Part of our family's Christmas tradition is to make hard candy. It is the recipe from the Lorann flavoring oils package- we have always made cinnamon, wintergreen (the kids say this tastes like toothpaste), peppermint, and spearmint in the past, but this year we thought we'd shake things up and go for the fruit flavors- grape, orange, watermelon, peach, strawberry and apple.
Getting the cookie sheets coated with powdered sugar ready while Daddy cooks the candy.
We make "tracks" in the sugar to keep the hot candy in lines- easier for cutting.
The more help, the better. Once the candy is ready to cut, you have to work fast before it gets too hard.
That sifter over by Abby?- you have to sift the candy after it's cut to get off the excess powdered sugar. The Lorann recipe says to pour the candy onto greased cookie sheets and to break the candy into pieces, but I think the way we do it works better - and gives you that extra dose of sugar we all need around the holidays...
The candy needs to reach 310 degrees before adding the food coloring and flavoring. This is the part that takes the longest. It's hard to wait until the first batch is ready.
Pouring the candy, dusting the top with more powdered sugar, then the cutting with scissors. The candy is VERY hot so we have to wait a few minutes until it is cool enough to handle.
First batch done! Repeat five more times. (Make that six- one batch burned).
Clean up (sigh).
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