Making lollipops at home is not difficult at all. Moreover, the possibilities of a modern housewife are very wide. All you have to do is put in a little effort, show a little imagination, and delicious homemade candies will appear in a vase on your table.
Homemade lollipops have a number of advantages over store-bought ones:
- differ in excellent taste, pleasant smell and original design;
- prepared with love by the best cook - the mistress of the house;
- the delicacy contains only simple and affordable natural ingredients;
- No chemical additives, preservatives or flavors are used.
For the classic recipe you will need products that you always have on hand:
- granulated sugar 200 g.
- good water 5 tbsp. spoons
- lemon juice 2 dessert spoons or 1 tbsp. spoon of 9% vinegar.
- a little vegetable oil to grease the paper.
If you want to deviate from the standard, you should stock up on:
- small dragees and pieces of marmalade to decorate lollipops;
- vanilla sugar, honey, ginger or ground cinnamon to add flavor.
Equipment and materials for making candy:
- deep saucepan or small saucepan with a thick bottom;
- a container with cold water to cool the sugar mass;
- sticks, skewers, toothpicks with cut ends or tubes;
- baking paper or silicone dough board.
Now you can get to work.
Step-by-step recipe for homemade candy
Pour sugar into a saucepan, pour in water. Bring to a boil over low heat. Boil, stirring, for 5-7 minutes. Finally add lemon juice or vinegar. Mix well. Vanilla, ginger or honey are also added at the final stage of cooking. The temperature of the finished caramel should not be lower than 170-175°C.
In the absence of a culinary thermometer in the housewife's arsenal, the readiness of the syrup can be determined using the method of our grandmothers. If a hot drop in cold water becomes hard and does not stick to your hands, the caramel is ready.
Little secret. To prevent the syrup from sticking to the walls of the dish, during boiling it must be “pushed” with a brush dipped in cold water. This way you can avoid loss of sugar mass.
Act boldly, and then all the caramel will go into action.
When the syrup has boiled down and is ready for use, remove the saucepan from the heat, carefully place it in a container with cold water and cool slightly.
Lightly grease baking paper or silicone board with vegetable oil. Carefully pour the caramel into small circles and place the sticks.
Decorate with pieces of marmalade and dragees. To better secure the sticks and decorations, you can pour a little more syrup on top.
Everything is very simple, easy and pleasant.
If desired, you can insert cherries, seedless raisins, pieces of pineapple, apple or banana into the candy. It is worth adding a couple of tablespoons of raspberry syrup, blackcurrant juice to the sugar mass, or take 5-6 tbsp instead of water. spoons of milk, the appearance, taste and color of the appetizing delicacy will completely change.
Homemade candies are much tastier and more varied than those offered in the store. In addition, you can and should involve your child in preparing them. Cooking is a wide field for the development of creative abilities. By imagining together, you will always surprise guests, relatives, and children's party participants with surprises and gifts.
