Homemade Candy

bluecoat · **Posted:** January 11th, 2012, 3:17 pm

Making my own soda has been leaving me with a number of... interesting byproducts, to say the least. Candied cherries, ginger, 100% cacao bars, cherry flavored vanilla beans, and similar items. It's gotten me into something I've wanted to try for awhile now, and that's candy.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with anything in this area. Today I kinda winged it and made chocolate covered cherries. I don't think I got the consistency right, but it all tastes good so far. Not sure how it turned out yet, but I probably will soon.

Market Man6 · **Posted:** January 11th, 2012, 3:20 pm

Yum!
Try making cotton candy

...I have never made any candy before though... So can't really help there. Sorry!

Eadwulf · **Posted:** January 11th, 2012, 6:40 pm

Learn how to cook sugar; it's pretty much essential to figure out how the chemistry works before you can get candy right.

Omegaman · **Posted:** January 11th, 2012, 8:24 pm

Very little experience making my own candy. Just some taffy and glass candy during school. The taffy was good, but it didn't agree with my stomach.

Jiimmi · **Posted:** January 11th, 2012, 11:37 pm

The closest thing that I've made would be cookies. or cake. Granted, it would be beast to know how to make your own candy! so alas, as much I as I want to help, I cannot in this field of cooking

bluecoat · **Posted:** January 12th, 2012, 4:06 am

The chocolate, which I really didn't make from any recipe, turned out doughy. Like, brownie doughy. I wasn't a fan, but Lenkai really liked it. Also wound up making far more from the ingredients than I was expecting, so this could end up being cost effective for me (as far as using up soda ingredients goes). I'm definitely going to do more research into this and work on my recipes while working on sodas.

Phantomrose · **Posted:** January 12th, 2012, 5:51 am

When I was a kid, I remember having a cotton candy maker. I used to have fun times with that toy/machine! I also remember that in fifth grade, my teacher taught the class how to make chocolate/white chocolate lollipops around December. I also tried to make fudge once, but that turned out to be a disaster. It just ended up being a gooey concoction in a brownie pan. xD

Steely Mallon · **Posted:** January 12th, 2012, 4:45 pm

I've made Scottish tablet, that's something really easy. It's basically a hardened fudge. Delicious.

Phantomrose · **Posted:** January 12th, 2012, 7:52 pm

Hmm, that does sound good, Steely. Is it easy to make?

Steely Mallon · **Posted:** January 13th, 2012, 1:39 am

Very! I followed this recipe, along with the extra instructions the first comment gave: http://britishfood.about.com/od/scottishregionalrecipes/r/tablet.htm. Flavored it with a bit of vanilla. Next batch I'm going to use some Scotch. Laphroaig 10 I'm thinking.

Phantomrose · **Posted:** January 13th, 2012, 8:40 am

Thank you for the link! I have to try making it someday!

Ex Rex · **Posted:** January 22nd, 2012, 3:57 am

...Why did it take me so long to discover there's a topic about candy? I demand free samples@@

Tanksandguns · **Posted:** January 22nd, 2012, 2:42 pm

The most essential thing needed when making candy is a candy thermometer. Also, ship me some creations, please.

bluecoat · **Posted:** January 22nd, 2012, 2:46 pm

Snow's building up, and I've got nothing to do today. I may end up making some chocolate. If I can get the consistency right, I may have truffles.

Also, my first batch is already promised to a bake sale. After that, I may start shipping.

Tanksandguns · **Posted:** January 22nd, 2012, 4:13 pm

What about something to with sugar to start out? Peanut Brittle maybe? That might give you a good idea how to work with sugar, and get it to carmalize just right, etc.

bluecoat · **Posted:** January 22nd, 2012, 4:34 pm

I've actually made caramel before, so this isn't entirely new to me.

Too late anyway. I've got ganache in the fridge, stiring on a 15 minute period. Didn't have the premade sugar syrup the recipe called for, but conveniently enough, I had raspberry/cherry soaked sugar dripping from soda making that I happened to save for just such an occasion.

Long story short, smells good :awesome:

bluecoat · **Posted:** January 22nd, 2012, 9:23 pm

oh god... I've been at it all day, and one thing goes wrong right after another...

I've got milk chocolate down, and tasting excellent I might add (despite the recipe not giving any instructions on making it). But without an actual double boiler, water just gets into the mixture and thins it out. The recipe I used for ganache is a failure to boot; the stuff doesn't set unless it's frozen. I'm now making peanut butter balls with what I'm now discovering to be the world's vaguest recipe.

walker · **Posted:** January 25th, 2012, 6:27 pm

to get your chocolate to stick to things and set up solid, add a few drops of parafin- not candle wax, but parafin from the grocery store. Just a few drops and it sets up just fine-- too much and it tastes waxy (duh!).

I've used this before in making chocolate covered rocks and it works like a charm.

Market Man6 · **Posted:** January 26th, 2012, 8:51 am

Steely Mallon wrote:

I've made Scottish tablet, that's something really easy. It's basically a hardened fudge. Delicious.

Around christmas time, my girlfriends mom makes 2 or 3 cookie sheets of this.
Yum!

Phantomrose · **Posted:** January 26th, 2012, 11:52 am

I like working with sugar, to get that caramelizing right. I used it a few times while making a Cuban Flan.

Homemade Candy

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