This was a first for me! I have never made hard candy before.
The recipe itself is very simple. There are not a lot of ingredients, and there really isn’t a whole lot to do.
The hardest part is letting the mixture boil!
My first instinct when I see something boiling rapidly is to stir. When making jams and jellies you have to stir so it doesn’t burn. So I wanted to stir. The recipe says not to though.
One thing that is a must is a candy thermometer. A regular meat thermometer does not generally go high enough to get an accurate temperature reading.
I have a great candy thermometer for making jam, it has a great little hook on the back so it stays put on the side of the pan.
For the flavoring I used what I had – so this first attempt was peppermint. I used red food coloring – just a few drops. The end result was a lovely light red.
I would add more than a teaspoon of flavoring next time. There is just a hint of peppermint. I think I would like something a little stronger.
I rolled the edges of my foil to make a little foil pan. I wasn’t sure how fast the mixture would cool and didn’t want to have to clean up a sugary mess in my kitchen if it overran the foil.
I ended up not needing to do this. The sugar mixture cools rather quickly.
It took about an hour to cool enough to break apart. I used my meat tenderizer which works pretty well to break up the candy.
I left the candy in largish pieces – you could of course make them whatever size you want.
This was a fun recipe and a fun learning experience!
HARD CANDY
Powdered Sugar
3 ¾ Cups Sugar
1 ½ Cups Corn Syrup
1 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Flavoring
Desired Food Coloring
Sprinkle an 18 x 24 inch strip of heavy duty aluminum foil with powdered sugar. Mix sugar, corn syrup, and water in a large and heavy saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Boil without stirring until temperature reaches 310 degrees. Drops of sugar in cold water should form hard and brittle threads. Remove from heat. Stir in flavoring and coloring. Pour onto foil and allow to cool. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
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