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Sugar is the base of most candy, but there are a few types that highlight the beauty of its texture and the delicious simplicity of its taste.[1] Make sugar candy to celebrate a holiday, a birthday, or to have a special treat on hand for whenever you're in the mood. Read on to find out how to make three classic types of sugar candy: lollipops, rock candy, and butterscotch candy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g; 7.9 oz) sugar
- 1/2 cup (150 g; 5.3 oz) light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup (60 ml; 2 fl oz) water
- 1 teaspoon of flavored extract, such as vanilla, rose, cinnamon, or orange
- 5 drops of food coloring
- 2 cups (500 ml; 1.1 pints) water
- 4 cups (900 g; 2 lb) sugar
- 1 teaspoon of flavored extract, such as peppermint or lemon
- 5 drops of food coloring
- 1 glass jar
- Wooden skewers
Steps
Making Lollipops
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1Prepare your lollipop molds. Spray them with nonstick cooking spray so you'll be able to remove the finished lollipops without them cracking. Put the lollipop sticks in the molds.[2]
- This recipe works with any type of hard candy molds. You can use drop molds, start or heart-shaped molds, or any other mold you like.
- Be sure to use candy molds, and not other types of food molds, since candy molds are designed to prevent the candy from sticking.
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2Add the ingredients in a saucepan. Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan. Put the saucepan on the stove over medium high heat.[3]Advertisement
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3Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Scrape down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush to keep it from sticking.
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4Bring the mixture to a full boil. Stop stirring and check the temperature with a candy thermometer. Let the mixture keep boiling until it reaches 295 °F (146 °C), then immediately remove it from heat.
- It's important to remove the sugar mixture from heat at this exact temperature. Use a candy thermometer, and not a meat thermometer, to be sure your measurements are exact.
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5Stir in the extract and food coloring.[4]
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6Spoon the candy mixture into the lollipop molds.
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7Let the lollipops harden before popping them out.
Making Rock Candy
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1Mix the sugar and water in a large jar.[5]
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2Stir the mixture well.
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3Add the food coloring and flavor. Rock candy takes on a beautiful hue that is accentuated by it's natural rock shape. Pick a color and flavor that complement each other. You can try one of these classic combinations or come up with your own:
- Purple rock candy with lavender flavoring.
- Orange rock candy with tangerine flavoring.
- Pink rock candy with rose flavoring.
- Red rock candy with cinnamon flavoring.
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4Suspend the wooden skewers in the solution. Place them evenly around the jar and lean them against the lip of the jar. Secure them in place with small pieces of tape, so they don't slide against each other while the rock candy forms.
- You can use wooden chopsticks in place of skewers.
- A string suspended from a pencil is also a good base for rock candy.
- Cover the jar with plastic wrap. This prevents dust and bugs from getting into the jar while the rock crystals form.
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5Wait for the sugar to form into rocks. It takes a week or two for the sugar to crystallize into the shape of pretty rocks attached to the skewers.[6]
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6Dry the rock candy. When you're happy with the size of the rocks, remove the skewers from the jar and lay them out to dry.
Making Butterscotch Candy
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1Butter a 15 x 10 x 1 pan. If you don't have one exactly this size, find another wide, shallow pan.[7]
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2Combine the sugar, water and corn syrup in a pan. Place it on the stove over medium high heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
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3Bring the mixture to a boil. Stop stirring and let it reach 270 degrees, making sure to check with your candy thermometer for the exact temperature. Remove it from heat.
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4Add the butter, honey, salt and rum extract.
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5Stir the mixture until it reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149°C).[8]
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6Remove the mixture from heat.
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7Pour it into the buttered pan.
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8Cool the candy for 5 minutes.
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9Score the candy with a knife. Use the knife to make diagonal score marks across the candy or make it as big as you want, so it'll be easier to break apart.
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10Cool the candy completely.
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11Break the candy along the score marks.
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow to make other kind of candy?
Community AnswerThere are many books, websites and other resources on how to make different kinds of candy. -
QuestionDo I add food coloring when making sugar candy?
Community AnswerThat's your choice. If you want to add color, food coloring is a good option. -
QuestionHow do we clean the things we used?Community AnswerSoak them in very hot water to dissolve any hardened sugar, and wash as normal.
Warnings
- Sugar candy reaches very high temperatures; be very careful when handling!⧼thumbs_response⧽
Things You'll Need
Lollipops
- Lollipop molds
- Lollipop sticks
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Candy thermometer
Rock Candy
- Large jar
- Wooden skewers
Butterscotch Candy
- Wide, shallow pan
- Candy thermometer
References
- ↑ https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/archive-2014-2015/candymaking.html
- ↑ https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/old-fashioned-lollipops/
- ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/psychedelic-lollipops-recipe-1940873
- ↑ https://www.tablespoon.com/posts/how-to-make-lollipops
- ↑ http://pagingfunmums.com/2017/02/06/how-to-make-your-very-own-rock-candy-at-home/
- ↑ https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/rock-candy
- ↑ https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/butterscotch-hard-candy/
- ↑ https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/candy/butterscotch-hard-candy-werthers-candy.html
About This Article
To make rock candy, first mix 2 cups of water and 4 cups of sugar in a large jar. Then, add 1 teaspoon of flavored extract and 5 drops of food coloring, trying combinations like cinnamon flavoring with red food coloring or tangerine flavoring with orange food coloring. Next, put evenly spaced wooden skewers in your jar. Alternatively, you can use string suspended from a pencil as your rock candy base. Finally, cover your jar with plastic wrap and let it sit for 1-2 weeks while the sugar crystallizes. To learn how to make lollipops or butterscotch candy, keep reading!
