How to Make Old-Fashioned Homemade Hard Candy - A Step-by-Step Guide

Old-Fashioned Homemade Hard Candy is a timeless confection that brings back memories of nostalgic candy shops and childhood treats. This recipe is a classic favorite, known for its sweet and vibrant flavors, as well as its satisfying crunch and long-lasting goodness. Making homemade hard candy is a fun and rewarding process, and the end result is a delightful treat that you can enjoy and share with your friends and family.

What sets this recipe apart is its simplicity and versatility....

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • ¾ cup light corn syrup
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 drop red food coloring (Optional)
  • ⅛ cup confectioners' sugar

Information

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Servings: 20
  • Yield: 1 1/4 pounds

  • Generously grease two 9-inch pans and one baking sheet.
  • Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a heavy 2 quart saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved; then cook without stirring, lowering the heat and cooking more slowly during the last few minutes, to the hard crack stage (300 degrees F). If sugar crystals form on sides of pan, wipe them off with a damp brush.
  • Remove from heat, add oil flavoring and enough food coloring to color; stir only to mix. Pour into greased 9-inch pans. Set one pan of candy over a sauce pan containing hot water (unless you have a helper to help cut the candy). As soon as the other pan of candy is cool enough to handle, cut it with scissors into 1-inch strips. Then snip the strips into pieces. Work fast. Drop the pieces onto the buttered baking sheet. If the candy cools too quickly, set it on a saucepan over hot water to soften it, but if it gets sticky, return at once to the work counter.
  • Toss in a small amount of powdered sugar to keep from sticking together. Repeat with the second pan of candy.
  • Nutrition

    116 cal.

    • Sodium: 8mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 30g
    • Total Sugars: 24g
    • Calcium: 2mg
    • Potassium: 1mg