Confetti Rock Candy
My husband's sister Monica, use to make this for us every Christmas, and it was one of the things I looked forward to the most at his family gathering! I was so happy when I found a rock candy recipe online, I COULD NOT wait to make it. Hers always reminded me of confetti, it was tiny little pieces or shards of rock candy in different colors, and each color had a different flavor, packaged in a tiny little tub. I think the tiny pieces was one of the things that made it different, and it was easier to eat than a normal sized piece of hard candy. Probably because you could get more flavors in and didn't have to commit to one large hunk of any flavor. Does that make sense?
The flavors I remember her having for sure were peppermint, anise (licorice), butterscotch, cinnamon, and spearmint. I want to say there was cherry and orange in there too, but I'm not positive. I do not like black jelly beans or black licorice, but the anise flavored tiny rock candies were my favorite. So, I was on a short mission to find some candy oil, which proved harder than I thought. I found them online, but didn't want to wait for shipping. I went to Michael's craft store and they did not have them, so I opted for a less potent version and got the flavor extracts from the baking isle at the grocery store, these are not as potent as the pure oils (go with the oils if you can, the flavor is stronger). Sometimes I have zero patience.
So... if you have never made candy before, I would highly recommend that you just start with one flavor, multiple flavors can be a little overwhelming (and a whole lot of work). I broke mine up, and did one or two flavors a week, over a period of a few weeks. You also need a candy thermometer for each batch, if you only have one, you can only make one batch at a time. Be careful with the glass thermometers, the first time I ever used one, I broke it in my pot of toffee, insert sad face. Find a quick tutorial on how to use a candy thermometer here: How to Use a Candy Thermometer
I this would make a cute teacher or neighbor gift, packaged in a fun Holiday mug, or a Christmas tin:
Step by step visual guide:
Confetti Rock Candy Recipe
Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients:
3-3/4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon candy oil flavoring (or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flavor extract)
10 drops food coloring
Tools:
Candy thermometer
Sheet pan
Parchment paper
Large spoon
1 quart Ziploc bag
Hammer
Plastic wrap
Instructions:
Prepare sheet pan, with parchment paper and a coat of non-stick cooking spray. In a medium sauce pan, bring water, corn syrup, and sugar to a boil, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves. Continue to boil on medium high heat, when the temperature reaches 260 degrees, add in the food coloring (do not stir). Continue boiling until the candy thermometer reaches hard crack, 302 degrees (this takes about 30 minutes), do not stir. Remove from heat and stir in candy flavoring. Carefully (because it's hot), pour onto prepared sheet pan. Let it dry, (it takes about 30 minutes). Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and break candy up using the pry side of a hammer (the blunt side crushes too much and makes too much powder). The smaller the pieces, the better. Place candy pieces and powdered sugar in a quart Ziploc and shake to cover. Combine multiple flavors in different colors for a confetti look.
Recipe adapted from: Serendipity Mommy and LorAnn
Where to purchase LorAnn candy oils: LorAnn Oils and Hobby Lobby, each dram holds 1 teaspoon of oil, therefore, each tiny bottle makes one batch of hard candy.
My favorite girls modeling candy (their favorite food group):
Cheers!
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