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Lollipops

Source of Recipe

From "The Sweet Book of Candy Making" by Elizabeth LaBau


Recipe Introduction

"If you love classic lollipops, then this is the recipe for you! These lollipops can be customized with your favorite colors and flavoring extracts to make an endless variety of treats. If you don't want to use candy molds, you can make free-form lollipops by dropping spoonfuls of the cooked candy onto a silicone mat and then inserting a lollipop stick before the candy hardens."

List of Ingredients

◦  4 ounces or ½ cup water
◦  7 ounces or 1 cup granulated sugar
◦  11 ounces or 1 cup light corn syrup
◦  1 to 2 teaspoons flavoring extract (see Note below)
◦  3 or 4 drops gel food coloring of your choice


Recipe

Prepare your hard candy lollipop molds by coating the cavities with a very light layer of nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil. Insert lollipop sticks into the molds and set aside for now.

Combine the water, granulated sugar, and corn syrup in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. When the sugar syrup comes to a boil, insert a candy thermometer.

Continue to cook the sugar syrup, stirring occasionally, until the thermometer reads 300° F. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the candy stop bubbling completely. Once it is still, stir in the flavoring extract and the food coloring of your choice.

Carefully spoon the hot sugar syrup into the prepared molds, making sure that the top of the sticks are covered with syrup and are well embedded in the candy. Let the lollipops sit and harden at room temperature until they are completely cool and firm. Once cool, don't pull them out by the sticks. Instead, carefully flex the back of the molds to remove the lollipops without causing any breakage.

Lollipops keep well when stored in a cool, dry environment. For best results, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.


Makes 8 large (2-inch) lollipops


â—¦ Note:
The strength of extracts varies greatly from brand to brand and flavor to flavor. Some, like vanilla, are quite mild, while others, like peppermint and cinnamon, are very strong. It may take some trial and error to determine how much flavoring to add to suit your taste. Never add the flavoring until the candy stops bubbling; if you add it too early, the heat from the candy will just cook off most of the flavor. If you are using flavoring oils, they are much stronger than extracts, so start by adding just ¼ to ½ teaspoon flavoring oil.

â—¦ Variation:
To make sour lollipops, add 1 teaspoon citric acid to the sugar syrup when you add the flavoring and color. Citric acid adds a tart, tangy flavor.