Candy Cane Karma

I was feeling brave after the success of marshmallows and pralines. So we went a new direction. I thought it would be fun to make candy canes. In hindsight, I should have taken my past history with candy canes more seriously. When I was kindergarten-ish age, my parents decided to make candy cane cookies. I will just say that they were amazing in their disgustingness. Like peppermint wallpaper paste cookies. And the two subsequent years we tried were no more successful. It seems that my candy cane issues have followed me.

Still, this recipe is great and I think my issues can be overcome next time if I just follow directions. This adventure includes some minor modifications to http://www.whirlybirdblog.com/2009/12/christmas-craft-homemade-candy-canes.html

Candy Canes

Equipment: candy thermometer, latex gloves, a pair of tight-fitting knit gloves

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon flavoring (Bitty and I despise mint. So we went with cherry.)
1/2 cup water (+1 Tbsp)
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon food coloring
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
powdered sugar, for dusting
vegetable oil, for greasing pans and utensils

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees before you start.

Oil several sheet pans, one for each colored stripe. (Be generous with the oil. Do not cover your pans in foil before oiling to save yourself cleanup or you will end up with bits of foil stuck in your candy. They won’t come out. Trust me on that one.)

Combine sugar, water, syrup, and cream of tartar. Heat until the sugar is dissolved very fine (medium heat).

Bring to boil, but don't stir until it reaches 280F (270F). Take sugar mixture off of the heat and add flavoring.

Pour globs of mixture onto oiled sheet pans - you want a separate glob/pan for each stripe color. (This link says that they used white as the primary color. I did not. I will next time.)

Drip the coloring to the non-white portions.

Put on the knit gloves and layer the latex gloves over them. Inexpensive knit gloves that are relatively tight will give you some insulation from the heat and better dexterity.

With an oiled silicon spatula, gently lift the edges of the candy, folding it over itself a few times. Scrape it off the pan, and start working it with your hands. The more you work it the lighter the color becomes, so if you are making white, you will have to work a little longer on the uncolored portion until it turns from yellow to white. However, if you are working on a colored section, don't pull it too much or the color will fade.

After you have formed 8" ropes of each desired color, it is time to form a log. Set the main color (in our case red, the largest section) on an oiled surface. Press the remaining colors (blue and purple, Bitty’s pick) onto each side of the log. When you press and rub the ropes with your hands, they should melt into one smooth log. If the candy starts to cool while you are forming the canes, it will break easily. No problem, just set your candy in the warm oven for a couple of minutes and it will become pliable again. (Seriously, just a couple of minutes.)

Working on one end, gently pull the candy outward, twisting to form the striped candy cane pattern. When you have pulled a section of your desired thickness, cut the rope and shape into a cane. Set aside on a surface dusted with powdered sugar to keep the canes from sticking. Repeat this process until you run out of candy. (Between the foil issues and the fact that we left a blob in the oven too long and it recrystallized, we ended up with exactly 4 large candy canes. All purple. Bitty and Bean still swear that looks don’t matter and taste is what counts.)

Still, we had a good time. And it was certainly educational for all of us.