Candy Corn

Candy Corn
This is a relatively easy way to make a candy corn not found in stores: it's fresh, slightly soft, and tastes the same as candy corn.
It's perfect for halloween, or any time when sugar is needed. This recipe yields  a slightly softer corn than what's found in stores. It also has that fresh taste that's so rare in candy.
I've found many recipes on the web for this, but they all seem to be the same and do not have the necessary precision in temperatures to ensure candy corn, not rock candy.
I'm not sure how long it keeps as it has never lasted more than a day or two before dissappearing.

Also, this is my first Instructable, so tell me anything you think I got wrong.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any injuries, damages to person or property, etc... that may come from boiling hot sugar and other possibly allergenic ingredients over a very hot surface. That being said, please be careful with what you put near the stove.
 
Remove these adsRemove these ads by Signing Up
 

Step 1Ingredients and Utensils

Ingredients and Utensils
Depeding on how much candy corn you want, you will need to either double or quadruple the recipe. I've used all these quantities, and how much candy corn you're making does not change the consistency, etc... of the candy corn. Due to some of the ingredients being difficult to measure in tiny quantities, I do not recommend halving the recipe.

If you use the metric system, a tbsp is 15mL. 1tsp is 5 ml, 1/4 cup is 60 mL.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup white cane sugar, not powdered
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
5/8 cup powdered cane sugar
1/16 tsp salt- just fill up an 1/8 tsp halfway
1 tbsp powdered milk
food colours: red and yellow for traditionnal candy corn, or any colours you like.

Note on Ingredients:
Honey is not necessary; you can use corn syrup instead, but this will result in a slightly less candy-corn flavour.
I have not tried substituting butter with a vegan alternative, but if you don't want to use butter, any fat with a similar consistency should work well.
The powdered sugar needs to be powdered. If it isn't, you will have a large, delicious, but sticky, mess.
I sometimes omit the salt as it has a very small effect on the taste.
Do not forget the powdered milk!!! I tried leaving it out once, and the result was disastrous. It needs to be powdered, not liquid. Sweetened condensed milk will work okay in a pinch, but, although the flavour will stay constant, the candy will be extremely soft and goey. This could possibly be remedied by raising the temperature 10F or so, but buying the powdered milk is well worth the effort. If you use soy protein powder, you will still have a nice dough, but it will be thicker and have a soy-ish taste to it. It will also tend to be brittle.

Utensils/pots
2 roughly 8 inch bowls. One is for mixing, the other for holding sticky utensils.
small, roughly 6 inch pot
1/4 cup measuring cup
1tbsp measuring spoon
1/4 tsp measuring spoon
1/8 tsp or a clean finger
a wooden spoon, if possible one that doesn't taste of garlic or meat.
a cookie sheet, or any smooth surface
a flour sifter. This isn't crucial, but not using it will result in small clumps of milk and sugar in the candy.
a candy thermometer
If you do not have a candy thermometer, get one. A regular thermometer doesn't work at 250F and drop testing the sugar tends to be rather imprecise.

Before you even start measuring, please wash your hands. Do you really want dirt or ebolavirus in you candy corn?

« Previous StepDownload PDFView All StepsNext Step »
60 comments
1-40 of 60next »
Jan 18, 2012. 7:04 AMsampahseo says:
I was just browsing for relevant blog posts for my project research Software Akuntansi Laporan Keuangan Terbaik and I happened to stumble upon yours. Thanks for the excellent information.
Jan 18, 2012. 12:16 AMdfuller1 says:
I made these over the weekend and they are great! Thanks! I used unsalted butter and "No Salt" instead of salt, since I am on a very low sodium diet. Next time I am making a double batch, since these don't last long.
One suggestion: use a pizza wheel instead of a knife to cut them up. It goes a lot faster and is easier on the hands.
Great instructable! Thanks again.
Oct 28, 2011. 11:35 AMled235 says:
One of the best instructables i have ever seen! so good, i stopped what I was doing and went to price chopper to get the ingredients and get cookin'!

Im not the most talented of bakers, cookers, chefs, but this instructable made me feel like Gordon Ramsey!

I commend this instructable very much!

I spent quite a time making these candies, now i sit here on my ipad, cleaning the mess i made, and i will wait overnight to let them solidify!

Keep making these good instructables Cereleste!
Oct 27, 2011. 2:44 PMGeek07Boy says:
Beautiful
Oct 25, 2011. 3:13 PMpyromonkey says:
Im totally going to give this recipe a try :)
Nov 8, 2009. 4:32 AMAstralQueen says:
I love this! I made some just now, but since I didn't have corn syrup I used honey all the way. It doesn't taste like candy corn, but it's still delicious.

I made too much of the orange portion, so I have lots of orange. and I couldn't make it small ; the ribbon kept breaking. But it tastes delicious!
Oct 23, 2011. 11:27 AMsinisterscribe says:
Glad to hear it worked with all honey! I can't have corn syrup and was wondering if it would work. :) May have to try this!! Thanks!
Nov 11, 2009. 8:56 PMGravity Boy says:
If you were going to use Light Corn Syrup, I would use the kind without High Fructose Corn Syrup. There is a company called Wholesome Sweetners that makes organic light corn syrup and it is good.

Oct 23, 2011. 10:48 AMrosipova says:
thanks for putting in the metric measurements! Makes life much easier on us non-American cooks!
Oct 23, 2011. 7:25 AMvshaynes says:
Another factor that can affect some types of candy is humidity. I live in the Pacific NW (USA) and cannot make Divinity because the air is too moist so I get something closer to taffy than marshmallow. Thanks for the great recipe. I am going to try it and see what kind of fun I can have. I am also going to try and make some using Agave instead to see how that works but based on comments I think the corn syrup is probably a necessity.
Oct 10, 2011. 6:12 PMflyingfox567 says:
hey did u know that when u burn sugar its actually having a chem. reaction and is turning into carbon?
sorry, kinda random i know, but i learned this last yr in school
Nov 12, 2009. 7:42 AMsturmey says:
Just a reminder for those who don't know the science behind candy making, the corn syrup is there because the fructose molecules get in between the sucrose molecules and prevents it from crystalizing.

You don't "need" to use corn syrup when making candy, but it acts like insurance so that you don't have to be as acurate with heating and cooling of the candy mixture.

Light corn syrup is generally the best unless you're making a caramel flavoured candy as it has less flavour of it's own. Caramel flavoured candy's benefit from the stronger flavours found in dark corn syrup.

All corn syrup has fructose in it. it is the form of sugar that corn produces naturally, and it tastes twice as sweet as sucrose. Fructose will also spike your insulin levels faster than sucrose since it doesn't need to break down further before being absobed into your bloodstream.

Thanks for a great recipe. I'll have to try this for Christmas.
Oct 9, 2011. 7:28 AMeti1206 says:
hmm looks like yummy and  melts on the tongue, i'll give this recipe to my wife thx Blogger Nusantara - Blogger Nusantara Blogpreneur Indonesia
Mar 27, 2011. 11:29 PMFlying_MashedPotatoes says:
Would Glucose work better? or is that basically the same as light corn syrup? I saw in one of those "How it's made" episodes.
Aug 1, 2010. 1:18 PMjacaja says:
The only step I think you left out is testing your candy thermometer's boiling point due to differences in altitude. Put your thermometer in boiling water and observe the temperature when the water is at a full boil. At sea level water boils at 212 degrees f. If your thermometer reads somethintg other than that then you must add or subtract the difference from your recipe. For example: I live at 4500 feet. When I test my thermometer it usually reads about 200 degrees when the water boils--12 degrees lower than at sea level. If a candy recipes says to boil to 350 degrees I subtract the 12 degrees difference and boil to 338 degrees. I know that many candy makers already know this; but a few don't so I am writing this to let them know. I don't generally like candy corn but this sounds like it would taste good due to the fact that it is fresh. And the color options are endless and fun. I also think different flavors could be added for even more fun. Caramel and green apple come to mind for me. Thanks for the recipe.
Feb 3, 2010. 6:56 PMclemsonguy1125 says:
 Cool, great instructable, but when I tried it it went fine but as it cooled down It became rock solid ans impossible to eat or cut. It tasted ok though
Jul 9, 2010. 10:08 AMclemsonguy1125 says:
Thanks for the reply, I used the thermometer but it was about 20 years old so it might be messed up, as for measurements, I think I had the right amount but I might be wrong.
Nov 11, 2009. 8:45 PMMusicman41 says:
have you tried using crisco instead of butter.  It does not need to be refrigerated.
Apr 22, 2010. 4:30 PMB.F.L.M says:
yeah that sounds like a good idea, but that might change the flavors...
Nov 14, 2009. 1:38 PMmikstr2 says:
i tried this and completely failed, like epic fail kind of fail.
Mar 5, 2010. 3:09 PMfactknowhow says:
 why is your cell phone in the fruit basket?

Jun 17, 2010. 10:07 AMguatsamosa says:
(removed by author or community request)
Jun 17, 2010. 10:08 AMguatsamosa says:

actually i have no clue either but it looks like its charging :P
Nov 15, 2009. 10:05 PMprofessorred says:
Great instructable. You might want to put warnings on it though. Things like "Warning: sharp knives are sharp. I do not take any responsibility for cuts, scrapes, impailments, poking eyes out, or diabeties from eating too much sugar. Contains possible choking hazards so do not give to infants." (use that if you like) or something similar to cover your butt legally in case something goes wrong. Just a suggestion.
Apr 22, 2010. 4:27 PMB.F.L.M says:
Are you or do you want to be a lawyer???? (or have friends/family that are lawyers?)
Nov 12, 2009. 6:11 PMbig-jamie says:
 god they look delicious, im from the UK and have never had 'candy corn' before nor have i heard of it until recently, but tomorrow, im gonna get the ingredients and make these asap
Nov 15, 2009. 9:59 PMprofessorred says:
How did that work out?
Nov 16, 2009. 8:26 AMbig-jamie says:
 it didnt....forgot all about it till now haha =S
Nov 8, 2009. 9:16 AMrobotguy4 says:
I would suggest using pink food coloring, with pink-white-pink stripes and skipping step 5.

Why?

1 word:
CANDY BACON.
Nov 13, 2009. 4:48 PMmikstr2 says:
thats two words
Nov 14, 2009. 1:27 AMrobotguy4 says:
Right...

2 words:
BACON INSPIRED CANDY STRIPS
Nov 14, 2009. 6:48 AMmikstr2 says:
now thats four words
Nov 16, 2009. 12:06 AMrobotguy4 says:
Fine.

A few words:
ITS A RUNNING GAG
Nov 15, 2009. 9:57 PMprofessorred says:
There are 10 kinds of people in this world: those that can count in binar and those that can't.
Apr 22, 2010. 4:26 PMB.F.L.M says:
that is very very ture. but it would be funnier if you had spelled binary correctly
      (I purposely spelled that wrong as I like to be contradictory to myself to keep all you people on your feet. As they say in the fourth novel of very a well known series, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!
              Good Day to You All
Apr 10, 2010. 6:13 PMnoname420 says:
lmfao true that
1-40 of 60next »

Pro

Get More Out of Instructables

Already have an Account?

close

All Steps Viewing
View all steps of an Instructable on the same page when you're a Pro Member.

Upgrade to Pro today!
15
Followers
1
Author:Cereleste