A Gardeners Forum Forums Willy's Place Members Favorite Recipes Hard Sugar Candy

3 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water

Mix together in a medium or large saucepan/pot/kettle. Mix will be very thick until warmed. Boil over meduim high heat until hard crack stage (310 degrees farenhiet). Remove from heat, stir in any food coloring you wish to use, 15 to 30 drops, or 1/2 teaspoon. Then mix in the flavor you have chosen, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon is usually enough, depending on your taste.

Pour into either a greased or foil lined cookie sheet with lip. Once hardened, break into chunks and store in a sealed container.

* I either use cinnamon oil, or candy flavorings that are sold in the crafts section at my wal-mart. They come in tiny bottles, usually 2 to a pack. Be careful when mixing them in, and DO NOT inhale the steam.

* I prefer to use a foil lined pan, and then dust the candy with powdered sugar to keep it from sticking to it's self.

That's kinda like the VINEGAR CANDY we
used to make..

My husband has someone he works with and him
and his wife make tons of different flavors
and he hands them out in little tiny gift bags.
it's such a cute idea...

Barley....is that where you found the anise flavoring...in the candy section? I haven't found any...

~V~

It is...it was on the end of an isle, a big display...I'll go tomorrow and see if it's still there...I need more pina colada!

Thanks for that barley, looks good and easy. I think I have banana and anise flavor here already so will try some soon!

Will extracts work for flavoring?

They do...you may need to adjust the amount used for the flavor you prefer. The above recipe makes enough candy to completely cover the bottom of a regular sized cookie pan.

Cool deal. I think I will try a batch of banana tonight after the kiddos go to bed. Color it yellow and lots of powdered sugar. Do you coat the pan in sugar before you pour the candy or after you break it up?

310 degrees? My candy thermometer only goes to 280. What do I do? It is currently cooking. HELP!!!

Ok. I am so not sure I did this right. Finally got the temp up but the liquid was brownish and not clear. I think I may have burned it but I had it on medium. I thought maybe the thermometer was not working properly. it is VERY old. It is supposed to be clear right?

I am such a failure at candy. Any suggestions?

It should be clear. Do you know how to test candy without a thermometer? I'll see if I can find a good link for that.

As for the pan...I prefer to line the pan with thick foil ( not the wimpy thin stuff, it gets stuck in the candy) and then pour the candy in, wait for it to cool, dust the top with powdered sugar, break it up like breaking glass, then put it all into an airtight container ( like tupperware) with a handful of powdered sugar and shake it up to coat the candy.

If you don't use the powdered sugar and keep it sealed up, the little pieces stick together in one huge lump. :p

Here's a link that explains how to do the water test.

water test

Thanks for that link. I tried putting some in water, from a childhood memory I guess. It never really got to the hard crack stage, but it has cooled to very hard. And it was a very pretty amber color, like it was carmelizing.

Maybe I should have had the temp a bit less than medium and let it boil slower and longer? How long did your boil for. I was stirring for about a half an hour it seemed.

I'm glad it hardened for you.

A half an hour of stirring! I'm sorry, I could have been clearer in my directions. I only stir it when it's first starting out, until it turns to liquid, then let it be and only stir it every few minutes when I check the temp.

I'm not sure how long it takes...I will time it next time.

I found the website of the flavorings I use :

Candy flavorings

I can't wait to try this. Wonder if you could put some nuts in it?

Dianna

Now that I am armed with the right equipment, I will try again tonight.

Dianna, I don't see why not...

Triss, good luck! I'll be around if you have any more questions. You may have to yell to get my attention, though!

Oh I will, don't worry!

Check out the Hard Tack candy recipes, I think their the same thing or at least close.

Hey barleychown,

I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for posting your recipe for the hard sugar candy. My wife and I are going through a financially tough time right now and didn't have the money to buy Christmas presents for anyone. After running across your recipe, I decided to make candy for everyone. I made three flavors, strawberry (red), butterscotch (gold), and cinnamon (green). After breaking them into bite-sized pieces, I rolled the pieces in powdered suger, mixed them all together and equally divided them into containers. It took me 3 days to make the 5-gallon bucket of candy that it took to make all the gifts. But, when I saw the look on everyones faces and heard the compliments on how pretty it was and how good it tasted, it was completely worth it.

Thanks for helping make my family's Christmas a little "sweeter!"

Robert

That's awesome., Robert!

That's great, Robert! I'm happy to have helped.