Okay, so I’ve always loved those red and white swirled peppermint candies, especially around the holidays. I decided to finally figure out what actually goes into them. It seemed simple enough, but you know how these things go – it turned into a bit of a project!
The Initial Research (aka Googling)
First, I hit up the internet to get a basic recipe. I figured it would be mostly sugar, peppermint, and… well, I wasn’t sure what else. I found a bunch of different recipes, some super complicated, others claiming to be “easy.” I opted for something in the middle – not too crazy, but not suspiciously simple either.
Gathering the Goods
Next up, I needed to get my hands on the ingredients. This is what I ended up with:
- Sugar: And lots of it! Regular granulated sugar was the way to go.
- Light Corn Syrup: This, I learned, helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing and making the candy grainy. Good to know!
- Water: Just plain tap water. Easy peasy.
- Peppermint Extract: The star of the show! I splurged on a slightly fancier bottle than usual, hoping for a really strong peppermint flavor.
- Red Food Coloring: For that classic swirl, of course. I used the gel kind, It’s better.
- Cream of Tartar:I found that it can make the candy smoother.
The Cooking Process (Things Get Sticky)
So, I combined the sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar and water in a saucepan. I clipped a candy thermometer to the side – apparently, temperature is SUPER important here. I stirred everything together and heated it up, aiming for the “hard-crack stage,” which is some specific temperature range I found online (around 300-310°F). Honestly, watching the thermometer was the most stressful part!
Once it hit the right temperature, I took it off the heat and stirred in the peppermint extract. Then, I poured about half of the mixture onto a baking sheet I’d greased with butter. To the remaining half, I added a few drops of red food coloring and stirred like crazy. That got poured onto the baking sheet next to the clear mixture.
The Swirling (and the Waiting)
Here came the fun part – twisting the red and white parts together! I used a spatula (and then my hands, carefully, because HOT) to create that classic peppermint swirl. It was stickier than I expected, but I managed to get a decent-looking pattern.
Then, the hardest part: waiting. I had to let the candy cool completely and harden. It felt like forever, but after about an hour, it was finally solid enough to break into pieces.
The Taste Test
Finally. I did it. I broke off a piece and… success! It tasted like a real peppermint candy! It was sweet, minty, and had that satisfying crunch.
