Hard Candy Lollipops

I’m still trying recreate some of my recipe posts from my first blog (2011-2016). Tonight I ran across this original post from 12/23/2012. I always loved making lollipops, but never had a lot of events to make them for. Rereading this post brought back a lot of fond memories for me. Sometimes I rewrite new posts when I find my old recipes; however, some are more fun for me to just to repost as originally written… like this one. I had made peanut butter flavored lollipops for a sorority event for Kayla.

From 12/23/2012:

Years ago, when my daughter was in grade school, I used to make lollipops for bake sales. They were so much fun to make!…and everyone always loved them! As she got older, the bake sales stopped, and (sadly) I didn’t have an excuse to make lollipops anymore. So I was very excited when I got the chance to cater a party for Kayla’s sorority! I realized this was the perfect opportunity to make hard candy again…yay!- the first time in 10 years.

First, I had to shop for candy molds. After so many years, I had purged my old supply of hard candy molds. But the hunt was so much fun!- I searched online, in cake supply stores, and at Hobby Lobby for the perfect molds for the girls! It’s not hard to find hard candy molds, but I was looking for molds that were relevant to the symbols of their sorority- so it was a little challenging. You do need to be careful what type of candy molds you buy for hard candy; make sure that the molds specify that they are hard candy. Chocolate candy molds can’t be used for this type of candy.

Next, I had to find the flavor oils. I was able to find a local cake supply store that stocked a huge selection of the Lorann flavorings. Lorann makes about any flavor that you can imagine! You can also find them online, or at Hobby Lobby if you don’t have a cake supply store in your area. For my first set of lollipops, I decided to use peanut butter flavor. Neither Kayla and I were sure if peanut butter flavor lollipops would be any good, but Oh My Gosh!- I am so glad I took the risk… I tried one, and it was so yummy!

Hard Candy / Lollipops

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup water

1 dram Lorann flavoring

Food coloring

Mix the sugar, corn syrup, and water in saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Boil, without stirring, until temperature reaches 300 degrees (adjust for boiling point- see How to calibrate a candy thermometer). Remove from heat. After boiling has ceased, stir in flavoring and coloring. Pour into lightly greased molds. Cool, and then package in plastic bags or covered container).

Step by Step Instructions:

1. Gather everything you need in one place: Sugar, corn syrup, cooking spray, measuring cups, flavoring, food color, and candy thermometer.

2. Lightly spray 4-5 candy molds with cooking spray (just a plain cooking spray- do not use the ones that have flour in them). Place sticks in the candy molds- make sure that the sticks reach up far enough into the molds that the candy will cover it. You want everything ready to go because you need to move quickly once the candy is ready. The number of molds needed will depend on the size of the candy molds (I needed 4 1/2 molds for this batch- my angel mold is not showing in this picture); it’s better to have too many ready than not enough because the candy hardens quickly once it is off of the heat.

2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

3. Boil, without stirring, until temperature reaches 300 degrees F / 149 degrees C (adjust for boiling point- How to calibrate a candy thermometer). For example: since I live in Colorado- about 6,000 feet above see level, my boiling point is 8-10 degrees lower than someone who lives at sea level).

4. Remove from heat. After boiling has ceased, stir in flavoring and coloring.

5. Pour into lightly greased molds. You want to work quickly, but you also need to be careful not to overfill the molds.

6. Cool, and then package in plastic bags (or store in a covered container). I placed mine in small bags (3×5 or 4×6) that I bought at a cake supply store, and tied them with curling ribbon.