nuts Grease a cookie sheet, sprinkle nuts evenly into pan, set aside. Melt sugar in heave pan stirring constantly.

Remove from heat when all lumps disappear and sugar is light golden brown. Add butter and stir to dissolve. Pour over nuts in pan. As the edge cools, begin pulling candy and sides, until it stretches and breaks.

*** PEANUT BUTTER CANDIES 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup honey 1 cup nonfat dry milk 3 tbsps. toasted wheat germ 1 cup nuts, raisins, dates or coconut Method: Mix ingredients together. Press into buttered square baking dish, chill and cut into cubes. This mixture can also be rolled, chilled and sliced, or used as a stuffing for dates. Yield: 36 pieces of candy.

Recipes by: The Continental Society of Bermuda.

Home brews for All Hallow's Eve GLASS CANDY 3 cups sugar 1 cup water 1 teaspoon vinegar 1 teaspoon butter food colouring flavouring pinch of salt Place sugar, water and vinegar in a pot over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil gently, without stirring for 20 minutes. Add butter. Continue cooking for about another 10 minutes until crack stage is reached, 290 degrees on candy thermometer.

At this temperature the mixture will become brittle when a little is dropped into cold water.

Remove from stove. Stir is desired food colouring and flavouring without scraping the sides of the pot with the spoon.

Pour about 1 inch thickness into about 20 muffin tins that have been well-greased with lard or shortening, not butter. When cool turn pans upside down on table and with a few taps the candies will fall out. Wrap individually in wax paper.

Note: Green food colouring and peppermint flavouring is a good combination.

*** COCONUT CAKES 2 cups grated coconut (yield of 1 coconut) 4 cups white sugar 1 cup coconut water 1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon flavouring Heat sugar and water. Add remaining ingredients and cook slowly, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes or until thick.

To see if the mixture is cooked, drop a spoonful onto a wet bread board. If it hardens as it cools, the candy is done. Drop remainder in the same manner.

While still hot, flatten each cake with fork.

All recipes from: "What's Cooking in Bermuda,'' by Betsy Ross