A little candy experiment

Today I experimented with making candy — properly, from scratch, boiling sugar to the right stage and hoping it would behave. It felt like a tiny kitchen science experiment, and I loved the challenge.

I don’t actually crave candy on its own. Give me cake any day. But I do love contrast — sweetness with a little bite, smooth with sharp edges. Vanilla and peppercorn turned out to be my favourite pairing. Sweet, with the bite.

VANILLA AND PEPPERCORN CANDY

• 60ml water
• 200g sugar
• 40g golden syrup
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• a drop of black food colouring
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

1. Prepare for everything! line a baking tray with baking paper and spray oil on it. Have the thermometer and lollypop sticks ready (I cut down some wooden skewers for this). Fill frying pan with some cold water and set aside.
2. In small saucepan combine all ingredients except black pepper and place it on the medium heat.
3.  Bring it to boil and insert the thermometer in the pan. Stir occasionally until the sugar reaches 143C temperature.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately dip the bottom of it into the pan filled with cold water, removing quickly before the mixture gets too cold. Stir in black pepper into the candy mixture.
5. Using a table spoon, immediately spoon out pools of syrup on prepared baking sheet. Lay one end of the lollypop stick in each pool of syrup while still soft and push gently to secure in place.Let cool at room temperature until completely set, about 2 hours.

Have a sweet day!
Rasa xox