Making Colorful Candy for the Local Market Day

in #palnet3 years ago


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I simply love making all kinds of kitchen treats - from jams and preserves right through to cakes and cookies. But there is another sweet treat that I enjoy making from time to time and that is stick candies.

So when it came time for the monthly farmers market - I decided why not make a few batches of colorful candies to put out on my table. And I was so happy that I did, because these little sweet treats were an absolute winner - not only were they a great seller, but they also drew in families with kids, who in turn had a look at the other home made goodies I was selling.

In the past I always thought of candy making as a complicated task, and I found that the thought of it felt overwhelming - it was only once I gave it a try that I realized just how simple it actually was, and that is why I decided to share the process with you guys today.

Here's How It's Made:

Firstly there are a few items that you would need to get if you don't have them already, such as lollipop sticks and the molds that you intend to use for the candies as well as a candy thermometer - a cooking thermometer will do as long as the temperature scale can read up to 150°C (300°F)

When you are getting candy molds - please make sure that the molds you select is made of a material that can withstand the excessive heat of the candy upon molding. I prefer to use the silicon type. They are great to work with, the suckers never stick to the molds when they have set, and the are great for dealing with very high temperatures.

Equipment Needed

  • Candy Thermometer
  • Lollipop Sticks
  • Lollipop Molds

As for the ingredients that you will need, that is pretty straight forward as well, as the candies itself contains 3 main ingredients and then some coloring and flavoring. If you would like to add a bit more color to your candies, you can add whatever small candies you like to the mold before molding the candy in (as I have done, see below:)

I got two different flavors, Turkish Delight & English Toffee Flavor.

Ingredients Needed:

  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Organic Light Corn Syrup
  • 1/4 Cup Filtered Water
  • Few drops of flavoring of your choice
  • Few drops of color of your choice.

Once you have all of the above in place - You are ready to start making some yummy hard candy sticks.


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Here is how it's made:

The very first thing I do - is place out the molds that I am going to be using, and placing a stick in every lollipop cavity, for this round I decided to add a variety of small candies inside the molds just to add a bit of additional color. The reason why I started getting into the habit of making this my first priority is simply because I have forgotten to get the molds ready in time on a few occasions, and because the candy sets almost immediately when it is ready, you can imagine the mess of needing to remelt the candy completely if your molds are not ready in time. In the past I have even lost entire batches due to this because I burnt the sugar when I tried to remelt it.

Once the molds are in place, I then look to the ingredients, measuring out the sugar, corn syrup and water and then I combine them into a small heavy base pot.

Next you place the pot with the ingredients on the stove top, and over very low heat you allow the mixture to melt and combine while stirring continuously.

Once all of the sugar is dissolved, you can increase the heat of the stove to its maximum and allow the mixture to come to the boil.

At this stage you will need to insert the candy thermometer into the boiling sugary mix and closely watch the temperature as it goes up - too high and your candy might burn, too low and your candy wont set properly.


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Allow the heat of the candy to climb all the way up to 149°C (that is 300°F) while stirring constantly. Once it has reached that temperature you need to remove it from the heat immediately, but leave the thermometer inside - because you will now need to allow the candy to cool down to exactly 121°C (250°F) before stirring in the colorants and flavor essence.

If I can give you a tip, once the candy temperature is right for adding color and flavor - make sure that you do so in a hurry, open the flavor as well as the food coloring while you wait for the candy to cool down, add when ready and then stir it all together as fast as possible. The reason I say this, is because anything under 121°C (250°F) the candy basically starts setting, and the harder the candy gets the more difficult it is to work with.

Your Candy is now ready to mold.

You can now spoon your candy into the molds that you set out earlier, making sure that the top end of the stick is completely submerged under the candy - if it is not your candy will come off the stick as soon as it is placed in the mouth - sometimes even sooner...

Now you simply leave the candy out to set completely. You know that your candy is ready to be removed from the molds, once it is completely hard and cool to the touch.

These candies are quite easy to make once you get the hang of it and such a delight to have around, be it for the kids or the adults in the house alike.

In this post - I have just shared a basic recipe and my own improv decor added to the molds before the time, but you are free to experiment with whatever works for you like combining more than one color or adding some cake glitter to the mix. As far as looks goes, you can really play around, as long as you are having fun in the process of course...

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