Old Fashioned Barley Sugar Candy Recipes

BARLEY CANDY

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook over high heat until mixture boils and reaches 300 degrees F. Remove from heat and allow to stand until bubbles have settled. If desired, add 1 to 2 drops of a flavored oil (lemon, peppermint, orange, spearmint) and 1 drop of food coloring. Note: work quickly and limit stirring. As recipe begins to cool it will solidify rapidly.
• Pour into candy molds sprayed with cooking spray. Keep mixture warm on a double boiler. If mixture begins to harden, and becomes thick, it may be warmed in a microwave for a few seconds. When candies are cooled, store in an airtight container or pack individually.
• Hard candy molds may be purchased at most cake decorating and party supply stores.

HOW TO MAKE OLD FASHIONED HARD CANDY

Steps:

• Before you make candy of any kind, read through the entire instructions for the individual recipe. You need to be thoroughly aware of what the recipe requires before starting because candy needs precise temperature control and precise actions at the times that the recipe states. Most importantly, remember that candy not attended to is candy that burns!
• Check the temperature before making candy. Candy should not be made when the weather is high in humidity or rainy or it has a hard time setting. Check the room temperature--it should be around 60ºF-68ºF (15.5ºC-20ºC), with low humidity. If you have no choice about cooking in sub-optimal temperature conditions, you may be able to compensate by cooking the candy 1 to 2 degrees higher than recommended by the recipe. Altitude will affect the outcome; if you live at high altitude, you may need to make adjustments in accordance with the usual recommendations for high altitude cooking.
• If you don't already have one, purchase a candy thermometer of good quality. You need to be happy about working with great precision when making candy--it's a science as well as an art. For more details on selecting a candy thermometer, see How to choose a candy thermometer. Never touch the base of a saucepan with a candy thermometer. The pan must always be long enough that the thermometer does not reach the bottom when hung on the pan lip.
• Avoid changing the ingredient amounts in a recipe. They are precise because they work. Even doubling ingredients in a candy recipe can result in a failure.
• For the heat source, choose the burner that is wider than the cooking pan you're using. This ensures more even heating.
• Know how to test the hardness of candy. This can be done manually or using a thermometer. The thermometer is easiest, but it's handy to know how to test the temperature manually, which you can learn to do before using a recipe by reading How to test candy hardness stages.

OLD FASHIONED HARD CANDY

Steps:

• Generously coat a cookie sheet with confectioners' sugar, and set aside.
• In a heavy bottomed saucepan, stir together the white sugar, water and corn syrup until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high and cook to a temperature of 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat, and stir in the flavored oil and food coloring.
• Immediately pour the sugar mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet in a thin stream (this helps it cool). When the candy is cool enough for the outer edge to hold its shape, cut into bite size pieces with scissors. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

BARLEY SUGAR

Steps:

• Dissolve sugar in water then add rind of the lemon and cream of tartar.
• Cook to 240°F or soft-ball stage.
• Remove lemon rind.
• Add strained juice from the lemon and cook to 310°F or hard-crack stage being careful that syrup does not burn.
• Pour into a buttered tray.
• When it starts to set cut into strips.
• When cool enough to handle, twist strips and place in fridge to set.

OLD-FASHIONED HOMEMADE HARD CANDY

Steps:

• In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved; then cook without stirring, lowering the heat and cooking more slowly during the last few minutes, to the hard crack stage (300 degrees F), If sugar crystals form on sides of pan, wipe them off with a damp brush.
• Remove from heat, add oil flavoring and enough food coloring to color; stir only to mix. Pour into 2 well buttered 9 inch pans. Set one pan of candy over a sauce pan containing hot water (unless you have a helper to help cut the candy). As soon as the other pan of candy is cool enough to handle, cut it with scissors into 1-inch strips. Then snip the strips into pieces. Work fast. Drop the pieces onto a buttered baking sheet. If the candy cools too quickly, set it on a saucepan over hot water to soften it, but if it gets sticky, return at once to the work counter.
• Toss in a small amount of powdered sugar to keep from sticking together. Repeat with the second pan of candy.

CLEAR TOY CANDY [PA DUTCH TRADITIONAL]

Steps:

• I try to use a ratio of two parts solid to one part liquid, but for your first batch use more liquid. It just takes longer and the liquid must boil off before it will reach the proper temperature so err on the side of too much liquid at first.
• In a pan put 1/2 cup of clear corn syrup, one cup of sugar, and put 1/2 cup of water on top of the sugar and make sure the sugar is thoroughly moistened. Stick in the candy thermometer and put the mixture on the stove.
• DO NOT STIR!
• Heat to 310 degrees and if you have the sugar thoroughly moistened it will look like boiling glass.
• If you have too much sugar for the liquid you used it will not be clear.
• When the mixture reaches 300-310 degrees, pour into molds generously coated with olive oil (any oil will work).
• Hold the molds together with heavy duty rubber bands and place the greased molds on a cookie sheet.
• If you don't have any molds, you can oil a cake pan and pour the mixture about 1/4 inch deep and score with a knife as it hardens so it will break into bite size pieces.
• Its takes about five minutes or so to harden in the molds and as it does I add sticks to make it easier to eat. I wrap them in small plastic bags which you can get wherever they sell candy making supplies.
• Remember you can't mess this up - if you put in too much corn syrup or water it will just take longer to reach the desired temperature. After your first batch, you'll never measure anything again.
• I should have pointed out that this candy seems to be one of the most traditional Pa. Dutch Christmas candies.
• NOTE the time is way off. This is going to vary depending on a lot of factors.