Best Hard Candy Ornaments Recipes

STAINED-GLASS ORNAMENTS

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
• 2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and molasses and beat for 2 minutes. Beat in the water. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
• 3. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• 4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil.
• 5. Divide the dough into thirds. Divide each third into 10 equal pieces. Using your palms, roll each piece on a lightly floured work surface into a rope 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. Gently trace the design of your choice onto the prepared cookie sheets (a wooden spoon handle or chopstick works well for tracing on foil). Outline each design with a rope of dough, pressing the ends together to seal securely.
• 6. Sprinkle the inside of each design with the crushed candies, dividing the candies evenly among the outlined designs and creating an even layer.
• 7. Bake in the center of the oven or until the edges of the cookies are golden and the candy has melted, 6 to 9 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets on wire racks until the candy hardens, about 5 minutes. Gently peel the foil away from the cookies and transfer to the racks to cool completely.

OLD FASHIONED HARD CANDY

Steps:

• Generously coat a cookie sheet with confectioners' sugar, and set aside.
• In a heavy bottomed saucepan, stir together the white sugar, water and corn syrup until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high and cook to a temperature of 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat, and stir in the flavored oil and food coloring.
• Immediately pour the sugar mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet in a thin stream (this helps it cool). When the candy is cool enough for the outer edge to hold its shape, cut into bite size pieces with scissors. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

OLD-FASHIONED HOMEMADE HARD CANDY

Steps:

• In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved; then cook without stirring, lowering the heat and cooking more slowly during the last few minutes, to the hard crack stage (300 degrees F), If sugar crystals form on sides of pan, wipe them off with a damp brush.
• Remove from heat, add oil flavoring and enough food coloring to color; stir only to mix. Pour into 2 well buttered 9 inch pans. Set one pan of candy over a sauce pan containing hot water (unless you have a helper to help cut the candy). As soon as the other pan of candy is cool enough to handle, cut it with scissors into 1-inch strips. Then snip the strips into pieces. Work fast. Drop the pieces onto a buttered baking sheet. If the candy cools too quickly, set it on a saucepan over hot water to soften it, but if it gets sticky, return at once to the work counter.
• Toss in a small amount of powdered sugar to keep from sticking together. Repeat with the second pan of candy.

POINSETTIA CANDY ORNAMENTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F; place 1 square of foil on cookie sheet. Because of the variables in how different colors of candies melt and the need to work quickly to complete the ornament after removing it from the oven, baking more than one ornament at a time is not recommended.
• See illustration a. Unwrap only the red candies. On foil, arrange 5 red candies in circle, leaving an opening about 1/2 inch in diameter in the center. With wrappers on, cut 6 green candies in half and 1 green candy into quarters with scissors or knife; remove wrappers.* For leaves, arrange 3 green halves, rounded side out, on 3 sides of the red candies, making sure cut sides touch red candies. Place 1 green quarter of candy in center of red candies. Very carefully transfer cookie sheet to oven, baking only one ornament at a time. (Candies must be fresh in order to melt properly; if they aren't, they will not melt.)
• Bake 3 to 6 minutes, watching closely for candy to melt (melting time will depend on the candy and how much you want the ornament to melt).** Remove from oven; immediately insert end of drinking straw 1/2 inch from top of ornament to create opening for hanging; sprinkle ornament lightly with candy decors. Rotate straw a quarter turn after 30 seconds and again after 1 minute; remove straw (this prevents the straw from sticking to the candy, which could cause the ornament to break when removed).
• Working quickly, form flower petal points by drawing the tip of a toothpick through each candy to form a point. If the candy has cooled too much, return the cookie sheet to the oven and heat 1 to 2 minutes longer and try again. Allow ornament to cool completely on cookie sheet; gently remove foil. Thread ribbon through the hole made with the straw to hang the ornament (see illustration b).

BEAUTIFUL STAINED-GLASS HARD CANDY

Steps:

• To make your own molds from foil: Cut aluminum foil in desired shapes: stars, trees, etc. Grease foil lightly with vegetable oil. Fold up edges to make 1/2" sides. Seal corners with freezer tape to prevent leaks.
• You can also pour this candy onto a greased cookie sheet to make your own shapes. Score the candy while it's still warm (be careful not to burn your fingers) so you can break it on the score lines. I've even used mint containers as molds.
• To make the candy: In a 2-quart saucepan combine sugar, syrup, water and vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, until it reaches the hard crack stage (300F degrees).
• Remove from the heat, stir in the flavoring and color. Allow the candy to cool SLIGHTLY. Pour the candy into prepared molds, about 1/8" deep. When firm, remove from the molds.
• If you wish to hang the finished candy on a string or ribbon: when the candy begins to set (before it hardens) use a skewer to make holes for stringing.
• If candy becomes too firm to pour and shape it, then remelt it over low heat. Be careful not to boil it.
• Tips for other color combinations: Use a toothpick to swirl food coloring through the uncolored candy after it's been poured into molds. Make molded candies of one color and dribble with a second color to get a "stained glass" effect. To store candy ornaments, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in a covered container at room temperature in a dry place. Keep them flat to prevent warping.