Hard candy


 

JayHeyl

TVWBB Pro
I wasn't entirely sure where to post this but figured this forum would be a good catchall.

About six weeks ago I had occasion to try to make cinnamon extract. I won't go into why. It's a long story. I didn't follow any kind of recipe other than noting most people used cheap vodka as a solvent. So I dumped about four tablespoons of ground cinnamon into a half-pint canning jar, filled it to 1/4" from the top with cheap Costco vodka, and gave it a good shake once or twice a day, or whenever I remembered. My original need for this went away, but I had cinnamon extracting for weeks and was determined I'd find some use for it. I lined a funnel with a paper coffee filter and poured the extract into it. A little stirring and a bit of a wait, and I had maybe four ounces of cinnamon extract. I should add here that every recipe for cinnamon extract I've read says to use cinnamon sticks, not ground cinnamon. I'm fairly certain the sticks can be used for multiple batches, which obviously keeps the cost down.

Cinnamon hard candy seemed a potential good use. I've never made hard candy before. Did some citrus gummy bears last Christmas and they came out basically okay. When I was 10 we were assigned a school project to make peanut brittle. (Shows how long ago I was ten. Can you imagine any school today telling kids to go home and play with 300 degree molten sugar?) The brittle came out tasty, but not very brittle. We didn't get the sugar solution near hot enough.

Turns out most hard candy follows a similar recipe. Mix sugar, corn syrup, and enough water to keep the sugar from burning. Heat until most all the water has boiled out, about 300-310F, add food color and flavoring, pour into molds or a prepared pan. Cool, score, crack, eat. The tricky part is getting the sugar to the proper temperature. As I discovered on my first attempt, even using a very good pan with excellent heat dispersion, there are hot and cool spots throughout the sugar. If my measurements are any indication, there can be variances of 5+ degrees, which can be the difference between hard candy and a rather sticky mess.

My first attempt I ran into a number of problems. You are supposed to add the flavoring after pulling the candy off the heat. So I turned off the flame and added a tablespoon of my extract. It instantly bubbled up and seemed to work a lot of air into the candy. Then I tried to use the gummy bear molds. It took too long to spoon the liquid candy into the molds and the pan cooled too much. The candy began to set in the pan. I tried reheating it a bit but that didn't really work. Eventually I just dumped it onto a pan lined with a silicone pad. The result was incredibly tasty, but grainy and not at all like the hard candy I was trying for. I also didn't have any food coloring so it was a light tan color. Not a disaster but certainly not classic cinnamon candy.

So yesterday I tried again. This time I used more heat. It takes a while to boil out all the water and once the sugar is dissolved there's little reason not to put the spurs to it as long as you have a good pan. I kept one eye on it as the temperature started to rise, though I wasn't prepared for the very rapid rise once it got close to 300F. My intent was to take it closer to 310F this time. When it got to 300F the temperature was moving all over the place. It would shoot up to 310F, then drop back to 300F. I tried moving the probe through the liquid to get an average but even that was all over the place. I finally turned off the heat and watched as the temp continued to climb to 320F and a bit more. It didn't seem to be changing color as it would if it was caramelizing so I figured I was okay.

This time, following advice from one of the dozens of recipes I'd read, I waited until the temp dropped to 280F before adding the extract. Turns out leaving it undisturbed as it cooled was not the right approach. All the parts that were in contact with the pan stayed liquid and slowly came down in temp. The temperature probe was in this liquid portion so it showed a slow drop. Meanwhile, the top of mixture, exposed to the air, cooled much quicker and started to solidify. When I added the extract it just floated on top. This may have kept it from bubbling as much as the extract heated more slowly until I figured out what had happened and stirred it. The top was gooey, like fudge topping, while the bottom was still very much liquid. I stirred until I thought it was mixed in enough and then just poured the whole batch onto a pan lined with a silicone pad.

Most of the recipes said to score the candy with a pizza cutter when it had started to firm up, but that didn't work at all like I was expecting. The center of the pour stayed hot a lot longer than the exterior so my score lines quickly disappeared as the liquid leveled itself and filled in the scores. By the time the center would hold the score lines, the outside was solid. Once it had cooled completely I tried to break it along the lines but it didn't cooperate very well. I ended up with loads of broken pieces of random sizes.

I forgot to mention that I did buy some food coloring before making this batch. I added about six drops to the liquid sugar on the way up in temperature as it hit 280F. The boiling action distributed the color without the need to stir.

Aside from the random, sharp-cornered pieces, the result was much closer to what I wanted. A nice red color. Virtually transparent before I coated it with powdered sugar.

The flavor of both batches was excellent. A bit of heat but not remotely overpowering. I could be imagining things but it seems to me to have a depth of flavor I've not found in commercial cinnamon candies. Whether that's worth the trouble of doing all this rather than just buying a bag of candy I've not yet determined. I've ordered some more silicone molds that I think will work better with this than the gummy bear molds. Those are too small and difficult to get the candy into before it cools.

I have enough extract for another two, maybe three batches. I've already started more extract, this time using cinnamon sticks rather than ground cinnamon. Hopefully the flavor will be as good.

I also have some spearmint extract going from the last of the spearmint I got from the garden. Not sure how that will work in candy but I'll probably give it a try. I'm going to try some lemon extract. That's just lemon zest in the vodka and let it steep for a month or two. I'd like to make my own vanilla extract, but the price of vanilla beans have gone through the roof and into the stratosphere since a typhoon wiped out a large number of the vanilla plantations in Madagascar. My usual spice supply house wants $7 for ONE vanilla bean. Also in the planning stage is almond extract. I have about 8 pounds of almonds waiting for me to smoke them, so I can probably spare a few to make extract. One spot I was reading suggested making combinations -- adding a vanilla bean to the cinnamon sticks, or putting a nutmeg nut in with the cinnamon. Might have to experiment with that as well. I've also read about using the Instant Pot to speed up the extraction process. Not sure what the heat will do to the flavor but it's probably worth trying. Might be willing to sacrifice a bit of flavor to cut two months off the process.

So, enough about my attempts at hard candy. Anyone else want to share candy or extract making experiences?
 
I'm more familiar with hand dipped chocolates & caramels etc. The last time someone handed me a home-made hard candy it was at the Snoop Dogg concert (maybe another time too :) )

My grandma had molds around for them but we didn't do much with that - I watch batches of creams (mints, cherry, chocolate, etc) & caramels get cooked all the time, and remember helping my aunt/cousins at home. My dad taught them how to cook (100 year old German recipes) but I never learned.

As for the extract - I used cinnamon powder in hard ciders & then I tried some liquid extract that's probably similar to what you're making..... also had an old worker who made vanilla extract @ home with his wife same as you're describing, can't remember trying it but I've bought a few vanilla beans.

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Not that I have any delusions of operating at that scale, but I think those cooling tables would make a huge difference. I watched a video on YouTube of making red and white candy hearts. The cooking table he used had rails that could be clamped in place to make a channel on the table. He poured the liquid sugar into the channel and then worked some red food coloring into half of it. The fact he had a batch started with 8 pounds of sugar probably changed this a bit too. What surprised me was the "white" isn't coloring at all. He worked the uncolored portion of the pour like you would taffy. The white color is nothing but tiny air bubbles reflecting the light. He had to work it a long time but it did eventually get pretty white.

Are they making chocolate pecans in those lower pictures?
 
the bottom-most picture is pecan rolls - they're ~10oz - 2# each after they're done - I forget what's in the center but lots of sugar, butter, & cream.

To the left of my cousin (who's cutting the caramel) there's a couple of the mixers (8-10" deep, ~40" across) that stir/rotate/aerate whatever it is they cook, that's where the flavor's added.....kind of like cement mixers. I just go to visit, eat, and sneak some old grand-dad that's usually in the pantry. Once in a while they'll call for help to pour a batch or something----that bottom pic they were running the pecan rolls & were short one person. I forget all my responsibilities that day but my main one was refilling the box of pecans.
 
A follow-up in case anyone is interested. I've made another batch of cinnamon candy and one using the spearmint extract I made with my last harvest of spearmint from the garden. I'm getting better with managing the temperatures. The last two batches, once I turned off the heat I gently kept the mixture moving so the top wouldn't firm up before the rest of it. There are still quite a few bubbles as it cools. Not long before the temp hits 280F the bubbles dissipate and the mix becomes almost clear. It also starts to thicken up just a bit. So even without the thermometer there's a way to judge when to add the flavoring.

The spearmint isn't as knock your socks off delicious as the cinnamon, but it's still pretty good. Certainly no one who's tried it has spit it out. Next year if I try making spearmint extract again, I'll pack more spearmint into the jar and probably let it steep at least two months. This has me thinking I should plant peppermint too. The spearmint will also be going into a bigger pot so it can spread out a bit more.

The cinnamon candy is a step above. Each time I have one I'm impressed with the depth of flavor.

I have three more batches of cinnamon extract working. One is being naturally steeped like I did the first time, though I used cinnamon sticks instead of ground cinnamon. Finding myself running out of the first batch of extract and it being at least another month before the naturally steeped one is ready, I decided to speed things up using the Instant Pot. There are several recipes online for various extracts done in the IP that are ready within 24 hours of processing. On the first try I lost almost half of the vodka. The recipe was for steam processing, using only enough water in the IP to generate the steam needed for proper pressure. I suspect the recipe was developed using a 6 quart IP while I have a 8 quart model. Theorizing all that volume requires a fair bit of steam to pressurize and with vodka boiling at a lower temp than water, I decide to try again, but this time fill the IP with water up to half an inch of the fluid level in the cinnamon extract jar. Whether my theory was correct or not, the result was better. I lost only a couple ounces of vodka. Both of these batches of extract are still steeping, the last one in the vacuum sealed jar with the cinnamon sticks still inside. I will probably use one of these batches before Christmas.

Having been so taken with the cinnamon (actually cassia) candy, I decided to give some true Ceylon cinnamon a try. It's supposed to be not as "hot" as cassia but with an even better depth of flavor. So I'll have another batch of true cinnamon extract going as soon as my shipment arrives from The Spice House.

I also have lemon extract and almond extract in the works. I have high hopes for the lemon. It looks like it will be tasty. Not so sure about the almond. I've cracked the jar a couple times and so far it just smells like vodka.
 
We want pictures, videos, and samples! Very interesting...

I've only been to our candy shop once since this last post and I watched my cousin & uncle working on a batch of lemon/toasted almond (a cream). I was even able to help with the QC a few times.
 
Made another batch of cinnamon candy using the last of my first batch of cinnamon extract.



This is right after I added the food coloring. It hasn't quite fully mixed in yet. The mixture is about 285F in this shot.



This is the cinnamon extract. The jars partially in view at the top of the shot are the next batch of extract in the making.



Candy poured into the square mold.



Almost had enough for a complete set of hearts as well.

I would have taken more photos but it gets a bit hectic as the sugar approaches 300F. Things happen fast and then I have to pour into the molds before it solidifies in the pan.

Sorry about the lack of samples.
 
I got tired (physically, not tired of your story) thinking how much effort you put into that . I think it's called a "labour of love" ;) . Very interesting reading in any case; thanks for posting :D
 
Honestly, the making of the candy isn't all that much work. Far less than I'd put into cooking a decent meal or putting anything on the smoker. One pot, one spoon, two molds to clean up afterwards. I really was surprised at how easy it seemed the first time I did it. Beyond that it's just getting some experience to know what works well and what doesn't.

The annoying part is waiting for the extract to be ready. Of course, you can simply buy the extracts at the store.

I do wish I could find a neater way to get the molten candy into the molds but pouring straight from the pot seems the only way to keep it from setting up too soon. Problem is that pot gets heavy and makes it difficult to control the pour rate. Something with a pour spout wouldn't go amiss either.
 
Honestly, the making of the candy isn't all that much work. Far less than I'd put into cooking a decent meal or putting anything on the smoker. One pot, one spoon, two molds to clean up afterwards. I really was surprised at how easy it seemed the first time I did it. Beyond that it's just getting some experience to know what works well and what doesn't.

The annoying part is waiting for the extract to be ready. Of course, you can simply buy the extracts at the store.

I do wish I could find a neater way to get the molten candy into the molds but pouring straight from the pot seems the only way to keep it from setting up too soon. Problem is that pot gets heavy and makes it difficult to control the pour rate. Something with a pour spout wouldn't go amiss either.

might be worth looking at brew kettles, seems you're only making around a quart or two, but your pot's pretty big.

Might be worth stopping in to talk to a beer brew shop, they might be able to drill in a spigot.

This is a little over the top but you might be able to modify your own pot.

http://www.brewinternational.com/8-gallon-stainless-steel-kettle-with-weldless-valve-thermometer/

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An eight gallon pot might be a tad too large, even if I had my own candy store. With the molds I currently have 3 cups of sugar and one cup of corn syrup just about fills them both. Probably would fill both of them if I could control the pour a bit better.

With 2 cups of sugar I can use the smaller 1-1/2 quart saucepan, but when I upped it to 3 cups I thought that might be pushing things. There is a lot of bubbling and if you don't watch it like a hawk it can boil over pretty easily. So I switched to the 3 quart saucepan. (It's the next largest I have.)

Anolon makes a 3 quart saucepan with pour spots on either side and a five-layer bottom -- stainless steel inside and out with a three-ply core of copper sandwiched between layers of aluminum. It seems like overkill, but I'm sure it does provide extremely even heat. Both the saucepans I've been using have aluminum cores throughout, not just on the bottom, so weight-wise it might just about even out. The Anolon pot also has sides that slope slightly out, which I think would make it harder for the bubbling to come over the top.

The 3 quart I used last time did pour with minimal dripping. It has a small lip around the top edge that helps with that. The biggest problem was trying to get a decent grip on the almost cylindrical handle so I could tip it just so. It would have been easier to choke up on the handle, but closer to the pan it got uncomfortably warm. Maybe next time I'll just wear a glove and hold it closer in where there's a bit more to grab onto. If I end up making dozens of batches then maybe I'll reconsider spending $70 on the fancy pan with the pour spouts.
 
An update on my candy making adventures. First, my homemade extracts. The last batch of cinnamon candy used up the extract I made with ground cinnamon naturally steeped for about six weeks. I made two new batches using Vietnamese cassia sticks in the Instant Pot. There's another naturally steeping with just about a month of steep time. The IP extract looks very muddy and, frankly, not at all appealing, but it's the taste that matters. I've strained and bottled the first batch, using it for the first time today to make "coal" to give to the kids at Christmas as a joke gift.

Related to that, after some online research I bought some gel food coloring. The liquid stuff from the grocery store was okay but a bit weak. The set of colors I bought included "coal black", so that seemed a natural. I wanted to break this batch into chunks that at least vaguely resemble coal so I prepped a 8"x8" pan with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. I won't do that again. The candy flowed into the cracks and seams of the foil and it was horrible trying to free it once the candy set. Next time I'll either use parchment or just oil the pan up real good and hope for the best.

The "coal black" was more very dark purple, but it looks mostly black with the bigger pieces.



Close enough for a gag gift.

Unfortunately, the first batch of IP cinnamon extract leaves a bit to be desired. It tastes okay, but it's very weak compared to what I made from the ground cinnamon and let steep for a long time. At this point, as much as I like the IP, I think I'll be sticking with the long natural process.

I also made another batch of spearmint candy. This gave me a chance to try the "leaf green" gel coloring.



The color on these is a bit better than the last batch I made with the liquid food coloring. Next time I might use another drop or two. I doubled up on the amount of extract in this batch since the last one was a bit weak. Much better flavor.

I'll probably make another batch of cinnamon candy (colored red rather than black) before Christmas and that will be it until next year. I've got a lemon extract I'm anxious to try but want to give it some more steep time. I started a cherry extract the other day using some dried sour cherries. Not sure how that's going to come out. The extract turned deep red within a couple hours of adding the vodka. It made me check the package to be sure there wasn't a food coloring added. It claims not.

Further extract plans include true Ceylon cinnamon, orange, lime, blackberry (they were on sale), and maybe hazelnut.
 
Jay, what a great idea. Coal in the kids stockings that they can eat. They will love it. Please give us an update after Christmas.
 
I learned an important lesson today. A couple days ago I strained off the lemon extract I've had working for a month and have been anxious to make my own lemon drops. I found a recipe for lemon meringue suckers that gave me proportions for the citric acid that makes them sour. What I didn't note very carefully was when to add the citric acid. I was a little concerned that it wouldn't readily dissolve into the rather viscous sugar once the boiling has stopped so I tossed it in at the beginning. Big mistake. It reacts with the sugar so it turns almost coal black before it hits the desired 300F. I spooned a bit out into water to cool it off so I could taste it. Very bitter. Always add the citric acid at the end. I mixed it with the lemon extract and yellow food dye (which was more orange than yellow) and it dissolved okay with a little persuasion.

Now I have this pot full of black sugar at 300F that will set up like a rock if I just leave it to cool and will clog the drain if I pour it down the sink. What to do? I filled a 8 quart stock pot with cold water and slowly drizzled the liquid black sugar into the pot. I did a circular motion around the pot thinking it would simply distribute it more evenly. When I was done I lifted out what looked like a crown of thorns. It came out in mostly one piece that I could toss in the garbage. So now I know what to do when a batch goes very bad.

Unfortunately, my lemon extract isn't remotely as lemony as I had hoped. When next I find lemons at a decent price I'll zest a few more and dump this batch of extract in there to continue working.

On the extract front I have another idea to try to speed up the process. The basic idea here is getting the alcohol solvent to move in and out of the material, in this case the lemon zest, bringing along the flavor elements on the way out. One approach to this is to pressurize the solvent and material, forcing the solvent into the material and then pulling it back out when the pressure is released. I've seen some videos using a food service cream whipper that employs cartridges filled with nitrous oxide. You put in the extract material and alcohol, charge it with a couple cartridges, swirl a bit, wait a few minutes, release the pressure. When the bubbling stops you have extract. Or more like flavored alcohol. Use enough extract material and repeat the process enough and I'm sure it would work to make a heavily flavored extract. It would just be very expensive to do.

Quite a few years ago I bought a poor man's vacuum packing device called the Pump'N'Seal. It looks like a miniature bicycle pump, though it works in reverse, pulling air out of whatever it's attached to on the down stroke. To be honest it never worked all that well with plastic bags, largely because the bags aren't designed to hold a vacuum, but it did work very well with canning jars. It came with check tabs that were like little band-aids that had rubber pads where the gauze would be. There was also a device to put a hole in the top of the jar that was literally an aluminum push pin. Hokey as it may have appeared, it worked very well. You punch a hole in the lid of the canning jar and put one of the band-aids over the hole. Close up the jar and use the Pump'N'Seal on the top. As it pulls vacuum it lifts the rubber gasket on the band-aid out of the hole and sucks out some air. As you move in the other direction the reduced pressure now in the jar pulls the gasket back into the hole, holding the vacuum you're creating. It was remarkably effective. I had some jars hold vacuum for more than a year.

So why am I talking about vacuums in relation to extracts? It's about the pressure, which is functionally relative. If you put the extract material and alcohol in a sealed jar and pull a vacuum on it, whatever gas is trapped in the material should begin to move into the alcohol. When the pressure on the jar is released, the alcohol should be literally sucked into the material to fill the space where the gas was. At least that's my theory. I just ordered some Pump'N'Seal check tabs so I can give it a try. I don't have my Pump'N'Seal anymore but I do have a vacuum bagger device that I think should work. I'm sure it will require quite a few vacuum/release cycles but I suspect it should speed up the process.
 
Continuing the extract saga, my order of check tabs arrived and I anxiously put one of them to work straightaway. I took three cinnamon (cassia) sticks, broke them in half, and put them in a half-pint canning jar. I added six ounces of vodka, enough to cover the sticks by half an inch, then poked a hole in a canning lid, applied one of the check tabs, and put the lid on the jar. I didn't buy the Pump'N'Seal pump but instead used the vacuum pistol from a vacuum packing set I got a couple years ago. As soon as I starting pulling a vacuum in the jar thousands of tiny bubbles started pouring out of the cinnamon sticks. Initially it looked a bit like a glass of soda water, though the bubbles were much finer.

So at least part of my theory on this would appear to be correct. There is a lot of gas trapped in the cinnamon and lowering the pressure in the jar causes that gas to start working its way out. I took some video, unfortunately not thinking to pull the phone out until after the most intense bubbling had stopped.



Sorry, Flickr isn't making it easy to directly share things these days. Clicking the image will take you to the video on Flickr. Part way through the video I put the vacuum pistol on top of the jar again hoping to evacuate a bit more air but I don't think it really did much. The cinnamon sticks continued to bubble to some degree for over an hour.

The second part of the theory is that when the vacuum is released and the jar is exposed to atmospheric pressure, vodka should be pulled to fill the spaces left vacant by the escaped gases. This part is not so easy to verify. I suppose I could have removed one of the cinnamon sticks after a couple minutes and cut across it to see how deeply the vodka had penetrated. But I didn't. I've put the jar through four vacuum/release cycles so far. There is already an obvious darkening of the alcohol. I'm being a bit less patient with this than I probably should be. Logic tells me it may well take as long for the vodka to work its way in as it did for the gases to be pulled out, but I didn't want to wait an hour. Going forward I think I'll try to do a semi-regular schedule, leaving it for at least an hour but under vacuum and under normal pressure. That should give enough time for the vodka to work its way in and out.

I'll post more as this experiment progresses.

Another thought just occurred more closely related to the main theme of the site. I know Chris has posted about not bothering to soak wood chunks because the water doesn't work its way into the wood to any significant degree in the time most people would be willing to soak. I'm wondering if doing this with wood and water would force the water further into the wood. I may have to give that a try.
 
Another update on my extract/hard candy saga. On the extract front, my experiment with the vacuum is continuing. I have one jar that's been naturally aging, with just a few good shakes a day, for two months. The vacuum jar has been going for almost three weeks. I've been trying to do at least two cycles a day with a minimum of two hours between vacuum and pressure. Since the naturally aged one should be about ready, I'll try to see if I can figure out a way to gauge the strength of the vacuum vs the normal approach.

I started some lime extract yesterday. A local store had limes 20 for $1 and they actually looked very nice (as opposed to the usual sale limes that look more like lemons than limes). Something I read got me wondering about the effect of wax on citrus extracts. They tend to wax even "organic" fruit to reduce the moisture loss. No harm for normal consumption, but the wax is between me and the good stuff I want to get out of the zest so it seemed reasonable to want to remove it. One approach suggested using vinegar water and baking soda together with a vegetable brush and a lot of elbow grease.That didn't sound all that effective to me. Another said to dip the fruit in boiling water for ten seconds and then rub vigorously with a clean towel. That made a bit more sense since the heat should liquefy the wax so it can be rubbed off on the towel. Based on the amount of wax deposited above the water line in the pot I used, I'd say it was reasonably effective. The thing I'm a bit concerned about is that it might have squeezed out a lot of the oils that contain most of the flavor. I got a significant amount of green on the towel. Not St. Patrick's Day green, but clearly noticeable on the white towel. It will be a couple months before I know how it goes.

I never did find anything online to provide guidance on how much zest to put in the extract. When I did lemon I used two lemons in a half-pint jar. I only let it steep for a month but it was very weak when finished. For the lime I used the zest of 20 Persian limes in a pint jar. There was about an inch of grated and finely chopped zest in the jar before I added the vodka.

And that leads to the next topic. My last batch of cinnamon extract that was made in the Instant Pot was a disappointment. It's rather weak, so I've been putting more of it in each batch to make up for the lack of strength. I've also been having a problem with my last few batches of candy being tacky. Looking for solutions to this I got some advice on a forum where serious home cooks can interact with professional chefs and cooks. It was pointed out that vodka is only 40% alcohol, which means it's 60% water. The extract is added after the heat has been turned off so it's entirely up to the residual heat in the candy syrup to boil off the water and alcohol. Based on instructions I'd read elsewhere online, I've been waiting for the syrup to cool down to about 280F, when all the bubbling has stopped, before adding my extract. The advice I got from the pro was to put the extract in as soon as the flame is turned off. This should allow for much more of the alcohol and water to boil off. Another pro suggested gently warming the extract in a bowl floating in a water bath to drive off a lot of the alcohol and some of the water. This would have the secondary effect of getting the extract a lot closer to the boiling point so more water would be boiled off from the residual heat in the syrup. On my next batch I'm going to try just adding the extract as soon as the flame is turned off. If that doesn't fix the tackiness then I'll try warming the extract.
 

 

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