Homemade Candy Corn (GF)
It's October 15th and Halloween is almost here!
I absolutely love the holiday season. Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but it's definitely up there. I also just really love the fall- everything is pumpkin spiced, I can wear boots again, and the mornings start to take on the crisp chill of the changing season.
I am still trying to figure out the whole Halloween costume thing for this year. My husband is not as into dressing up as I am, but he's a patient, loving person and therefore humors me. I have to say- there are a few new officially licensed Disney costumes that I love. They're mostly princess costumes and they are really pretty and fairly accurate to the films. They are also young, yet not completely skanked out (been there, done that- ha).
Aren't they cute?
I have never, ever been anything "scary" or "ugly" for Halloween. Since I was a little girl my costumes were as follows (I don't know the costumes from my infant years):
1. Clown (this was before I could choose, but it was a cute clown, I've seen photos)
2. Ballerina
3. Mermaid
4. Cleopatra
5. Princess
6. Sleeping Beauty
7. Snow White
8. Marilyn Monroe
9. Angel
10. Tinkerbell
11. Fairy
12. Saloon girl
13. Marie Antoinette
14. Top Chef (an anomaly)
15. Hogwarts student
Do you know what a good thing to do would be while you're trying to figure out your Halloween costume for this year? Make this homemade candy corn recipe. It is super easy, really festive and much tastier than the store bought stuff.
The longest part of the process is actually cutting it out. Hence, the extra thinking time you'll have to do costume planning.
I used Alton Brown's recipe and his method is to form the candy into 4-inch wedges and cut using a butter cutter. Since I don't have a butter cutter, I instead cut my candy into squares and then cut each square diagonally into triangles.
Once you've let your candy rest for a bit, you can even package it up and hand it out to friends and co-workers as a fun Halloween treat.
Homemade Candy Corn Recipe (from Alton Brown)
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
6 1/2 tsp non-fat dry milk powder
1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 1/2 tbsp water
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 drops each of food coloring gel of choice
Directions
Combine the powdered sugar, dry milk and salt in a food processor. Pulse 4 or 5 times, until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Set aside.
Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and water in a 2-quart pot. Place over medium heat, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Add the butter, clip on a candy thermometer and bring the sugar syrup to 230 degrees F, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the thermometer.
Add the vanilla and the dry mixture and stir continuously with a silicone spatula until well combined. Pour onto a half sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is cool enough to handle.
Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Add 2 or 3 drops of yellow food coloring to one piece and knead until the color is consistent throughout. Add 2 or 3 drops of orange to the second piece and knead until the color is consistent throughout. Leave the third piece white.
Roll each piece of dough into a strand about 18 inches long. Cut each strand in half and roll each piece into a strand that is about 1/2 inch thick and 22 inches long.
Lay the strands side by side (orange, yellow, then white) and press them together using your fingers. Cut into squares. The candy may be a little bit sticky. If so, I recommend cutting all candy into squares and then cutting each square into triangles (it should be less sticky by the time you're cutting your triangles).
6 1/2 tsp non-fat dry milk powder
1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 1/2 tbsp water
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 drops each of food coloring gel of choice
Directions
Combine the powdered sugar, dry milk and salt in a food processor. Pulse 4 or 5 times, until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Set aside.
Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and water in a 2-quart pot. Place over medium heat, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Add the butter, clip on a candy thermometer and bring the sugar syrup to 230 degrees F, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the thermometer.
Add the vanilla and the dry mixture and stir continuously with a silicone spatula until well combined. Pour onto a half sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is cool enough to handle.
Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Add 2 or 3 drops of yellow food coloring to one piece and knead until the color is consistent throughout. Add 2 or 3 drops of orange to the second piece and knead until the color is consistent throughout. Leave the third piece white.
Roll each piece of dough into a strand about 18 inches long. Cut each strand in half and roll each piece into a strand that is about 1/2 inch thick and 22 inches long.
Lay the strands side by side (orange, yellow, then white) and press them together using your fingers. Cut into squares. The candy may be a little bit sticky. If so, I recommend cutting all candy into squares and then cutting each square into triangles (it should be less sticky by the time you're cutting your triangles).
Allow the candy to set out uncovered on parchment paper or silpat for 1-2 hours. Place candy in sealed container, using parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.
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