Lollipops

It's best not to make lollipops on a rainy or humid day.
CAUTION: When making candy, the syrup gets very hot. Keep away from Kids.

What You Need
1 cup sugar.
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 to 1 teaspoon flavoring

(You can use flavoring extracts that are available in the baking supplies
section of your local supermarket, such as vanilla, almond, anise, maple,
and lemon. Approximately 1 teaspoon of this kind of flavoring should be
enough for a batch of lollipops.
There are also highly-concentrated flavorings specifically for candy
making, available online or in specialty stores. The flavor choices are
almost endless. These usually come in tiny 1-dram (1 teaspoon) bottles,
and 1/4 teaspoon should be sufficient to flavor a batch of lollipops.)

liquid food coloring
1 to 2 teaspoon(s) citric acid

a nonstick or enameled saucepan, preferably with a spout
a wooden spoon
lollipop molds (either metal or white plastic hard-candy molds)
lollipop sticks or wooden skewers cut in half
a candy thermometer
a pastry brush
cooking oil spray
parchment paper
a cookie sheet or marble slab
plastic wrap or cellophane bags for wrapping finished lollipops
twist ties, ribbon, or cellophane tape for wrapping finished lollipops

What You Do

Prepare either a marble slab or an upside-down cookie sheet (air
underneath the sheet will help the candy to cool faster), by covering it
with parchment paper and spraying it with oil. If you're using molds,
prepare the molds with lollipop sticks, spray with oil, and place them on
a cookie sheet or marble slab.

In your pan, over medium heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, water,
and cream of tartar with a wooden spoon until the sugar crystals dissolve.

Continue to stir, using a pastry brush dampened with warm water to
dissolve any sugar crystals clinging to the sides of the pan, then stop
stirring as soon as the syrup starts to boil.

Place the candy thermometer in the pan, being careful not to let it touch
the bottom or sides, and let the syrup boil without stirring until the
thermometer just reaches 300 F (hard-crack stage).

Remove the pan from the heat immediately and let the syrup cool to about
275 F before adding flavor, color, and citric acid (adding it sooner
causes most of the flavor to cook away).

CAUTION
Be careful! The sugar syrup is extremely hot! If you burn yourself, run
cold water over your hand for several minutes, but do not apply ice.

Working quickly, pour the syrup into the prepared molds and let cool for
about 10 minutes. If you're not using molds, pour small (2-inch) circles
onto the prepared marble slab or cookie sheet and place a lollipop stick
in each one, twisting the stick to be sure it's covered with candy.

Let the lollipops cool for at least 10 minutes, until they are hard. Wrap
individually in plastic wrap or cellophane and seal with tape or twist
ties. Store in a cool, dry place.

--
Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia Hill at .
Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting.
Please allow several days for your submission to appear.
Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/