These lollipops on wooden sticks in the form of golden cockerels, red Kremlin and other figures, large and small, are well remembered by those whose childhood fell on the Soviet and first decades of the post-Soviet era. Yes, and now in the bazaars, in the busy city centers and on the beaches in the resort towns, you can meet merchants selling these sparkling caramels in the sun.
Homemade lollipops
Legitimate question:
"How to make candy at home?" In fact, they are home-cooked, because gypsies and retired grandmothers traded this product “by hand”. Their sweets were most often "blown", i.e. empty inside to save the products from which the treat was made. And if they could do it, you can do it. The main thing is simply to find out a couple of successful recipes on how to make candy at home! And, of course, a working “inventory”. If you manage to get the appropriate molds - luck is definitely on your side. If not, use the ones you have for solidifying ice, containers from candy boxes, and small
cookie cutters. Even plain printing paper, only pre-oiled, is suitable. And also wooden sticks. Instead, toothpicks will be good, divided into parts by sticks from ice-cream popsicle or any home-made. Now we’ll tell you the first recipe on how to make candy at home. For ten small candies, you will need: sugar - 8 tablespoons, water - 4 of the same, vinegar 6% - 3 tablespoons,
dye (food) or without it. The dye is diluted in a few drops of water. Take it a little too, otherwise repaint the language when you regale yourself with the finished product! Along the way - useful advice on how to make candy at home more tasty. Instead of dye, take a little of any dark jam (syrup from it) or berry, fruit juice. With juice, your sweets will also be useful. Sugar is poured into a thin-walled saucepan, water is added - exactly to cover the sugar, no more. If you take juice, then pour it immediately. Put the saucepan immediately on a large fire so that the syrup boils. It happens very fast. You can prevent it from burning.
When the foam appears on the surface, vinegar is added, otherwise the sugar will begin to crystallize. Further, the recipe for making lollipops advises: if you want sweets with air bubbles inside, continue to stir. If you want it just transparent - leave the caramel mass for the next 5-7 minutes without intervention. And make the fire minimal. After 7 minutes, dip one wand in a saucepan, type a little “brew” on it, hold it for a couple of seconds to check - is it frozen? If yes - remove the pan from the stove, stir the syrup and fill the molds. Let the caramel harden slightly, then insert the sticks. When the candies have completely cooled down and harden, they can be washed under a stream of water to give a glossy shine. Or sprinkle with coconut, powdered sugar, poppy seeds. Here's how to make a cockerel candy and many more - depending on the availability of molds!
Juice Lollipops
You can make sweets using only 2 products - sugar and juice. In this case, the products are taken from a ratio of 1: 2. Ie a spoon of juice - 2 sugars. 2 tablespoons of juice - 4 sugars, etc. Perfectly suited for these purposes are citrus fruits - lemons, oranges (freshly squeezed juice), pomegranates, cherries, currants. They simultaneously act both as dyes and as flavorings. By the principle of jelly, you can make two-and even three-color candies.
Good luck with your experiments!