Old-Fashioned Hard Candy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put cream of tartar on hard candy? ›

It can help stabilize and maintain the structure of whipped cream and meringue so they don't fall flat once you're done whipping them. Preventing sugar crystallization. Cream of tartar can prevent your homemade hard candy, caramel, and toffee from forming a gritty texture due to sugar crystallization.

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.

Hard candies can last up to one year if they're stored properly. Keep it in a cool, dry place away from humidity and heat. The coating of powdered sugar at the end of the recipe helps to keep hard candies from absorbing moisture from the air.

3/4 cup water. 1 small bottle (1 teaspoon) LorAnn Super Strength flavoring, any flavor * liquid food coloring or gel food coloring (as desired)

For instance, if the recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar, use 1 teaspoon of juice or vinegar. Cream of tartar can also be a great way to stop sugar from crystallizing when making some types of candies, such as caramel. If this is why the recipe calls for the ingredient, you can substitute corn syrup instead.

The FDA recognizes cream of tartar as a safe ingredient when consumed in small quantities. Ingesting high amounts of it may lead to hyperkalemia, or dangerously high potassium blood levels.

In hard candy making, it is important to cook all the water out of the sugar/corn syrup/water mixture. If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

Provides Smooth Texture: Corn syrup helps to create a smooth and glossy texture in candies, ensuring that they are not grainy or gritty.

Quickly pour the syrup into lightly oiled molds or on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and let harden. To prevent the candy from sticking, dust finished pieces with powdered sugar.

If the candy forms a firm but not hard ball, it is in the firm ball stage. The temperature of this stage is between 242—248°F. Caramels are cooked to the firm ball stage. If the candy forms thick threads when it drips from the spoon, it is in the hard ball stage or 250°—265°F.

What is the oldest Christmas candy? ›

One of the oldest traditional candies eaten for special occasions like Christmas is marzipan. This almond-based confection dates back centuries, with origins in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Each region has its own uses for the sweet.

Oil-Based Color

Oil-based food, candy or chocolate coloring was created to be used in candy making. These are best used for recipes that contain high amounts of fats and oils. This type of coloring is designed to blend & bond with oils and fats creating bold vibrant colors.

Rubber or plastic molds should be used with hard candy only if they are designed specifically for that purpose. Clean, dry, and lightly oil molds to prevent the sugar from sticking. Vegetable oil is suitable for this purpose. Note that silicone molds do not require oil.

Cream of tartar is a white powder sold in the baking aisle that's commonly used to stabilize whipped egg whites in meringues and cakes, prevent sugar crystallization in candies and caramel, and act as the activating ingredient in baking powder.

Cream of tartar stabilizes the tiny bubbles in the egg whites, by precluding the egg proteins from sticking together. It thus speeds up the egg white whipping process and contributes to a stable, billowy, glossy meringue, perfect for cookies, topping pies, and folding into cake.

It is useful in this recipe because it's an acid, another form of "interfering agent," which inverts sucrose into fructose and glucose and thereby helps to prevent crystallization of the sugar syrup.

In baked goods, cream of tartar is used as a leavener, to give cakes, muffins and cookies their rise. It has a tinny, metallic taste that's most noticeable in Snickerdoodle cookies. A tiny pinch added to water also helps vegetables maintain their color when they're blanched.