midnightbleuk

Recipe for candy canes
6 c. sugar
3 c. cold water
2 T. light corn syrup
1/8 t. salt
1 t. cream of tartar
flavoring OIL (peppermint, etc., found
at pharmacies and specialty stores)
food coloring

Combine sugar, water, corn syrup and
salt in a heavy 6/7 quart pan. Heat
and stir until sugar crystals are
dissolved, then stop stirring. Bring
to a rolling boil and wash down the
crystals, then add the cream of tartar.
Boil rapidly to the hard crack stage.
Pour two-thirds of the syrup out quickly
onto a slab or greased flat pan. Pour
the rest into a buttered glass pie pan.
and do not move until partly set. Turn
the edges in on each portion and add
flavoring to each..about 6 drops of oil
to the large portion and 3 to the small.
Add food coloring to the small dish.

As soon a humanly possible, start to
pull the portion in the large container
until pearly-colored. (It will be really
hot. .butter your hands and set it
down when it gets too hot!) Form it
into a ball. Meanwhile gather up the
colored portion and form it into a rope
and wrap it around the ball. With one
person on each end, start to stretch
and twist the ball in opposite directions
to form a long rope
with the traditional stripe. Cut into
lengths as necessary. When the
desired diameter is achieved, cut and
form into canes (roll it on the board to
get it smooth). If it gets too cold
to work with, put on a wooden breadboard
in a warm oven to soften.

Hints: I hate to suggest a temperature
because of the problem of altitudes (and
at this moment I can't find the copy of
the recipe that has the temperature I
use.) Even two degrees too hot can make
it virtually impossible to work with. Too
cool and it doesn't set up hard, although
it's still good. My second batch is
always better than the first one. Hope
you like it!