Christmas Hard Candy Recipe

Here's a quick and simple recipe for some Christmas candy!

(Thanks Nancy!)

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup

Powder sugar (enough for the last part. can be re-used for multiple batches)

Flavors: (oil based flavors)
1/2 tsp for peppermint or cinnamon
1 tsp for orange, lime or wintergreen
1/8 tsp for anise

Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add sugar and syrup. Stir to dissolve. Return to heat and bring to a boil and cover for about 3 minutes to let the steam wash the sugar from the sides.

Uncover and cook over high heat. Bring to hard crack (300 degrees) do not stir but watch closely. When it is close to hard crack the mixture will be all bubbly and just start to turn from white to a little yellowish. Do not let it get any more color. Remove from heat and add food color and oil based flavoring ( see below )

Flavors:(generally minty flavors require less, fruit flavors a bit more)
1/2 tsp for peppermint or cinnamon
1 tsp for orange, lime or wintergreen
1/8 tsp for anise

match color to flavor

Quickly stir in color and your choice of flavor. The mix will thicken rapidly as it cools. Poor on to a bed of powdered sugar. use a cookie sheet for this part. when cooled to room temp just break into random sized peices.

This is a tried and true Holiday recipe we've used for years. Well when I say "we" I have always helped out with the eating part of this recipe.