Best Sour Hard Candy Recipes

LEMON DROP CANDY RECIPE

Steps:

• Squeeze lemons until you get 1 cup of fresh juice.
• Combine lemon juice and sugar and stir to dissolve.
• Boil mixture until thick and syrupy-about 20-30 minutes, stirring regularly. Test the syrup by dropping a small bit into cold water-if it crystallizes and becomes brittle, it's ready!
• Spray down a mini muffin tin or silicone mold with cooking spray and add heated mixture to the tin/mold. Fill each mini muffin cup less than halfway full, or fill small silicone molds about ¾ full. (I used a cooking syringe to help transfer my syrup into the silicone molds.)
• Transfer filled molds to the fridge to cool until hardened, ~1-2 hours.
• Pop out and enjoy!
• Yields 30 homemade lemon drop hard candies.

HOW TO MAKE SOUR CANDY

Steps:

• Puree the fruit. Add 1 cup (200 g) of frozen fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries, that has been defrosted to a food processor. Process the fruit until it is pureed smooth. If you don't have a food processor, you can puree the fruit in a blender.
• Heat the fruit, water, lemon juice, and honey to a simmer. Add the pureed fruit, 1 cup (79 ml) of water, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of fresh lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons (43 g) of honey to a small saucepan. Place it on the stove over medium-low heat, and heat it until it reaches a simmer, which should take 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the mixture with a whisk periodically to ensure that the ingredients are well blended.
• Whisk the gelatin into the mixture. Once the mixture reaches a simmer, sprinkle 4 teaspoons (12 g) of unflavored gelatin over it. Use a whisk to mix it in, stirring constantly. Add the gelatin to the mixture slowly. If you dump it in all at once, it can form a glob that you won't be able to get rid of.
• Return the mixture to a simmer. After the gelatin is incorporated, continue heating the mixture on medium-low. Allow it to come back to a simmer, stirring often to ensure that the ingredients are combined. The mixture's texture will change as the gelatin melts in. Instead of have a grainy, jelly-like consistency, it will become smooth and glassy.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it to remove hard bits. When the gelatin is fully melted in, take the pan off the stove. Pour into a heatproof measuring cup through a sieve to remove any hard bits of fruit or gelatin and discard the solids. If there are any bubbles on the top of the mixture after you've strained it, remove them with a spoon.
• Pour the mixture into molds and chill them for several hours. Once the mixture is strained, add it to silicone candy molds. Place the molds in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to fully set up. Because the candy has the texture of gummy bears, you may want to use bear-shaped molds. If you don't have candy molds, you can pour the mixture into a baking sheet that's lined with plastic wrap and cut it with a knife or cookie cutters after it's set. When using molds, it helps to place them on baking sheets before filling them. That makes it easier to carry the candy to the fridge without spilling the mixture. If you notice any bubbles in the mixture after you've poured it into the mold, pop them with a toothpick.
• Mix the sugar and citric acid. For the coating, add ½ cup (100 g) of sugar and 1 to 3 teaspoons (6 ¼ to 18 ¾ g) citric acid to a small bowl. Whisk them together well to ensure that they're fully blended. Choose the amount of citric acid based on how sour you want the candies to be. A single teaspoon (6 ¼ g) will be fairly sour, but adding more makes the candy's flavor more intense.
• Unmold the candy and toss it in the sugar mixture. When the candy has chilled for several hours, remove it from the fridge. Carefully pop the candies out of the molds, and drop them in the bowl with the sugar coating. Toss well to ensure that they're coated on all sides.
• Store the candy in an airtight container. The candy is ready to eat right away, but if you have any leftovers, place them in an airtight container. They'll stay fresh for about a week.

SWEET AND SOUR LOLLIPOPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat smooth-side up.
• Put the sour candy pieces in a sturdy bag, break them up with a rolling pin and pour into a bowl. Put the sweet candy pieces in a bag, break them up with a rolling pin and add them to the bowl. (Do them separately, as the different candies break up differently.)
• Using a tablespoon, place 2- to 3-inch circles of candy 3 inches apart on the baking mat. (You can get about 8 on a baking sheet.) Bake until the candy has melted, about 7 minutes. Place a lollipop stick in the middle of each circle, carefully spinning the stick so that it gets coated with the hot candy. Let cool completely, 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining candy. Store in a cool, dry place.

OLD-FASHIONED HOMEMADE HARD CANDY

Steps:

• 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 degrees 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.

HARD CANDY

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, stir together the white sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil. Without stirring, heat to 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads.
• Remove from heat and stir in flavored extract and food coloring, if desired. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet, and dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Let cool, and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.