How to Make Sugar Candy

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Last Updated: July 7, 2024 References

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Sugar is the base of most candy, but there are a few types that highlight the beauty of its texture and the delicious simplicity of its taste.^{[1]
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American Chemical Society
Scientific society for those involved with chemistry and publisher of several leading peer-reviewed scientific journals

Go to source} Make sugar candy to celebrate a holiday, a birthday, or to have a special treat on hand for whenever you're in the mood. Read on to find out how to make three classic types of sugar candy: lollipops, rock candy, and butterscotch candy.

Ingredients

Lollipops

1 cup (225 g; 7.9 oz) sugar
1/2 cup (150 g; 5.3 oz) light corn syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml; 2 fl oz) water
1 teaspoon of flavored extract, such as vanilla, rose, cinnamon, or orange
A few drops of food coloring

Rock Candy

2 cups (500 ml; 1.1 pints) water
4 cups (900 g; 2 lb) sugar
1 teaspoon of flavored extract, such as peppermint or lemon
5 drops of food coloring
1 glass jar
Wooden skewers

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Lollipops

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1
Prepare your lollipop molds. Spray them with nonstick cooking spray so you'll be able to remove the finished lollipops without them cracking. Put the lollipop sticks in the molds.^{[2]
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- This recipe works with any type of hard candy molds. You can use drop molds, start or heart-shaped molds, or any other mold you like.
- Be sure to use candy molds, and not other types of food molds, since candy molds are designed to prevent the candy from sticking.
Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan. Put the saucepan on the stove over medium high heat.^{[3]
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Scrape down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush to keep it from sticking.
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Bring the mixture to a full boil. Stop stirring and check the temperature with a candy thermometer. Let the mixture keep boiling until it reaches 295 °F (146 °C), then immediately remove it from heat.
- It's important to remove the sugar mixture from heat at this exact temperature. Use a candy thermometer, and not a meat thermometer, to be sure your measurements are exact.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Rock Candy

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3
Add the food coloring and flavor. Rock candy takes on a beautiful hue that is accentuated by it's natural rock shape. Pick a color and flavor that complement each other. You can try one of these classic combinations or come up with your own:
- Purple rock candy with lavender flavoring.
- Orange rock candy with tangerine flavoring.
- Pink rock candy with rose flavoring.
- Red rock candy with cinnamon flavoring.
4
Suspend the wooden skewers in the solution. Place them evenly around the jar and lean them against the lip of the jar. Secure them in place with small pieces of tape, so they don't slide against each other while the rock candy forms.
- You can use wooden chopsticks in place of skewers.
- A string suspended from a pencil is also a good base for rock candy.
- Cover the jar with plastic wrap. This prevents dust and bugs from getting into the jar while the rock crystals form.
It takes a week or two for the sugar to crystallize into the shape of pretty rocks attached to the skewers.^{[6]
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When you're happy with the size of the rocks, remove the skewers from the jar and lay them out to dry.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Butterscotch Candy

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If you don't have one exactly this size, find another wide, shallow pan.^{[7]
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Place it on the stove over medium high heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Stop stirring and let it reach 270 degrees, making sure to check with your candy thermometer for the exact temperature. Remove it from heat.
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Use the knife to make diagonal score marks across the candy or make it as big as you want, so it'll be easier to break apart.

Community Q&A

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Question

How to make other kind of candy?

Community Answer

There are many books, websites and other resources on how to make different kinds of candy.

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Do I add food coloring when making sugar candy?

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That's your choice. If you want to add color, food coloring is a good option.

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How do we clean the things we used?

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Soak them in very hot water to dissolve any hardened sugar, and wash as normal.

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Tips

Even after hardening, hard candy for lollipops tend to be really sticky and can cling on to your teeth. Using less corn syrup may help to fix this.

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When cooling the candy, wait for it to harden naturally when you place it in the freezer or refrigerator.

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Wrap the sugar candy in foil or plastic wrap when storing leftovers.

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