Description
This Cinnamon Rock Candy recipe guides you through creating homemade, crunchy cinnamon-flavored rock candy with a delightful sweet spice. The candy is made by boiling a sugar syrup to the hard crack stage, flavoring it with cinnamon oil, and cooling it into a brittle sheet that you break into chunks coated with confectioner’s sugar for a clean finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Preparation
- Butter for preparing the pan and parchment paper
Main Ingredients
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup purified water
- 1 teaspoon water based red food coloring (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon candy oil
Finishing
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the Pan: Grease a 15”x10”x1” baking sheet (jelly roll pan) with butter, then line it with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper as well to prevent sticking.
- Mix Ingredients: In a large saucepan, combine granulated sugar, light corn syrup, purified water, and optional red food coloring. Stir to mix the ingredients evenly.
- Heat and Boil: Cover the saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar mixture comes to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
- Dissolve Sugar Further: Once boiling, uncover and continue boiling for 3 minutes while stirring occasionally to ensure the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Cook to Hard Crack Stage: Insert a candy thermometer, then cook the mixture without stirring until it reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit (hard crack stage). This takes about 25 minutes and requires careful observation to prevent burning.
- Remove and Stir Briefly: Remove the saucepan from heat just before it reaches 300 degrees, stir quickly to prevent burning, then return to heat and watch carefully until it hits 300 degrees.
- Add Flavoring: Immediately remove the mixture from heat once at 300 degrees and quickly stir in 1 teaspoon cinnamon candy oil in a well-ventilated area due to its strong fragrance.
- Pour and Cool: Pour the hot mixture carefully into the prepared pan and let it cool and harden for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes.
- Dust with Powdered Sugar: Sprinkle the candy with confectioner’s sugar, flip it over, and sprinkle the other side to keep it from sticking.
- Break into Pieces: Wrap the head of a hammer with a zippered bag and gently break the hardened candy into bite-sized pieces. Optionally, sprinkle more confectioner’s sugar to coat edges.
Notes
- Use a candy thermometer for precise temperature to achieve the perfect hard crack stage, which is crucial for the rock candy texture.
- Butter the parchment paper well to ensure the candy releases easily after cooling.
- If red food coloring is omitted, the candy will have a clear or slight cinnamon color.
- Break the candy gently to avoid shattering it into powder or too-small pieces.
- Store the broken candy in an airtight container to maintain crispness and prevent moisture absorption.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 55 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
