Okay, so I got this idea to make my own peppermint candies. I’ve always loved those little red and white swirls, and I figured, “How hard could it be?” Turns out, it’s a bit of a process, but totally worth it!
First, I needed to gather my ingredients. I did a quick search online and found a few recipes. I wanted a simple, straightforward and the first option got the basics:
- Sugar: Of course. I am using regular granulated sugar.
- Water: To dissolve and start the candy cook.
- Light Corn Syrup: I guess this helps with the texture or not and keep the sugar from getting all grainy.
- Cream of Tartar: A tiny bit, also for texture, I think?
- Peppermint Extract: The star of the show! I got a good quality one.
- Red Food Coloring: For that classic candy-like swirl.
The Making Part
I grabbed a heavy-bottomed saucepan—apparently, that’s important for even heating. Then, I combined the sugar, water, corn syrup, and cream of tartar in the pan. I gave it a good stir and put it on the stove over medium heat.
The tricky part is cooking the sugar syrup to the right temperature. I got my candy thermometer ready, clipped to the side of the * is important to make sure it is not touching the bottom. I cooked the syrup, stirring occasionally, until it reached the “hard-crack stage,” which is around 300°F (149°C).
Once it hit that temperature, I quickly took the pan off the heat. I let the candy thermometer and stirred in the peppermint extract and a few drops of red food coloring. Be careful with the extract, it’s pretty potent!
I poured half of the clear candy mixture onto a greased baking sheet. Then, to the remaining mixture in the pan, and stir to combine. Next, I pour red mixture onto the same baking sheet, right next to the clear part.
Now for the fun part! I let it cool down a little bit. I used two greased spatulas to start pulling and folding the candy. I pulled the red and white parts together, twisting them to create that swirled look. This took a bit of work, and the candy started to get pretty stiff, so I had to work fast.
Once I had a long, swirled rope, I used greased kitchen shears to snip it into bite-sized pieces. I let them cool completely on the baking sheet, and they hardened up nicely.
And that’s it! Homemade peppermint candies. They tasted amazing – super minty and with that perfect hard-candy crunch. It was a bit of a workout pulling the candy, but totally worth the effort. Plus, my kitchen smelled like a peppermint wonderland!
