Cooks Recipes | Old-Fashioned Hard Candy Recipe

Old-Fashioned Hard Candy

2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup water 3/4 cup light corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract 1 drop red food coloring (optional) 1/8 cup powdered sugar

In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved; then cook without stirring, lowering the heat and cooking more slowly during the last few minutes, to the hard crack stage (300*F), If sugar crystals form on sides of pan, wipe them off with a damp brush.
Remove from heat, add oil flavoring and enough food coloring to color; stir only to mix. Pour into 2 well buttered 9-inch pans. Set one pan of candy over a sauce pan containing hot water (unless you have a helper to help cut the candy). As soon as the other pan of candy is cool enough to handle, cut it with scissors into 1-inch strips. Then snip the strips into pieces. Work fast. Drop the pieces onto a buttered baking sheet. If the candy cools too quickly, set it on a saucepan over hot water to soften it, but if it gets sticky, return at once to the work counter.
Toss in a small amount of powdered sugar to keep from sticking together. Repeat with the second pan of candy.

Makes about 1 1/4 pounds or 20 servings.

Nutritional facts per serving:
Calories 115, Protein 0g, Total Fat 0g, Sodium 15mg, Cholesterol 0mg, Carbohydrates 30.2g,
Fiber 0g.

Adapted from a recipe by Tami L. Smith.