Reasons For Hard Candy Failures | LorAnn Oils (2024)

FAQs

Reasons For Hard Candy Failures | LorAnn Oils? ›

If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

Always make candy on a cool, dry day. Because candy is made from sugar, and it pulls in moisture from the air, rain and humidity, the cooking time can increase substantially. It also may never set up at all -- the candy will absorb water from the air and turn into syrup.

During hard candy production, 42 DE glucose syrup is added to the recipe in order to prevent graining [1].

Hard candy is made of sugar, corn syrup, and other substances that dissolve easily in water. Just like the saliva in your mouth, the water in the glass allowed them to dissolve. Adding heat made this process easier and faster.

According to Blakeslee, if a candy appears extremely sticky or has a grainy texture, then it has most likely expired due to temperature abuse and the crystallization of sugar. As a result, she said, it may develop an off flavor, have a change in color or turn moldy if it contains fruits or nuts.

Preventing sugar crystallization.

Cream of tartar can prevent your homemade hard candy, caramel, and toffee from forming a gritty texture due to sugar crystallization.

When the weather is hot or humid, it may take longer for the candy to cool, or it can absorb excess moisture from the air, which might cause the sugar to crystallize or the texture to soften instead of becoming hard and crisp.

To replace glucose syrup, we recommend using other naturally occurring syrups, like honey, maple syrup, and agave syrups. The textures and flavor profiles will give you a similar texture and mouthfeel to your final results.

Provides Smooth Texture: Corn syrup helps to create a smooth and glossy texture in candies, ensuring that they are not grainy or gritty.

Glucose syrup helps preserve and increase the sweetness of commercial foods, which may boost their appeal. It's also very cheap to produce. However, it doesn't offer any health benefits. This syrup doesn't contain fat or protein but is instead a concentrated source of sugar and calories.

What does citric acid do to hard candy? ›

In candy making, it's used to add sourness, similar to the way vinegar adds tang to salad dressings. The strength of citric acid is notable, so a little goes a long way. For candy making, it's available in a powdered form, which is what you'll be using to make your sour candies.

The oil molecules have no positive and negative areas. They don't attract the coloring or sugar molecules so the candy coating doesn't dissolve at all in oil.

But acetic acid reacts only with certain kinds of substances—and sugar isn't one of them. In fact, candy might dissolve more slowly in vinegar, since the acetic acid molecules don't dissolve sugar as well as water does.

In hard candy making, it is important to cook all the water out of the sugar/corn syrup/water mixture. If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

The process of turning sugar into a hard, smooth, transparent confection involves heating a sugar/corn syrup/water solution to 300 – 310° F. {150 - 155° C.}, or what is known as the hard crack stage of sugar. The use of a candy thermometer is not essential, but highly recommended and accuracy is critical.

The sticky, sugary film lingers on your teeth, increasing your risk of tooth decay. Sugary residue becomes trapped between your teeth, and it is harmful to your gums as well as your teeth. Hard candy also increases the risk of breaking or chipping a tooth.

If there is more acid in hard candy, it will invert and become sticky. Check the acidity of the filling as well. Acids promote sucrose inversion, especially at high temperatures, and are added after cooking, along with flavorings.

If your candied coating isn't hardening, the candying mixture did not reach a high enough temperature. Allow your candying mixture to cook until it bubbles, thickens, and turns a rich golden color, sort of like caramel. Then, quickly turn off the heat so it doesn't burn.

Avoid Moisture Mixes.

Storing these sweets in the same container will cause the harder candies to become sticky. To make sure that hard candies stay hard, sprinkle with finely ground sugar and store in an airtight jar.

If the candy forms a firm but not hard ball, it is in the firm ball stage. The temperature of this stage is between 242—248°F. Caramels are cooked to the firm ball stage. If the candy forms thick threads when it drips from the spoon, it is in the hard ball stage or 250°—265°F.