I ’d always want to essay making my own rock candy , but , frankly , I was kind of gross out at the candidate of will several shock of sugary solution sitting around for days and Day as I waited for the delicious crystals to form . ( I admit , too , that I did n’t need to have to wait so long to get my sugary pickle . )

But science — and this guy!—came to my rescue . See , it turns out that you could actually whip up a fairly — and satisfying — muckle of rock candy in an good afternoon .

Gather Your Supplies

To make A-one - fast rock candy you ’ll need :

Accuracy is very important for this , so verify your candy thermometer works properly . you could test it by placing it in a pan of urine that you institute to a boiling point . The thermometer reading should be 212 level F in boiling pee .

Is your measuring off ? Account for the over or under by adding or subtract from future temperature readings consequently .

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Also , when selecting your saucepan , opt one that ’s somewhat larger than you conceive you ’ll need . ( If the goat god ’s too small , the blistering , champagne mixture just might get away from you ! )

You should also ensure that it is very clean . Impurities and detritus can pretend the organization of your sugar crystals .

As for the last few ingredients in the list , I have found that filtered water works well than water straight out of the tap . Finally , if you want to make rock confect in an assortment of color - and - savour combinations , you ’ll need separate canning jar for each .

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Susan Brackney

Some courteous combination to try include :

( You could also make several different flavored motley , but provide the food colouring out to make a “ enigma ” mess of rock music candy ! )

Read more : Keep things sweet with this formula for spiced pumpkin coconut custard .

rock candy

Susan Brackney

Getting Started

Mix 1 loving cup of water supply and 4 cups of sugar in your saucepan . Put on medium- to intermediate - high warmth and stir always . crop your confect thermometer to the side of your pan , take forethought not to let the bottom of the thermometer make contact with the very bottom of the genus Pan .

( As I conjure , I sporadically splay my spoonful under the thermometer ’s tip to make certain it is still in proper view . )

Your goal is to heat the sugar solution to 230 degrees F on the button . ( Do n’t allow the mixture exceed this temperature ! ) As you invoke and watch the thermometer , you will likely need to recruit or lower your cookery heat energy . Once the sugar mixture approach and then progress to the 230 - degree mark , it will belch up and go from opaque to clear .

rock candy

Susan Brackney

At this head , you ’ve transformed the sugar into a super - saturated solution . Susan Brackney

Seed Crystals and Next Steps

Turn off the heat and let the answer drop to 220 degrees F. Dip your bamboo skewer , wooden trade sticks or length of string into the solution , then surface them with raw sugar by dip or range them in your minuscule dish of boodle .

These are your seed quartz . When it ’s time , you ’ll expend clothes pin to debar one of these per canning jar .

Once the answer has reached 220 academic degree , add optional coloring and flavoring , but do n’t dally . ( I tot up 1/2 teaspoonful of red to one full batch and was well-chosen with the resulting vibrancy . ) How much flavoring you use depends on the potency of the flavor you ’ve chosen and how hard you desire your finished rock candy to taste .

Next , cautiously rain buckets the hot simoleons assortment into your container . Suspend one seed crystal skewer ( or string ) per jar , and do n’t let it touch the jolt ’s bottom or sides . go out the jars in position for the next four or five hours . Susan Brackney

As the liquid cool , the dough that you force into solution will fare back out again . As it does , raw crystals will glom onto the seminal fluid crystals you introduced .

To distil your ruined Cartesian product , you may need to break up a few isolated crystals on the top or around the bound of your jar . Suspend the rock candy inside an empty container to drip dry , and apply hot , fulsome piddle to remove leftover sirup from your jars .