Do it yourself Rock Candy
I can remember when I was younger; I loved to spend time with my Mom in the kitchen making homemade custard biscuits on the weekend. We would mix all the ingredients together and, of course, there was always the sampling after mixing just to ensure that the taste was right. The waiting after they went into the oven was the worst part of the whole process until it was time for them to come out of the oven. The smell was divine, and the whole batch was gobbled up in no time.
As a parent, you are naturally concerned about what your children eat. This is especially true when it comes to sweets, as you are never absolutely sure what goes into them. So, I think it would be a great idea to make your very own Rock Candy. You will have complete control over what you put into them. No artificial colourants or flavourings etc.
This is not the only reason, as it is also a great way to spend some time with your kids. Making rock Candy is more than just a cooking lesson but is also a fun science experiment. You will have a first-row seat, observing how sugar crystals are formed.
Making rock candy can also be creative, trying out various colours like blue, red, yellow or your own unique colour. Add flavours such as Raspberry, Peppermint, Tutti Frutti for your Rock Candy. There is only one problem with this experiment, you will need to exercise a lot of patience as it could take up to one week before you see any visible results.
Let’s get down to making your very own Rock Candy. First, you will need to take some glass jars and wash them. The size of the jars is important as you will need one jar for each colour and flavour you are going to make. For this recipe, you will need four 355 ml jars or one 1 L jar.
You can double up on your sugar solution, which will help to make a lot more Rock Candy, but then you will need more jars. The next step; gather as many wooden skewers and wooden clothes pegs as needed.
Next, wet your wooden skewers in some water and then roll them in the granulated sugar and set it aside to dry. This step is necessary, which allows the sugar granules something to grip onto when they start forming. Now, let us get down to making our sugar solution that you will need for the Rock Candy.
Ingredients
- 2½ Cups of Water
- 5 Cups of Sugar (Granulated)
- A teaspoon of essence or oil for the flavour you need
- One or two drops of Colouring for the desired colour.
Method
- Pour the water into a pot and place it on the stove to bring to the boil.
- Don’t have a stove, you can make use of a microwave oven. Mix the sugar and water together and place in the microwave oven for 2 minutes. Remove and stir. Place the solution back in the microwave oven for a further 2 minutes. Remove and stir. Do this again for the third time, the sugar should be completely dissolved.
- Back to the pan. Slowly add the sugar one cup at a time stirring continually until all the sugar has been dissolved.
- Remove the pot from the stove.
- Allow the solution to cool for about 10 to 12 minutes.
- If you are only going to use one colour and flavour, you can now add it to the sugar solution.
- Allow the solution to cool for a further 10 to 12 minutes and pour it into the prepared jar/s.
- When using more than one colour and flavour, pour the sugar solution into the prepared jars and then add the required colour and flavour.
- Lower the skewers into the jars until they are about 30 mm from the bottom, and attach the clothes peg to hold the skewer upright.
- Now place the jars in a cool place and cover the top lightly with a paper towel.
Your Rock Candy is now ready to grow. Let the crystals grow until they have reached the desired size. This could take from 5 to 7 days, even two weeks. Once you are satisfied with their size, you can remove them from the jars and enjoy, or put them in the refrigerator to enjoy at a later stage.
