Every year, I like to make hard candies to send to friend and family in December. I had some trouble getting the candy to turn out the way I wanted. Specifically, it was chronically coming out sticky, and using citric acid seemed to make the problem worse. So I began to document my batches in an attempt to figure out the issue.

I begin with my notes, and the recipe updated based on my findings appears at the end of this post.

Notes

2017-10-01

Made lavender candy with hexagonal jewel molds from LorAnn’s. In the single recipe, I used about 1.25 droppers of flavoring, and it ended up being a bit too subtle. With 3 drops of blue and 5 drops of red, we got an appropriate lavender purple.

The webbing on the molds was a little thick. Reading suggests that each candy should be separate and not be attached to any adjacent cavities.

2017-10-02

Made grapefruit candy with hexagonal jewel molds. Used approximately 9 droppers of flavor and it’s still not potent enough. With 10 drops of red and one of blue, we got a grapefruit red, leaning slightly to purple. I added two teaspoons of citric acid after the mixture had cooled to approximately 265º and it did not burn. However, the citric acid had some clumps in it which were hard to remove – probably best to crush and/or sift in the future. The candy also came out a little gummy, which may be a result of the oil or the acid.

We used a spatula to distribute the candy in the molds evenly. Filling 3/4 of the mold cavities didn’t quite leave enough room, so perhaps next time using 2/3 of the mold would be best. The technique worked well, otherwise, often giving us completely detached candies.

2017-12-04

Made pomegranate candy with hexagonal jewel molds. At approximately 25 drops per dropper, it takes about 3 droppers for one dram. I didn’t use any citric acid in this batch, and while it came out harder than the previous batch, it still sticks to my teeth. I will try using less corn syrup in the next batch.

I used 7 droppers of flavoring, but I waited until all boiling had stopped after removing from heat. That step is in the recipe from LorAnn’s oils, but I hadn’t seen it before. This seemed to have a substantial impact on the intensity of the flavor. I used 18 drops of red and 1 drop of blue dye, which produced a relatively deep, dark red suitable for pomegranate or raspberry.

2017-12-05

Made grape candy, but tried using 3/4C of corn syrup after reading a couple of articles suggesting that as an invert sugar it prevents the crystallization of sugar and leads to more brittle, less gooey candy.

I used 12 drops red and 12 drops blue, which was a good ratio, but so dark as to effectively be black.

I accidentally allowed the temperature to reach 310 degrees, and while the candy has a slight burnt taste to it, it was the least sticky batch I’ve made to date.

2017-12-06

Mango candy with 14 drops yellow, 3 drops red; that provided a nice deep orange appropriate for mango or orange flavors, but for peach I should ease off the red so that it’s not so dark.

I added 3/4C corn syrup like the last run, and allowed this batch to reach 305 degrees. After cooling to 265, I added about a teaspoon of citric acid after removing all the clumps. It came out fine, but stickier than I would have liked. I’ll have to try tinkering with the recipe some more. Some sources also suggest using cream of tartar.

2017-12-09

Lemon candy with no corn syrup, allowed this batch to reach 310 before cooling. Added 3tsp of citric acid at 265 degrees. 10 drops of yellow made a color appropriate for lemon.

The flavor was fine, but it was still a little sticky.

2017-12-09

Pear candy with no corn syrup and no citric acid. I have the suspicion that my thermometer is not accurate, so I used an infrared thermometer as a second opinion. The infrared thermometer was difficult to get a good reading with, but was consistently about 10-15 degrees lower than the candy thermometer.

I allowed the batch to reach 318 degrees by my candy thermometer’s scale before turning off the heat. I stirred the mixture as well, until all the bubbling had stopped. I have a suspicion that this helps to allow more water to leave the mixture, without adding additional heat and therefore running the risk of burning the sugar.

The candy was hard, but very grainy. I will try again with corn syrup, the higher temperature, and stirring to release additional water.

2017-12-10

Pear (10 yellow, 2 green), licorice (15 blue, 15 red), cherry (10 red) candy with 2/3 C corn syrup. Removed from heat after reaching 315 degrees, stirring to allow all the bubbles to escape, and they came out as desired. Not gummy, not grainy, not sticky. Success!

Recipe

A holiday treat. I highly recommend reading through all the instructions and notes before beginning, and be prepared that this may take a couple of iterations to get right for your equipment and environmental conditions.

Ingredients

  • 2 C granulated sugar
  • 2/3 - 3/4 C corn syrup
  • 3/4 C water
  • 0-3 tsp citric acid
  • 2 drams (0.25 fl. oz.) flavor oils (typically LorAnn’s)
  • 1-2 tsp corn starch (optional)
  • food coloring
  • spray oil (like Pam)

Tools

  • candy thermometer
  • molds, or baking sheet and aluminum foil
  • spatula

Instructions

  1. Prepare molds. A very light dusting of spray oil is sufficient. If using molds, one coating will usually last 3-4 batches. If using a baking sheet, line the sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking oil.
  2. Mix the granulated sugar, water, corn syrup in a pot on medium heat. Insert candy thermometer so that it does not touch the bottom, is suspended in the mixture.
  3. Mix occasionally until boiling clear. Until the water is hot enough, not all the sugar will dissolve. An occasional stir until then helps in staving off minor burning on the bottom, but it’s not terribly necessary. At some point, the mixture will pick up in bubbling as a white opaque suspension, and then suddenly turn clear as it continues to bubble. No stirring is necessary at this point.
  4. Around 250-270° F, add food coloring. See below for some color suggestions.
  5. Promptly remove from heat at 300-310° F (hard crack). Your candy thermometer may or may not be calibrated at this temperature, so the reading on your thermometer may vary. The temperature will rise slightly after removed from heat, but don’t worry about that.
  6. Stir the mixture while it is still at hard crack temperature. The goal is to allow additional water to escape; bubbling will increase. Stop stirring when only tiny bubbles remain, and allow them to dissipate.
  7. Add flavorings and mix thoroughly. Approximately two drams (0.25 fl. oz.) gives a nice, strong flavor. If using a dropper, this is about 150 drops, or about 6-7 droppers full.
  8. If using citric acid, allow the mixture to cool to 265-270° F before mixing it in. Adding it while the mixture is too hot produces an unpleasant bitter flavor in the candies.
  9. Remove the thermometer from the mix. Setting it in a glass of water allows the hardening candy on it to dissolve.
  10. Pour the candy into the molds, using the spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot as you go. The candy cools quickly when in thin sheets, so keeping the molten candy all together in the pot as you pour provides the highest yield.
  11. Use the spatula to quickly smooth out the candy. It hardens quickly, so do not overwork it.
  12. If using a baking sheet as a mold, once the candy has cooled a bit, you may want to use a butter knife to score the sheet of hardening candy so that it’s easier to break apart. The candy must be soft enough to allow you to push in the knife, but hard enough that it doesn’t stick to the knife or re-melt together.
  13. Once cooled, break them apart and store them. Coating a batch in a teaspoon or two of corn starch will prevent candies from sticking together if the batch is slightly tacky.

Color Suggestions

  • lavender - 3 drops blue, 5 drops red
  • grapefruit - 10 drops red, 1 drop blue
  • pomegranate, raspberry - 18 drops red, 1 drop blue
  • grape - 8 drops red, 8 drops blue
  • mango, orange - 14 drops yellow, 3 drops red
  • lemon - 10 drops yellow
  • pear - 10 drops yellow, 2 drops green
  • licorice - 15 drops blue, 15 drops red
  • cherry - 10 drops red

Problem Solving

Sticky Candy

This is usually because there is too much moisture in the candy. Your thermometer may not be calibrated correctly, so try allowing the mixture to get maybe 5° F hotter the next time. As the mixture approaches the right temperature, it may start to smell very slightly of caramelization, which is one indication I use. You can also take some of the mixture and drop it into cold water. It should instantly become hard and brittle and not tacky when you bite it.

Bitter Candy

If you’re using citric acid, adding it in while the mixture is too hot can cause a very unpleasant bitter taste. Allow the mixture to cool to about 265°F before missing in the citric acid.

Grainy Candy

If the candy comes out opaque and grainy, you are probably not using enough corn syrup. Read more about why it’s used. I’ve also had some success using a few teaspoons of citric acid in place of corn syrup, and others claim to use cream of tartar for the same purpose.