Hard+Candy+Website

3 cups sugar 1 cup Karo (or light corn syrup) 1 cup water Mix these together in a saucepan & bring to a boil. Boil 'till the temperature reaches 310 degrees on a candy thermometer, remove from the heat & while stirring, and add food coloring & flavoring. The flavorings I used are by Lorann Oils. They have a website & are available in a few stores in the Twin Cities. I have also heard that Sweet Celebrations in Edina, and Lynn’s Cake & Candy Supplies in Fridley are good sources if you can reach, or don't have time to go to Lorann Oils. My contact, Mrs. McGregor, uses two of the “dram” size bottles per batch. As soon as the color & flavorings are stirred in, pour the mixture onto a buttered marble slab, making sure the slab is large enough so that the mixture will not run off. As soon as it cools enough to handle it, begin cutting the cooled down candy into bite-size pieces with scissors – we cut onto cookies sheets, being careful no to let the pieces touch until they are completely cool, or they will stick together. After the pieces are cool enough, you can dump each batch into a larger container, mixing together as you go. When the candy is fully cooled & all the batches are in one container, we sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar onto it & mix it all together – this helps keep the candy from sticking. Some people pour the hot mixture onto a cookie sheet & let it cool completely, then break or crack the hardened candy into pieces with a hammer. This works too, but you sometimes get really sharp pieces by breaking it instead of cutting it. That could end dangerously. Mrs. McGregor has molded lollipops, jawbreakers, you name it – once it’s cool enough to handle, the possibilities are endless she says! Just remember to **be extremely careful!!!!** Mrs. McGregor's cousin got burned and rushed to the hospital once! She accidentally touched her finger to the candy right after it had been poured onto the marble slab. The mix stuck to her finger & she ended up with 2nd & 3rd degree burns on that finger! 310 degrees is dangerously hot, please make sure you have an **adult supervising at all times & in charge of handling** the candy when it’s that hot.

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If you buy flavorings locally, or even on the LorAnn Oils website, they sell them in little bottles sized in what they call “drams”. They sell for about $1.40 - $1.50 per bottle & I use 2 per batch of candy. They have lots & lots of fruity flavors…strawberry, cherry, lemon, lime, orange, tangerine…bubble gum, apple…you name it! They also have more original flavors like marshmallow, champagne, If you go to this page on the LorAnn website, you can see the assortment of flavorings they offer: []