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I often get asked on the Facebook page, Crafty Side, how to make hard candy. So I was thrilled when Heather Meeks offered to put together this post to show you all. If you haven’t seen Heather’s recipes yet, she is starting to help out here and just posted an amazing Gingerbread Men Recipe a few days ago. Check her out. She’s awesome. But onto Heather’s recipe!
This recipe is a Christmas favorite in my house. In the years before I used essential oils, I bought cinnamon flavoring from my local grocery store. Oh my, guys…this is so much better! I even branched out and tried peppermint and orange along with the cinnamon bark. They didn’t disappoint! Please don’t be intimidated by making hard candy, it really is super easy!
How To Make Hardy Candy: Peppermint, Cinnamon & Orange
What You Will Need:
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- Cookie sheet
- Large saucepan
- Candy thermometer
- 2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup corn syrup (I use Karo)
- 1 cup water
- 10-20 drops Young Living essential oil (I used 10 for peppermint, 10 for cinnamon bark, and 30 for orange…I made 3 batches)
- Food coloring (optional)
- Powdered sugar for dusting
How To Make Hard Candy with Essential Oils
- Lightly grease a cookie sheet with shortening, then dust with powdered sugar.
- Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a large saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
- Stop stirring and attach a candy thermometer to pot.
- Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat until the thermometer reads 300-310 degrees F. This will take a few minutes, so be patient. Check temperature often as it will jump quickly to desired temperature.
- Remove from heat and add in essential oil of your choice and food coloring, if desired. Keep your head back and away from directly over the pot. When you stir in essential oils, the steam will clear you out!
- Pour candy onto prepared cookie sheet.
- Let cool, then dust with powdered sugar.
- Using a spoon, crack the candy into bite sized pieces. Be sure to store in an airtight container to reduce drawing moisture.
My kids could not stay away from the candy! When told they have had enough, they said “But it’s SO good!” My husband said the cinnamon and peppermint could have been a bit stronger, but I felt for my kids, ages 6 and 8, that it was just right.
My parents used to make this all the time when I was a kid, so this brings back loads of memories for me (whacking the candy sheet with the little candy hammer we had to crack it was always my favorite part)
I have been wanting to make this for a long time now so I am gonna use these ingredients and directions and I will let everyone know how it turned out for me. I hope it’s as delicious as it looks and sounds…..
Hello!! I want to know why when I make my hard candy the texture is more like a jolly rancher (chewy and hard to crack) I cook the mixture to the hard crack stage 310.
My Aunt Marilyn use to make hard candy and they would pour into a marble slab, and then crack it. This sounds so good and easy, I am definitely making some this year for Christmas to give to my neighbors. Can’t wait, we use to guess the flavors it was fun
I make tunnels of powdered sugar and pour it into strips and then take a pair of kitchen scissors just before it gets hard and snip into little pieces so it’s not sharp for kids and it’s not you’re not making it fly all over the place that is what my grandma used to do so that little kids could eat it and they didn’t have sharp corners
I have had this happen when the humidity is high.
That’s how we have made it for over 30 years!
I’m looking for a recipe for cinnamon peppermint candy. Walmart carried bags of them during the holidays years ago. Itvwas a mint that had both peppermint and cinnamon together.. BTW I’m in ColoradoSprings.