Hard Candy Recipe without a Thermometer

[@MittenMom]

This is the best recipe, and I love your video along with your written instructions. They were so helpful, and I followed to the T , and it turned out perfect. I’m very grateful as this is something I’m making tonight for Christmas presents for others. I wasn’t able to find any watermelon jelly ranchers for my boyfriend so I decided to make him homemade watermelon candy for Christmas. Had I not found your recipe, it would not have happened because the one I tried earlier today was a disaster.

[@Jacksonsjob]

What a lovely and endearing compliment, MittenMom! Truly thankful for your trusting me to help you make some candy for a special occasion. Watermelon sounds great! I am so glad to have helped you make a great gift for your boyfriend! :D If you dust them in some powdered sugar and store in an airtight jar, they will last much longer. I used to place them in little mason jars with a little bow attached for gifts. Hope this helps. Merry Christmas!

[@amywalter9528]

I just watched this video 2 times. Wrote down a couple notes n the measurements! And WITHOUT a candy thermometer I... me... this lady right here was able to create some very yummy cotton candy flavored hard glass candy for my family! First attempt and I Nailed it! 🥰 thank you so much for this video! Easy to follow! Easy to understand! And I did it!!! I actually did it y'all!

[@Jacksonsjob]

🎉🥳🎈 Love to hear this, Amy! Candy making is a bit tricky to learn so to nail it first try is quite an accomplishment! Enjoy your cotton candy…candy. That’s fun to say and sounds intriguing! 😁 My favorite flavor is cinnamon. It makes the whole house smell like red hots for hours. 🤣

[@saqersak4760]

Thank you so much this is the fourth time of trying to make it and finally it’s a success!

[@Jacksonsjob]

Fantastic! Candy making is a little tricky to learn. Great job on having a successful batch!

[@kimberlyhaugan9983]

Thank you for making and sharing this video.

[@Jacksonsjob]

You are very welcome. 🙂

[@ServingtoLive4Yah]

Nice video - thank you for sharing your recipe! I will try it out. 🍬🍭😊

[@Jacksonsjob]

You’re welcome, I hope you have much success!

[@cwgmama]

Thank you so much for sharing your recipe for hard candy. I was trying to think What flavor I may have. Then you said kool-aid.. Yes I know I have plenty of kool-aid here. My grandson is visiting. And I am going to make us a batch using your recipe!!! Thank You!!!

[@Jacksonsjob]

Have a good time making the candy! Enjoy the time with your grandson. My fondest childhood memories were spent at my grandparents house. The grape and cherry flavors taste the best according to my husband. 😆

[@Jacksonsjob]

Absolutely! It will taste very sweet with just a hint of caramel in the background.

[@Jacksonsjob]

You’re welcome!

[@DodgeThis24]

Thanks this gave me something to do with my day

[@Jacksonsjob]

You’re welcome!

[@DodgeThis24]

@@Jacksonsjob I’m gonna crack this in the morning so hope it turns out good tmrw!

[@Jacksonsjob]

Good luck! Hard candy is a little tricky to learn, so take your time and go slow.

[@DodgeThis24]

@@Jacksonsjob it worked! Thank you

[@Jacksonsjob]

@DodgeThis24 fantastic news! Enjoy your candy!

[@paigeworley3161]

Thanks so much I can't wait to try

[@Jacksonsjob]

I wish you much success. Learning to make candy is fun and frustrating at times. 🤞🏻

[@christinadokubo-bobmanuel6163]

Can I do it without glucose or corn syrup

[@Jacksonsjob]

Yes you can, but you have to be really careful to dissolve all the sugar crystals, especially on the sides of the pan as it cooks or it can crystallize. If it does go grainy and crystallize, you can reheat the mixture with more water as long as you didn’t burn it and try again. Some find adding one tsp (5ml) of vinegar or lemon juice helpful.

[@Wojtek_Ch]

When I boil it the bubbles are going really high getting out of the pot. Any way to prevent it without striring and reducing heat?

[@Jacksonsjob]

Hello, again. I replied on my other video where you asked this but I’ll be happy to copy and paste here as well. Have a great day! Oh no! Let’s troubleshoot. That can happen if the heat is too high. Unfortunately, since every stove is different, I give a general guideline on temperature. You were right to turn down the heat. What i recommend next time is to turn down the heat next time one level what you did prior. If it starts to bubble up, turn it down a bit more. You want the bubbles to be a good vigor, but not rise too high that it over flows. If it doesn’t want to harden after, you can scrape the mixture back into your pot and reheat it. To get to hardened stage, get a bowl and fill it with cold water and drop a few ice cubes if you have any. Then cook the mixture and when it turns a very light yellowish color or is no longer clear, remove it from the heat and carefully spoon out a bit of the syrup into the bowl with ice water. You should hear it crackle and after waiting several seconds (count to at least ten) so you don’t get burned, fish it out of the bowl and feel it. If it’s liquidy, syrupy, squishy or tacky and doesn’t felt hardened, it’s not ready. If it’s hardened and if there are any pieces that will snap off, then it’s ready. If it’s not ready, return it to the heat and keep checking every thirty seconds or so and keep removing it from the heat as you check. Removing it from the heat will prevent it from going too far and burning. Once you get to the hard candy stage, it will burn rather quickly and be brown or black and very bitter. If you go that far, it’s trashed. I hope this helps and let me know if you need anymore. Good luck! You can do this!

[@gidget8717]

Ran loves cinnamon disc candy. Its always in the candy dish by his recliner. I can't believe I haven't thought about trying to make it. Of course my candy making skills are like my yeast bread skills. 🤣 that is two things that require correct timing and my timing sucks evidently.

[@Jacksonsjob]

If he loves cinnamon candy it’s worth trying! But stand back when you put in cinnamon oil as it’s potent and is intense if you get a whiff of it in your nose. 😆 It takes a little practice but you will improve with time! One thing I like to practice with is koolaid packets. I just add 1 tsp of water to it and add it at the end. Much cheaper way to introduce flavor and coloring.

[@gidget8717]

@@Jacksonsjob I've never heard of flavoring using koolaid! And I've been around a long time 👵 I bet Ive read 500,000 books and magazines in my lifetime, and haven't seen that tip before today. Ive seen how to use it a dye for several different mediums but not for flavoring. Good idea tho, flavors and colors. A twofer. 👍

[@JustinAdamson270]

@@gidget8717 tastes wonderful with marshmallow creme in homemade chocolate

[@JustinAdamson270]

Garnish with frosted flakes it's yummy

[@Jacksonsjob]

@Justin Adamson that does sound great! My neighbor was just telling me she pours candy syrup over Fritos with pb and chocolate. It’s apparently a huge hit at parties.

[@djkb9596]

Can I use juice instead of water

[@Jacksonsjob]

You can, but you have to heat it slowly or it will scorch and burn.

[@djkb9596]

@@Jacksonsjob what I was trying to do is make chamoy hard candy can you please help????

[@Jacksonsjob]

Do you already have the chamoy sauce? If you want the chamoy to stay soft in the center, you would need a candy moldy and then add it after it was hardened and reheat sugar to glue the two molds together. Those molds can be found online. If you were wanting chamoy flavored hard candy, I would get the candy recipe up to 300F (roughly 150C) turn off the heat, carefully add 1-3 tbs of the sauce and then turn back on the heat and finish cooking. That way you are less likely to burn the sauce and keep the flavor. But you’ll want to stand back and shield your eyes from the steam and oils when adding chamoy because of the oils in the peppers. It will take trial and error to get the flavor right. I’d start out conservative. I make something kind of similar with a hot chili paste and I started out with just a teaspoon to practice until I got the hang of it.

[@djkb9596]

@@Jacksonsjob thank you 👍🏾

[@Jacksonsjob]

Good luck!

[@gevhfb9081]

How did u get this out from the water 2:12

[@Jacksonsjob]

You use a heat proof spoon and drop a small amount carefully into ice cold water and you’ll hear it crackle and instantly form into sharp candy. You can visually see that it’s hardened. Then you can add the food coloring and flavoring without further checking. I picked it out to show you all what it looks like but it’s not necessary and can be risky. Once you drop the sugar syrup in cold water, if you leave it several more seconds to chill you can then pick it out with minimal risk. I used my fingers but a spoon is the safest way. You have to be super careful and make sure the water is ice cold when you drop it in and wait long enough or you’ll get burned fingers.

[@IHave3Legs]

you know the business

[@Jacksonsjob]

And I know the chemistry. 🤣

[@tanyaflores6939]

Does it ever get sticky once it has been left out?

[@Jacksonsjob]

Yes. Hard candy is hydroscopic by nature meaning it absorbs the moisture in the air. It happens quickly in humid climates or on rainy days. If you ever placed any hard candy in the fridge, it quickly turns to gooey sludge. It needs to stay covered or individually wrapped in wax paper. Tossing it in powdered sugar also helps delay the process.

[@JustinAdamson270]

@@Jacksonsjob hard candy doesn't turn to gooey sludge in the fridge it gets even harder lol

[@Jacksonsjob]

😂 Maybe I should check my fridge. It totally turns into a puddle after a few weeks. I wonder if my thermostat is going bad again. 😳🤦🏻‍♀️

[@mahiralit.9863]

what is the purity of this?

[@Jacksonsjob]

Breaking Bad Fan? 😬

[@mahiralit.9863]

@@Jacksonsjob yes

[@Jacksonsjob]

We are, too! “Say my name.” 🤣

[@SHIFTYNTHAT1]

High heat? Low heat ?

[@Jacksonsjob]

In a medium saucepan, stir sugar mixture over medium heat until sugar dissolves. If any sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, brush them down with a pastry brush dipped in water. Turn up heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Stop stirring. I had to go look up the recipe as it’s been a while since I’ve made candy. Hope the above instructions help! If you have further questions, let me know.

[@SHIFTYNTHAT1]

@@Jacksonsjob thank you , I did the whole process on high heat. It turned out beautiful still . Thanks.

[@Jacksonsjob]

Excellent! High heat will work great for the skilled cook like you appear to be. Medium to medium high heats the sugar slower and helps those just starting out not to burn the candy. Enjoy your candy and the day!

[@brownadejumoke4012]

How to prevent it from melting after using for cake design?

[@Jacksonsjob]

@brownadejumoke4012 unfortunately, this type hard candy is hygroscopic by nature due to the sugar and will absorb surrounding moisture which quickly softens the candy as you are finding. The only thing you can really do is decorate right before serving. I have heard people have had better results with isomalt, but I’ve never used it so I can’t really speak if this is the case.

[@cristawoodruff5603]

How much koolaid do I use?

[@Jacksonsjob]

It’s been so long, I had to check the recipe myself. An entire packet with a tsp of water can be used for the most intense coloring and flavor.

[@JustinAdamson270]

You didn't measure the corn syrup at all

[@Jacksonsjob]

😂 It totally does look like that, Justin. However, if you look closely at 0:44 seconds, the pan is sitting on a scale. I was reading the weight of the corn-syrup as I went. I often weigh my ingredients instead of using measuring cups as it’s more accurate and you have less dishes to clean up. Basically, I’m a bit lazy. 😳😁

[@footbacon1]

JESSE

[@Jacksonsjob]

The Breaking Bad references never get old. Great show. 😂🤣