Friday was a dreary drippy gray day desperately in need of some cheer. Now, I could have scrubbed and scoured my blues away but why do something actually productive? No, I decided that taking care of a colicky baby and 4 other kids all day was just getting too easy and that productivity is for the bland. Instead I rolled up my sleeves, boiled some sugar and made a massive mess trying my hand at this recipe.
Lollies:
canola oil
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
food coloring
lollipop sticks (I cheated and use brownie pop sticks that I found at Target)
cookie sheets / jelly roll pans
candy thermometer
sauce pot
bowls
spoons
Lightly oil up some cookie sheets and place lollie sticks about 2 inches apart. Put the sugar, corn syrup and water into a pot and bring to a boil over high heat (do not stir it, just let it go). Keep an eye on the mixture, you want it to get to 305 degrees. While it’s cooking, you’ll need to do a few things:
1. warm up the bowls and spoons you are dividing your syrup into. If the bowls and spoons are cool, the mixture will harden prematurely leaving you lollipop less and stuck with levitating spoons
2. set up an ice bath for your pot. I used a stainless steel bowl filled with ice and water.
Once the sugar mixture has reached 305 degrees, remove it from the burner, dip the bottom of your pot into the ice bath for about 10 seconds (trust me, that’s it), and stir in the orange extract .
Immediately divide the syrup into bowls and squeeze a few drops off food coloring into each bowl and use the warmed spoons to stir in the color. Working quickly, free form pour the syrup over the end of the lollie sticks. You can layer colors one on top of another and even drop small candies or sprinkles into the still hot lollies. Allow to cool and then enjoy!
To make shaped lollies (I stumbled on to this quite accidentally due to using COLD SPOONS to mix my syrup): allow the syrup to cool a bit and once it’s still hot but not peel your skin off your hands hot, grab a blob, roll it in your palms, shape as desired and cram a stick into it. I then flattened my shapes and laid them on the oiled cookie sheets to cool. I tried using fondant cutters to shape my lollies but that was an utter FAIL. The hand shaping worked much better.
If you are totally insane, you can do this project with your kids. I did this alone because I always burn myself when I boil sugar, I couldn’t imagine giving my kids a bowl of molten liquid sugar and have it end happily.
These taste great and make for fabulous photography props
My family’s version: Cinnamon Candy
2 c sugar, 1 c corn syrup, 1/2 c water. Combine and cook 18-19 minutes on high in microwave. Stir in 1 tsp cinnamon oil (and food coloring if you like, I avoid the stuff myself). Pour on greased cookie sheet or foil in free style circles. Insert sucker sticks. (I seem to remember my Grandmother buying these at the hobby store, of all places). Makes approx. 30 small suckers. **Be careful of cinnamon fumes, they may burn nose and throat.
~A Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 12:53 am
Oh, I forgot to mention.. I remember these being HOT HOT HOT!!! (Think fireballs or red hots) So if you want them tamer, go easy on the cinnamon. I have been meaning to try making them for a while now, so I’ll be testing them out soon. I haven’t had them since I was a kid.
Wow they came out great! I love how pretty they are!
Fun way to spend the day!
They look great!! What beautiful pictures!
Ok wait, when does the quinoa come into play?
In all cerealness, I dig the photos.
fidget Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 11:39 am
LOL, the quinoa was for dinner. That’s a different post entirely.
They do make pretty photos.
They look so good! I can’t imagine playing with molten sugar though! That is one hot food item I stay away from. I can barely reach into the oven without burning myself! Maybe I’ll get up the courage one day!
I like the spoon sticking straight up out of the bowl! HAH!
Look cute & yummy!
Those look too cute! NOT something I am brave enough to attempt, but more power to you!
that is awesome, so cute!
Hi! Thanks for visiting my WW last week. You are so brave to try your hand at these AND have such lovely results!
K, I just have 4 kids and can’t imagine such a feat.. I see you have 5! Wowsers… how old are they. These look AMAZING!!
fidget Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
thanks! they are 7, 6, 3 (tomorrow), 21 months and 4 months
sounds like fun I may have to try this sometime!
Unreal. That’s amazing. I can NOT EVEN TELL You how many comments I get about have 4 kids. The oldest had just turned 5 when the 4th was born. BUT 5 KIDS UNDER 7. I bow to you, girl!
My ages are: 7,5,3,1. Very similar! My husband and I really, REALLY wanted 5 or 6, but the OB would NOT LET ME have a 5th c-section. In fact, they were against me having a 4th C-section. I mention on the about me page, my love and desire to adopt a 5th at some point!!!
Thanks for getting back to me… and I AM so curious… are you guys done? And, what are the genders?
Cheers!