Vintage Halloween Lollipop How-To

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes

Lollipops are an old-fashioned favorite that we've updated with easy edible wafer paper decorations. You can vary the colors or flavors to suit your tastes, but we have found either clear or white lollipops provide the best background for wafer paper images. Make sure you have an accurate candy thermometer for this recipe because the sugar temperature is critical! Recipe makes approximately 8 to 10 lollipops per batch. (Each mold makes 5 lollipops.)

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Materials:

• Medium heavy-bottom saucepan
• Candy thermometer
• 2" flat round hard candy lollipop mold
• Lollipop sticks
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Pyrex 2-cup measuring cup
• Pastry brush
• Cookie sheet or marble slab
• Parchment paper
• Edible wafer paper images cut to fit inside the 2" flat candy mold

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup of corn syrup
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tsp of flavoring oil
• 1 to 2 drops of liquid gel food color if using

Instructions:

1. Prepare your molds by lightly spraying them with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Prepare either a marble slab or an upside-down cookie sheet (air underneath the sheet will help the candy to cool faster) by covering it with parchment paper and spraying with nonstick cooking spray. Place molds on the cookie sheet or marble slab.
3. Combine sugar and water in a medium heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Once boiling, stop stirring as soon as the syrup starts to boil and insert a candy thermometer.
4. Allow it to boil, without stirring, until the candy reaches 250°F (121°C). If you plan to add food coloring, add it at this point and allow the liquid to continue boiling.
5. Once the candy reaches 300°F (known as the hard crack stage), remove it from heat, add the flavoring of your choice, and pour it into the Pyrex measuring cup. Allow the liquid to sit until it stops bubbling completely. This will prevent bubbles from forming in your poured lollipops.
6. Working quickly, pour a scant amount of hard candy liquid into each mold, enough just to cover the bottom. Place a pre-cut round wafer paper image FACE DOWN on the liquid in each mold. Add a lollipop stick to each mold and continue pouring to fill each mold. If the liquid becomes too thick to easily pour, simply reheat it in the microwave on high for about 15 seconds and continue filling the molds. NOTE: The image is placed face down so that the correct side of the image will be on the front side of the completed lollipop.
7. Allow it to cool completely and remove from the mold once hardened.
8. Store lollipops individually wrapped in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.