Homemade Rock Candy

My best friend Beth was talking about a quaint coffee shop she visited where she had her favorite tea, and was provided with a rock candy stirring stick to sweeten her cup. I was so inspired! I thought it was the most wonderful use of rock candy I’ve ever heard of—and so ornate. For this time of year, I wanted to create a glitzy gift to celebrate the Festival of Lights at an after-dinner coffee and tea gathering. This idea is the perfect sparkly bundle to serve and give away.

In my search for methods of making rock candy, I’ve found that (naturally) you can flavor and color the sweets with just about anything. I wanted to choose a flavor that would be paired well with a slew of after-dinner drinks—even cocktails, if you like. A lot of flavors come to mind: peppermint, vanilla, hazelnut, cherry, etc. My favorite taste to add to everything sweet is caramel. Just hit up the baking isle in your local grocery store for heaps of ideas. Caramel struck me as the hint that would go with tea, coffee, hot cider and hot cocoa, all of which I planned to serve. The first thing to know about making Rock Candy at home is that you should plan a week in advance.

Tools:
• 6 wide mouth jars
• 6 coffee filters
• 12 clothespins
• 3 paper plates
• 12 kabob sticks
• 1 large non-stick pot
• A cup or glass with a spout (I used a large measuring glass)

Ingredients:
Makes 12 rock candy stirring sticks

• 6 cups of water
• 16 cups white sugar
• Food coloring (Optional)
• 1-2 tablespoon flavoring (I would use less if you’ve chosen something strong like Peppermint and more with something more subtle like Vanilla)

Method:
Take a few tablespoons of white sugar and spread it onto one of the paper plates. Wet each kabob stick, roll it in the sugar on the plate, and leave to dry. Pour all of the ingredients in your large pot and put it on the stove at a medium-high heat. Stir every few minutes, until the mix has come to a rolling boil. When it becomes slightly cloudy and frothy, take off the heat, and let stand for 10 minutes. The wait time is important because if the mixture is too hot, it will explode the jars when you attempt to pour it in. While you wait, take the sticks and clothespins, and measure where the clothespins will need to hold the stick in each jar, two sticks each. The sticks should measure 1 ½-2 inches from the bottom of the jar. You can cut them down to any length you like. However, don’t place the sticks just yet. When the mixture cools it should be completely translucent and obviously void of all granules.

Begin pouring the liquid from the pot to the cup with a spout, and then carefully pouring from the spouted cup into each jar. Leave ¼ of an inch of space at the top of each jar. At this point you can place the sticks. Cover each jar with a coffee filter of its own, and poke holes where you need the sticks to poke through. Set the jars aside. After one day you should see the rocks starting to form on each stick. I left the batch for a full week to form ½-1 inch thick rock candy stirring sticks. Once you are satisfied with how much sugar has clung to each stick, pick each one out, let the excess drain back into the jar, and set on a paper plate to dry. After removing all of the sticks, and placing each on the paper plate, cover with your last paper plate, for the Rock Candy to dry.

I had so much fun dressing a small beverage table with three large teapots of assorted hot beverages. I put six of my sparkly stirrers in ready-for-pouring mugs. As gifts on display, I packaged up the others in cellophane bags with specially personalized Hanukkah labels and tags, and placed in different vases on the table. I really enjoyed including my Festival of Lights Holiday message on each label: “May the Love and Light Fill Your Heart and Home”.

More homemade gift ideas from Eloquaint Zoe…

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Zoe (78 Posts)

Zoe is born and bred in Portland, Oregon and recently moved to Orlando, Florida. She studied sociology and philosophy at University of Oregon, and is currently employed at a law firm. Presently, she devotes her time to being lost in the tropical vegetation of her backyard, sun-scorched bike rides, repurposing everything she can think of, quirky cooking, and promoting the creative lifestyle that she loves.