Preheat your oven to 350 degrees before you start. If the candy
starts to cool while you are forming the canes, it will break easily.
No problem, just set your candy in the warm oven for a couple of
minutes and it will become pliable again.
Combine sugar, water, syrup, and cream of tartar. Heat until the
sugar is dissolved very fine (medium heat).
Bring to boil, but don't stir until it reaches 280 F.
Pour globs of mixture onto oiled sheet pans - you want a separate
glob/pan for each stripe color. We made white the prominent
color, so it was the larger portion.
Drip 1/2 tsp of flavoring on each pile and add the coloring to the
non-white portions.
Put on your knit gloves and layer the latex gloves over them. The
candy is hot and you don't want to burn yourself! Tight fitting knit
gloves work best because your fingers have more freedom to move
and work.
With an oiled Teflon or silicon spatula, gently lift the edges of the
candy, folding it over itself a few times. Scrape it off the pan, and
start working it with your hands. Like taffy, you stretch and pull
and form it into ropes. The more you work it the lighter the color
becomes, so if you are making white, you will have to work a little
longer on the uncolored portion until it turns from yellow to white.
However, if you are working on a colored section, don't pull it too
much or the color will fade.
After you have formed 8 inch ropes of each desired color, it is time
to form a log. Set the main color (in our case white, the largest
section) on an oiled surface. Press the remaining colors onto each
side of the log. When you press and rub the ropes with your hands,
they should melt into one smooth log.
Working on one end, gently pull the candy outward, twisting to
form the striped candy cane pattern. This part is a little tricky and
takes a bit of hand strength.When you have pulled a section of
your desired thickness, cut the rope and shape into a cane. Set
aside on a surface dusted with powdered sugar to keep the canes
from sticking. Repeat this process until you run out of candy.
Allow your candy canes to set out overnight to cure before eating
them. Otherwise, they will stick to your teeth.
If your candy gets too cool at any time during this process, set it in
the oven for a moment and it will become easier to work with.
Originally Submitted
12/19/2012
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