I have not tackled candy making out of fear of working with burning hot sugar. I read this favorite blog recently and started obsessing about making lollipops. I was in our local chain craft store and saw lollipop sticks. I tossed them in the cart and made a beeline for the cake/candy aisle for lollipop supplies…..determined to just make them and get them off my mind. I bought all the supplies, checked out and headed for a kitchen store to buy an accurate thermometer.
Not many supplies needed — a good candy thermometer & molds & sticks:
The ingredients are very simple — sugar, corn syrup & water, flavor & color. Put the first three in a pot and start heating:
It doesn’t take long for the sugar syrup to get hot. After adding flavor and color, I spooned the syrup into molds. I put a candy heart in the molds for fun:
Hmmmm…..guess I should have bought more than one mold. I had lots of syrup left so I just spooned it on a greased cookie sheet and stuck some sticks in. They set in about 10 minutes. Very easy to pop out of the mold and pry off the cookie sheet. Alas, I should not have popped them out over a tile table. I now have jagged shards of candy all over the room.
Don’t they look sweet all wrapped and ready?
And they taste good too!
Instead of putting the obsession to rest by making these, I feel it growing. I NEED more molds, flavors, and colors! More sugar! More candy! With Easter around the corner, this seems like the perfect time to indulge in my new hobby.
Living my simple life 