What is the candy?

I found it in Beard's American Cookery - p.831
He even details the use of fruit fondant "used to fill pitted prunes or dates. Half a walnut or pecan meat is sometime set on the fondant filling to decorate the fruit".

Thanks so much for the replies

I found it in Beard's American Cookery - p.831
He even details the use of fruit fondant "used to fill pitted prunes or dates. Half a walnut or pecan meat is sometime set on the fondant filling to decorate the fruit".

Thanks so much for the replies

Thanks Nancy

After she made the candy it remained soft and had to be refrigerated

it was nougat

This thread might contain some clues:
https://food52.com/hotline/5138-sea-foam-or-divinity-recipe

^ viscous

JasMWood, do you have any idea if your grandmother (or at least the recipe) had any connection with an ethnic cuisine influenced by the Ottoman Empire (i.e., Turkish, Bulgarian, Greek, Armenian, or possibly even Indian etc.)? In that tradition there is a simple sugar-based dessert called "white sweets" which is basically a lot of glucose (there are variations with only regular crystal sugar, others with powdered sugar, and others with corn syrup, which I imagine your grandmother used the Karo for), which you boil with water until it thickens, flavor with vanilla or lemon juice according to taste, and cool down before you start stirring. I am not sure what chemical reaction happens with this temperature variation, but it is at the stirring stage that the transparent viscose mass turns snow-white and hardens. It can then be preserved for months in jars and is usually served in single spoonfuls in glasses of cold water that one sips from in order to offset the terrible sweetness. It is similar to fondant and due to its dough-like texture can easily be stuffed into dried fruits or used to wrap nuts, as you describe. If this seems familiar, I can offer you specific recipes for the proportions.

Could it possibly be 'divinity'? That's the only soft white candy I know of.

It might be something like this :http://southernfood.about.com/od/datesandfigs/r/bl01101b.htm

Do you remember what it tasted like?