If you are thinking of making sweets at home, you will have a hard time finding one as simple as rock candy. Lollipops are fun, and truffles and candies are possible, but they’re all getting more and more demanding to make, so taste the candies first and get the most gratification with the least effort!
Here is a simple and foolproof recipe for how to make candies at home.
Rock candy is so simple that it is the best possible option out of the many options available to you for making candy at home.
Start by attaching a light weight, even a paper clip will do (avoid the temptation to use “split shot” from the tackle box, as they are made of lead), on the bottom of a piece of cotton string for loading and Secure hangs straight when suspended. Tie one end of the string to the center of a pencil so that when it is placed over the opening of a jar, the string ends about an inch from the bottom. Prepare the rope by moistening it and rolling up some granulated sugar and then setting it aside to dry. This procedure prepares a base coat for the sugar crystals to form the next time we add the sugar solution.
Now cook the sugar syrup. You can create sugar syrup by adding 2 cups of granulated sugar for every 1 cup of water and bringing the solution to a boil. If you have a candy thermometer, make sure the temperature is 265 degrees Fahrenheit, if you don’t have one, boil for about two to three minutes so all the sugar dissolves completely.
Careful! Hot sugar syrup requires care and careful handling, as it will burn very badly if touched.
At this stage, remove the pot from the burner and add flavorings like peppermint or lemon extract and a little food coloring if desired. Stir them with the least amount of strokes. When the syrup is ready, pour it into the jar.
Now, lower the yarn you prepared earlier into the jar and cover everything with a towel. Within 2 to 4 hours, you will begin to see the formation of sugar crystals. Keep an eye on him and get the rock candy out of the jar before it’s too big to clear the opening! That’s all about it! Pretty easy, right?
Another hard candy that is not complicated to create at home are lollipops. Use 1 cup of water, 3-1 / 2 cups of granulated sugar, and 1-1 / 2 cups of corn syrup. With these ingredients combined in a saucepan over medium heat (never high!), Watch for the sugar to start to dissolve. Bring to a boil and at this stage stop stirring until the temperature rises to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. A candy thermometer is critical to this process. Now, remove from heat and add your flavor and color. Stir quickly with the fewest strokes, the better to avoid undesirable grains in the finished candy.
After pouring the lollipop mixture into the molds, tuck the lollipop sticks into their openings. Let it sit until cool to the touch and done. When done, the lollipops will pop out of the pan, usually with a gentle touch, so have a forgiving surface like a kitchen towel ready to set. If your kids are helping out, they’ll love helping you creatively wrap and label their cellophane candies, maybe they can create a unique “house brand”.
The only secret to creating perfect hard candy is to use the candy thermometer exactly. If the recipe calls for 300 degrees, boil the syrup until you see 300 degrees on the candy thermometer. Neglect or anticipate the proper temperature and you can get a jelly-like mass of goo that just won’t set properly. Continuing to stir after reaching the proper temperature will also provide results that are “less than optimal”.
Hey, that’s what they say at NASA when something goes crazy! So remember:
- Pay attention to your thermometer
- Remove the syrup from the heat when it reaches the right temperature.
- Add additives without delay
- Stir them efficiently
Now that you know how to make candy at home, you will develop skills and confidence that will lead you to the most difficult recipes. Never lose sight of the goal, which is to make sweets at home and have fun doing it! What are you waiting for?