PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL DONAHUE
Rebecca Dinstuhl with a box of Cashew Crunch.
When the Dinstuhl’s Fine Candy Co. folks crunch their numbers, they thank Cashew Crunch. “It’s definitely one of our leading signature recipes,” says Rebecca Dinstuhl, president of the local sweets business started by one of her ancestors.
Customers crave the cashew crunch “for so many reasons,” she says. “It’s a butter brittle made with butter and brown sugar. It has cashew pieces in it, which makes it a little softer than most brittle. Then we finish it off with a bed of fine coconut that gives it a texture. Even people who say they don’t like coconut, love Cashew Crunch.”
Charles Martin Dinstuhl Sr. opened Dinstuhl’s Fine Candies in 1902. Originally located on Main Street in Downtown Memphis, Dinstuhl’s now has five locations, including its newest, on Main Street, taking the company full-circle.
“It took a little time, but the more people tasted it and sampled it, more and more people fell in love with it. Now, it’s truly one of our top sellers.” — Rebecca Dinstuhl
How Cashew Crunch became a staple menu item at Dinstuhl’s is an interesting story, Rebecca says. “Gene Dinstuhl in the late ’50s saw an advertisement in a trade candy publication. This man in upstate New York and his wife had a small candy store. He put an ad in saying he and his wife were retiring and they didn’t have anybody to leave their store to. But they had this great recipe, and if someone would come work with him, then he’d teach them how to make the recipe.”
But, whoever got the recipe had to “promise to use the fresh ingredients as he had always done.”
Gene, who was Rebecca’s father-in-law, got on a train and journeyed to New York. “He made the promise he would make it the same way they always did,” she says.
Cashew Crunch wasn’t an instant hit after Gene began started selling it at Dinstuhl’s. “People liked it okay, but peanut brittle was always the favorite in the South,” Rebecca says. “It took a little time, but the more people tasted it and sampled it, more and more people fell in love with it. Now, it’s truly one of our top sellers. For brittle, for sure. And number one for our pieces of candy we make today.”
That’s saying a lot, since Dinstuhl’s produces more than 200 different kinds of candy.
To make it, Rebecca says, “We start with butter and brown sugar. There’s some white sugar and some corn syrup. It’s cooked in a copper kettle. We add cashew pieces at the end of the batch. A touch of vanilla goes into that. Then it’s poured onto a bed of fine coconut.”
When ready, they “roll it very thin. We use this giant rolling pin, like a baker’s. They have pretty good muscles, those who do this. As it cools, the brittle gets hard, so they have to hurry. They pour it on the table, roll it thin, and then cut it into squares. And as it cools, then it becomes very crispy and brittle.”
Dinstuhl’s sells “tens of thousands of pounds” of Cashew Crunch. “We make it in 22-pound batches. We can make three batches an hour.”
Originally, Cashew Crunch was more popular during the summer months, Rebecca says. “Now it has become such a popular Christmas and holiday gift for companies or people who want to ship it all over the country. It’s heat resistant, so you don’t have to ship it overnight.”
Dinstuhl’s takes orders nationwide, and those hungry for a taste of Memphis can include Cashew Crunch with shipping orders from the Rendezvous. “Years ago, John [Vergos] called and said they didn’t have a dessert item on their menu and were looking for something. So, if you’re ordering ribs to be shipped around the country, now you can add in a box of Cashew Crunch.”
Several years ago, the Butcher Shop was also searching for an unusual dessert. “They wanted to use the Cashew Crunch for one of their cheesecake offerings,” says Rebecca. “So, they developed a recipe using Cashew Crunch, making this delicious cheesecake and drizzling our fresh caramel on that as well. It is outstanding.”
Rebecca, who literally is “the kid in the candy store,” is a fan of Cashew Crunch. “When you’re back in the kitchen and they’re pouring out the brittle, the aroma of all that butter and brown sugar is tempting,” she says. “I’ll grab a little nibble. We’ve got to have quality control.”
Dinstuhl’s has five locations: Laurelwood, Germantown, Collierville, Downtown, and Pleasant View.
