Maine Needhams Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

Are Needhams a Maine thing? ›

"Needhams are typical to Maine. They originated in Portland, Maine by a candy maker who had attended an evangelistic service in Portland in 1872.

The typical needhams filling is made with butter, dried coconut, confectioner's sugar, and unseasoned, unbuttered potatoes. Occasionally the filling can be flavored, usually with Maine specialties like blueberry and maple syrup.

Needhams are a uniquely Maine candy first created in the early 1870's. Traditionally, they have a coconut and potato filling and are covered in dark chocolate. We cherish this 150-year-old tradition and are proud to make it our mission to preserve, revitalize and expand it for future generations.

A needham is a confectionery dessert bar made from sugar, chocolate, coconut, and potato. It is chiefly associated with the U.S. state of Maine.

These potato candies were originally invented in Auburn, Maine, in the 1870s when a cook who worked for confectioner John Seavey at Seavey's Sweets came up with a recipe for coconut creams—with a spud-based twist.

"Needham" might have come from the Olde English pre 7th century elements 'ned' meaning need, with 'ham', a homestead or village; the name indicating a place that provided a poor living. A similar formation from the same period was the place called Hungerton, also meaning a poor or hungry village.

In 2011, the Maine State Legislature designated the whoopie pie as Maine's official state treat. This confection traditionally consists of two chocolate cake-like rounds surrounding a white cream filling.

Good & Plenty. These small licorice-flavored, candy-coated capsules are one of the oldest candies in the United States, having been introduced in 1893.

According to a statistical report by Statista released in 2020, Snickers is the most consumed candy in the entire United States and has also been ranked as the most coveted Halloween candy in the country.

In 2011, the Maine State Legislature designated blueberry pie, made with wild Maine Blueberries, as the official state dessert. Wild blueberries are harvested from late July to early September in Maine.

What fruit is the state of Maine famous for? ›

Maine is famous for its tiny, wild blueberries. These little blue flavor bombs are harvested from low-bush barrens across the state and have found their way into just about anything you can imagine—from delicious pies to spa treatments. Blueberries are best when they're wild in Maine!

Looking at each state's candy-buying habits, Utah took the number one spot with the highest share of candy purchases. Idaho, Alaska, Montana, and Washington rounded out the top five. Nationally, 82% of Americans partake in purchasing candy for the Halloween season.

The potato is northern Maine's primary agricultural product and in the 1940s Maine's potato production was tops in the nation.

Origins of the candy could possibly be traced to recipes brought to America by Russian, Irish, or German immigrants to the country during the late 18th and early 19th century, though no concrete proof of origin exists and the recipe only appears to be popular in the United States.