Hard Candy

I was introduced to the art of making ‘hard candy’ by my good friend Karyn last Christmas… and it has become one of my signature holiday items!  Karyn deserves all the credit.  I say art- because make the candy at first appears simple… but it can be dangerous - so be careful!

This candy can be served in dishes around your house, bagged up and given along with holiday gifts, or placed in decorative boxes and given to friends and family.  Again- the beautiful colors make this a beautiful gift.

There aren’t a lot of steps to making the candy, so it really makes the toughest part about the flavoring.  Deciding what flavors to make is half the fun!

Here is what I think are the most traditional flavors to make:

·         Anise

·         Cinnamon

·         Spearmint

·         Wintergreen

My friends and I have also had some luck with the following flavors:

·         Tangerine

·         Vanilla Butternut

·         Watermelon

·         Blue Raspberry

Truth be told- it looks so pretty that even if no one liked to eat it, I would still make batches and batches every year!  Happy Candy Making!!

Print a copy of this recipe: CLICK HERE!

Hard Candy Recipe

Ingredients

·         2 c. sugar

·         2/3  c. light corn syrup

·         3/4  c. water

·         1/4  t. food coloring

·         1 dram flavoring oil*

*you can’t use flavoring extract- it must be oil*

Instructions

In a large saucepan (on the stove), mix together the sugar, water, and corn syrup.  Consistently stir over medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved.

Once sugar has dissolved, bring mixture to a boil over medium heat - and DO NOT STIR.

Place candy thermometer in your mixture.

Still- no stirring.

When syrup temperature reaches 260 degrees - add your desired food coloring.

Still- no stirring.  The boiling will mix in the food coloring.

Remove from heat at exactly 300 degrees.

Let the mix sit for 1-2 minutes while the boiling subsides.  Then add flavoring.  (stand back- when you add the oil there is a strongly scented steam that will be produced that can be dangerous to nose, mouth and eyes)

Stir in flavoring.

Quickly pour mixture into greased candy molds (or a greased cookie sheet w/ edge).  Mixture will harden very quickly, so you have to move fast.

Allow candy to sit for 2-3 hours.

When hard- break candy apart from the molds (or use a mallet to break about cookie sheet candy).

Candy can be served plain or dusted with powdered sugar or extra fine granulated sugar.

Place candy in your favorite dishes or gift boxes.

To order flavoring oils, candy molds, and much more - visit my favorite candy supply company on-line at www.lorannoils.com - they are reasonably priced and ship quickly so there is still time to make candy for this Christmas!

Extra Tip: Once you are done making this delicious candy, cleaning the dishes that are used to make the candy sometimes appears to be challenging.  Just soak in water for an hour… rinse… and repeat soaking.  The excess candy residue will dissolve off the dishes very easily if you are patient and just use hot water.