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.

Heat and humidity are the enemies of hard candy!

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.

Humidity is the enemy of hard candy. It will turn it into hard, sticky, goo. I'd try sealing a few pieces in an air-tight container along with some dry rice (or better, silica gel packets) and see if that works better. Instead of powdered sugar, try dusting the candies with a tiny bit of cornstarch.

One way to prevent the crystallization of sucrose in candy is to make sure that there are other types of sugar—usually fructose and glucose—to get in the way and slow down or inhibit the process.

If your candy doesn't harden, even after sitting for a long time (it should only take 45 minutes, not much longer), it might be that your liquid never got hot enough.

Cream of tartar can prevent your homemade hard candy, caramel, and toffee from forming a gritty texture due to sugar crystallization. Adding a pinch of cream of tartar to your sugar syrup will help break down the sugar molecules and stop them from crystalizing early on.

If you candied strawberries are not hardening, there could be a number of reasons. You didn't cook your syrup to the correct temperature. You must hit 305F. The candy shell is too thick and taking longer to harden.

You may not be getting your candy to the right temperature. If you go too low, the candy never hardens completely. Are you using a candy thermometer? If they're fine at first, but turn sticky later, you could try storing them in a drier place (don't put them in the refrigerator, of course).

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

When to add citric acid to hard candy? ›

Typically, a hard candy mixture includes sugar, water, and corn syrup. Once you have your basic mixture ready, and just before it reaches the hard-crack stage (about 300°F), it's time to add the citric acid.

Texture Changes

Hard candies can become sticky or even soft, while chewy candies can harden over time. If your Skittles have morphed into tiny rocks or transformed into gooey blobs, they're past their prime.

The problem is that crystals of sugar were re-introduced into the liquid candy. This will cause your candy to crystallize and become grainy. To prevent this, (stove-top method only) wipe down the inner sides of your pan a few times with a wet pastry brush while your candy is boiling.

Corn syrup, honey, molasses, cream and butter are all "interfering agents." That is, they interfere with crystallization of sucrose.

Interfering agents (e.g., cream of tartar, lemon juice, corn syrup, molasses, or vinegar) are added to sugar syrup mixtures to prevent the formation of large crystals.

Why did my rock candy turn out too hard or too soft? The texture of rock candy is determined by the sugar concentration in the solution. If your candy is too hard, it means there was too much sugar in the solution. If it is too soft, there was not enough sugar.

Continue boiling, uncovered, not stirring the mixture but shaking the saucepan occasionally to distribute the heat as the mixture turns amber in about 9 minutes, then darker amber as it registers 305 degrees on the thermometer (hard-crack stage ), about 3 minutes longer.

Hard candy like Jolly Ranchers, lollipops and other individually wrapped candies can essentially last forever if they're stored right and kept away from moisture. Dark chocolate can last one to two years in a cool, dark, dry place. Milk and white chocolate will last up to 10 months.