Candy Recipes
Candy Canes
Ingredients
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups cold water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Peppermint flavoring oil
- Food coloring
Instructions
- Combine sugar, water, corn syrup and salt in a large heavy pan. Heat and stir until sugar crystals are dissolved, then stop stirring. Bring to a rolling boil and wash down the crystals, then add the cream of tartar. Boil rapidly to the hard crack stage on a candy thermometer.
- Pour two-thirds of the syrup out quickly onto a slab or greased flat pan.
- Pour the rest into a buttered glass pie pan, and do not move until partly set.
- Turn the edges in on each portion and add flavoring to each - about 6 drops of oil to the large portion and 3 to the small.
- Add food coloring to the small dish. As soon as possible, start to pull the portion in the large container until pearly-colored. (It will be very hot - butter your hands and set it down when it gets too hot!) Form it into a ball.
- Meanwhile gather up the colored portion and form it into a rope and wrap it around the ball.
- With one person on each end, start to stretch and twist the ball in opposite directions to form a long rope with the traditional stripe.
- Cut into lengths as necessary.
- When the desired diameter is achieved, cut and form into canes (roll it on the board to get it smooth). If it gets too cold to work with, put on a wooden breadboard in a warm oven to soften.