Peppermints and Cinnamon Drops!

December 28, 2005 11:54 AM

So I got a big bag o' peppermints in my stocking and I've been enjoying them. They've also got me thinking about making my own hard candies (peppermints, cinnamon drops, Worther's-like buttercream, etc..). The only problem is, just about everything I've been able to dig up centers more on chocolate or is shy on the basics. I picked up Candy Making for Dummies, but the closest that it gets is brittles. Anyone an accomplished or amateur candy maker and can point me to some solid introductory information. Also, does anyone know if you can use Splenda instead of sugar when making hard candies?
posted by Ikazuchi to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Lots o' results searching for stained glass candy.
posted by grateful at 11:56 AM on December 28, 2005

OK twiggy, that was really not helpful at all.

To answer the question:

1. It's really not hard (ha ha) to make hard candy. If you can make a soft caramel, you can make a hard candy- just cook it to a higher temperature before cooling. Make sure you've got a reliable thermometer.

2. Hard candy is virtually 100% sugar- that's your medium. It's what provides the substance of the candy. Splenda is something like 10,000X sweeter than sugar, so the stuff in the yellow bag in the store is really maltodextrin powder with a little bit of splenda mixed in. You can't make caramel/hard candy from that. The stuff in the first link in twiggy's useless google search about homemade Splenda candy contains something called Isomalt, which is a lower-calorie sugar that provides bulk and a little sweetness. Splenda is added to restore a normal level of sweetness to the candy.
posted by rxrfrx at 12:12 PM on December 28, 2005

I don't know anything about making candy but when I make sweets like tarts I use Stevia or, more often, Agave Nectar to sweeten things. They're available at any health food store. You may want to check into them.
posted by dobbs at 12:19 PM on December 28, 2005

Betty Crocker has a recipe for making suckers (lollipops).
posted by yodelingisfun at 12:22 PM on December 28, 2005

I don't know if Splenda would work in place of sugar (I doubt it), but hard candy is basically just sugar heated to the hard-crack stage (300-310F) and then cooled. So get yourself a candy thermometer (or do it the old fashioned way, and drop bits into cold water until you get the desired texture), mix up some sugar with just enough water to wet it, add your flavoring, heat til hot enough, pour it out and cool it. Hard candy is a cinch.
posted by uncleozzy at 1:11 PM on December 28, 2005

An excellent source for basic candy making of every sort, including hard candy, is The Joy of Cooking. I believe the Fannie Farmer Cookbook has similar coverage.
posted by redfoxtail at 5:05 PM on December 28, 2005

By the way, melted sugar gets really hot. Much hotter than boiling water. It's pretty much napalm. So be careful around kids, pets, and your skin.
posted by staggernation at 5:53 PM on December 28, 2005

if you're still reading this: candy making ingredients, books, and related stuff is part of our family business, and I'd be glad to put you in touch with the right people to answer your questions on basic books, sweetener details, etc., to get started. (I'd rather not do it here as I'm not trying to be a shill, and they would have more detailed answers than I.)

My take on the sugars: I'm also leaning towards the store-splenda-won't-cut-it; Isomalt is wonderful if you use it right, but real sugar is the awesomest.
posted by whatzit at 11:36 PM on December 30, 2005