Rock candy is made out of sugar crystals which are also known as crystalline sucrose. It is basically a stack of individual sugar granules on top of each other to form a rock like crystal form. Due to its simple method, this candy is fairly easy to make at home. Making rock candy can be a fun activity with children, however do make sure that they do it under the supervision of adult. When you make rock candy at home, you can always experiment with the kind of color you want and also the flavors. For most children, making rock candy is a great science experiment which they do at school and with a little help from the elders they can now do this fun activity at home. Here is the recipe for making rock candy.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 20-30 minutes
Resources Required:
- 1 cup of water
- 2-4 cups of sugar
- Food coloring is optional
- Rough cotton string
- Fruity flavor essence is optional
- Clean glass or jar
- Saucepan
- Butter knife or a pencil
- Candy thermometer
Instructions:
1. Making the sugary concoction
First of all, pour two cups of sugar and one cup of water into a saucepan and set it on a medium flame. You may also add food color too if you are keen on colored rock candy. Keep stirring the sugar mixture so that it doesn’t burn at the base and make it come to a boil. Until it comes to a boil, keep adding the remaining two cups of sugar slowly, making sure that you keep stirring the sugar consistently. Keep checking the temperature with a candy thermometer and once the mixture reached 300 Degree F, you may switch off the heat.
2. Cooling the sugar mixture
After removing the saucepan from heat, you may now add a few drops of fruit-flavored essence if required. Place the pan in the fridge for around 15 minutes for cooling before you pour the candy mixture into a jar.
3. Preparing for the rock candy
Take the cotton string and dampen it with the sugar mixture. Then, roll the damp string in dry sugar and shake off any extra sugar on the string. Now, tie the string on to a knife or a pencil that can easily rest on top of a jar or glass. Make sure that the string does not touch either the bottom or the sides of the jar. Now, you may pour the cool syrup inside the jar and then insert the string. You can cover the top of the jar with any paper towel, waxed paper etc. Let the jar rest for 3-7 days and do not move it. However, do keep checking for crust formation on the surface of the mixture and do remove that.
4. Formation of rock crystals
You will start seeing that a lot of crystals are being formed on the string. You can then remove the string and let it dry. Upon drying, your rock candy is ready to eat! You can also store the rock candy by either coating it with powdered sugar or wrapping it up in a waxed paper and storing it in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How can lemon-flavored rock candy be made?
For making lemon rock candy you will need a candy thermometer, 3-4 quart saucepan, 2 1/2 cups of white sugar, 1 1/2 cups of light corn syrup, 1 cup of water, 1 tsp. lemon oil, 2 tbsp. of powdered sugar, 1 tsp of yellow food coloring, a metal spoon, a metal spatula and a rimmed cookie sheet. Firstly, take some powdered sugar and sprinkle it all over the base of a rimmed cookie sheet and remove the extra sugar. Keep this aside. Then, take a saucepan and attach a candy thermometer on to the side and keep it on a medium flame and heat it for a couple of minutes. Mix the water, white sugar, lemon oil, light corn syrup as well as the yellow food color in the saucepan and stir it until they are mixed well. Bring the mixture to a boil but do keep stirring it until the temperature reaches 300 Degree F and then remove it from the flame. Pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet and let it cool so that it may set. This may take 45 minutes or more. After the mixture has solidified, you can break the lemon rock candy by using a metal spatula.
Quick Tips:
Rock crystals normally start to form and grow within 2-4 hours and it takes a couple of days for them to become large. In order to make larger rock crystals on the strings, you would need to take out the crystal string and reheat the sugar mixture for another time by dissolving sugar inside it. After cooling the mixture, you can slip the rock candy string back inside and it will grow very big.
Things To Watch Out For:
- The candy mixture is very hot and kids should not attempt this without adult supervision.
- Make sure you do not heat the sugar mixture above 300 Degree F, otherwise you may risk burning and ruining the candy.
