DIY Candy!

Well, I've finally gone 'round the bend, domestically. I've now started making my own candy! I've got a really simple recipe for some great lollipops. These taste really great and they last forever! Honestly, hours ... I guess this just proves that nearly everything tastes better homemade.

Here is what you'll need:

1/2 cup Karo Syrup

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

flavored oil to taste [about 1/2 tsp or more]

a fun sucker mold! 

sticks/baggies/ribbon or ties

candy thermometer [this is a must!!]

food-grade mold coating spray

  

I got my mold online for about $1, I already had sugar/Karo/water 

and I got the flavored oils, sticks and bags at Michaels!

Instructions:

Add the water/syrup/sugar in a saucepan 

Set heat to med-high

Let the mixture boil until it reaches hard-crack temp [300 degrees].

This will look like Sprite, will get thicker and begins making large bubbles around 250 degrees.

Remove immediately upon reaching the hard-crack stage ... 

this mixture has a tendency to burn quickly after 300 degrees!

Next, add your food coloring [about 3 drops depending on how bright you want it].

Add in the food oil. I probably put about 1 tsp in

it will smell really strongly [especially the peppermint!]

Don't let this mixture stand, stir in your oil and coloring and then 

immediately pour or spoon the mixture into the mold.

The goal here is to cover the stick but not overflow!

Tips:

#1. You can use any pot for this, but don't freak out when you see it harden 

into an almost plastic-like thickness!

Simply let it harden and then you can melt it down and rinse the 

pot with hot water. I definitely thought my pot was ruined the first time!

#2. Flavored oils and food extract are NOT the same thing!

The extract will simply evaporate at these high temperatures, so go ahead 

and search for the oils. I looked everywhere and finally found them

on the cake-making aisle at Michaels. They're really in expensive!

#3. When you reach about 250 degrees, watch your pot carefully!

There is a swiftness to the rising temperature that 

could really mess things up for you if you're not careful.

#4. This is messy as hell. I'm one of those people that kind of just

jumps into things without thinking, so I made a giant mess, 

but this is certainly avoidable. I'm sure you'll 

do much better!

So cute!! I made these and sold them to help raise funds for the History Club, of which I am now President. Yay! My plans for next semester involve a lot of cemetery activity, naturally. And a trip to New Orleans in the Spring! If you or someone you know would like to join, e-mail me! LSUSHistory@gmail.com

♥