LorAnn flavors: Lolly, lolly, lolly, get your flavors here
August 2nd, 2011 by MaryJane RobbinsRecipe: Hard Candy
First of all, bravo if you are now singing the adverb song from School House Rock. Way to kick it old school. Second, sorry if the song gets stuck in your head all day, it just had to be done.
I did it because I want you to be thinking about flavors all day long. Truly, madly, deeply thinking about flavors. Why you ask?
Because lately I find I’ve been forgetting about them. Not that I haven’t been using them, but I’ve been forgetting to tell YOU about them.
Here in the test kitchen there are no less than four places that we keep stashes of LorAnn flavors. Susan, Sue, Andrea and Charlotte each have their own sections on their stations. You’ll see some of the same flavors repeated, but each of us has our own favorites and our own favorite uses for the oils. I’d like to take this blog today and show you some of the ways we’ve been making good use of these special flavors.
Let’s start with the easy ones:*Add a few drops to icing, glaze or cookie dough.
*Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon to cake batter or quick bread/ muffin batter.
*Add a few drops to your favorite fruit smoothie. I’m a big fan of almond in my banana berry oat smoothie in the morning.
*Add 1/2 teaspoon to your favorite ice cream base to create new one-of-a-kind flavors in your own kitchen.
Want something a little bit different? Try these ideas:*Add a drop to melted chocolate before you dip fruit in it. Banana dipped in butter rum chocolate anyone?
*Add a few drops to homemade playdough. Pink playdough is fun, but cherry scented pink playdough is FUNTASTIC!
*Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon to stabilized whipped cream for a mousse cake or pie filling.
* Add 1/8 teaspoon to one cup of sugar or salt and mix well. Allow to dry and use to rim the glass of your favorite drink. You’ll get a burst of flavor in every sip.
And now for something completely different:*A few drops of your favorite oil on a cotton ball can be placed next to your bath for an aromatherapy treat while you soak.
*Freshen up the house for the holidays. Add a few drops of cinnamon or peppermint oil to simmering water to quickly scent the whole house.
*Put off pests with peppermint. A few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball can repel unwanted critters from a cupboard or closet.
Ready for a recipe? Let’s go back to basics and make those lollys with this Hard Candy recipe.
It is very important to have your workstation, ingredients, molds etc. all in place and ready to go before you begin to cook your sugar. Cooked sugar waits for no one and once you’ve started cooking it, there is no “pause” button.
Fill a half sheet pan or other flat tray with a lip with confectioners’ sugar. Smooth it out lightly to an even layer that nearly reaches the top of the pan.
Using your chosen shape, press evenly and firmly into the sugar to create a well, or depression to act as your mold. Here I’m using a 1/8th cup measure.
Any firm, round, smooth shape will do for pressing the mold. Scout around the kitchen to see what you can find.
The sugar becomes compact and smooth, creating a simple but sturdy mold.
Press out several molds in the same tray. Off-set each one so that the lollipop stick will not run into the next mold. As you can see from the note above, be careful about the placement of the sticks, you won’t be able to change it once you start pouring sugar.
As you prepare to begin cooking sugar, do yourself a huge favor and fill a bowl with ice water and place it in the sink. Hot sugar will stick and burn skin easily. If you have ice water on hand, you can save yourself from a serious burn by plunging into the water.
Now that your molds are ready, you are ready to prepare the sugar. Place one cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of corn syrup in a large microwave safe measuring cup, preferably one with a pouring spout. Stir the mixture well until all the sugar is dampened.
Cover the container with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Remove from the microwave, CAREFULLY remove the plastic wrap, gently stir the mix. Re-cover with a new piece of plastic wrap and microwave on high for another 3 minutes.
With the sugar fully cooked, now you can add flavoring and color. LorAnn flavors are the ones we have tested and found to offer the truest flavors and a very very extensive list to choose from.
I’ve picked cherry for this premier batch and a squirt of bright red food coloring.
**Caution! Be careful not to place your face directly over the sugar as you stir in your flavors and colors. That steam is potent! **
Stir quickly to incorporate the color and flavor. The mixture will bubble and snap at first, but will settle down as it cools slightly.
Now is the time to work quickly. Carefully fill each mold with the sugar. You can fill right to the top of the mold.
Don’t worry about little drizzles between molds. You’ll need to keep moving while the sugar is still liquid.
When all the molds are full, set the tray aside for drying. Depending on the room temperature and humidity, this can take a few hours, or overnight.
In the mood for homemade candy but not really into making molds? Just pour your colored and flavored liquid goodness onto a parchment lined sheet pan. For this batch we made butter rum with a touch of brown food coloring. Fond memories of LifeSavers floated around the kitchen as this one cooked.
Wheee! Just like stained glass, but tastier.
If you are quick, you can score the candy sheet while it is still warm and break into nice even pieces. If you are like me and play with the candy for the camera, you’ll end up with more uneven pieces.
Dust the broken candy pieces with confectioners’ sugar and store them in an airtight container for several weeks.
As for the lollipops, once they are solid and firm just pick them up from the tray of confectioners’ sugar, dust them off and serve or wrap for gift giving.
Since I can’t give you a lolly, I’ll give you a smile instead…
Jen in Customer Service stopped by with her son Dash just as these pops were ready for tasting. Who could resist such a cutie?! Besides, Dash’s t-shirt certainly says it all.
Many thanks to LorAnn (www.lorannoils.com) for sharing their hard candy recipe with us, and for producing such a great product. We’d love to hear your favorite way to use LorAnn flavors, just leave a comment below.
Please make, rate and review our Hard Candy recipe.
Print just the recipe.
August 2nd, 2011 at 6:11 am
I love it! No fancy equipment needed! I never would have thought to make candy using the microwave. The powdered sugar molds are so cool! I think I might make some of these for Christmas gifts. Thanks so much for another great idea/recipe!
~Jessica
They really are that easy and fun! MJ made an amazing coconut one that made me feel like I was at the beach… I may have day dreamed at my desk. Hope you enjoy! I know I did.
August 2nd, 2011 at 7:29 am
Okay, I had just gotten the adverb song out of my head a few days ago, since my children play the Schoolhouse Rock DVD over and over. “I’m just a bill. I’m just a bill. On Capitol Hill…” Payback.
Seriously now. I am wondering why you would prepare a bowl of ice water for burns. Are sugar burns different? I was told NEVER to ice a burn but to run cold, not freezing, water on it so you don’t damage the skin with the ice as well.
Hi there,
Sugar is a bit different, as it is sticking to your skin. If you can chill it quickly and get it to harden up, it will stop sticking and stop burning the skin. Once you’ve done that, then you would treat the burn accordingly.
Thanks for sharing Bill. I always loved that one. If you are of the right age, you remember everyone in history class humming the Preamble to the Constitution on test days! We the people, in order to form a more perfect union… ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 7:35 am
For scenting my house, I take a used dryer sheet, put a few drops of flavorings on it and pin it to the air filter for my furnace/air-conditioner. The breeze carries the scent throughout the house.
I also use stronger scents, like cloves, in my bath water on cold wintery days…
~Jessica
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
August 2nd, 2011 at 9:28 am
To make the top side (side not touching the mold) of the lollies even more beautiful could you cut out a stencil, lay it over the candy and dust with more sugar to create a powdered sugar design? Would you do that once they were completely dry, or would they be not tacky enough for the sugar to set?
Great idea Keri. Yes, you could stencil with sugar, or even paint with a thin sugar icing. I’m not sure which way would give you the best outcome, but it should be pretty easy to experiment with a batch. Try some before they are fully set, and some after. I wonder if you painted on a little water, if you could get the sugar to adhere in patterns and swirls? Man, I wish I had more time to check this all out!
If anyone has tried stenciling, let us know how you work it out. ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 9:31 am
I LOVE Lorann flavor oils! I use them to make creamy fondant fillings for hand made chocolates. I also use peppermint to make homemade girl scout thin mints (flavor dark chocolate to taste & dip ritz crackers in. Drizzle with green chocolate for prettiness.) (Can do the same with oreos and nutterbutters. Oh the possibilities are endless!)
I also love the cornstarch molds. Great idea!! Thank you!
I’ve GOT to try the dipped Ritz, those sound great. Thanks for the tips. ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 10:17 am
The thing that drives me crazy about the LorAnn flavors is that they are (all? mostly?) artificial. What I wouldn’t do for natural flavors with the same intensity and range! Are there any? Does KAF carry them?
Hi Margit,
Check out the great citrus oils we carry. I use them in so many things as well. ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 11:10 am
LOL The heading grabbed my attention. A group of friends
had been discussing the Schoolhouse Rock songs and Lolly, Lolly, was always my favorite. Haven’t made lollipops in a very long while. Love the powdered sugar molds…so easy.
The one you made and broke up the pieces gave me an idea for a project this winter…using different colors and flavoring to make a “stained glass” edible picture centerpiece. Thanks for a bunch of wonderful ideas!
I love the stained glass idea. Wouldn’t the guests be surprised when you took a big bite? ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 12:33 pm
I’d love the recipe for the Banana Berry Oat Smoothie … sounds yummy and would be even better with the bit of almond or vanilla
August 2nd, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Fantastic! How well does the powdered sugar dust off? Was that what was used for the ones on top? I just made a homemade lollipop this weekend to be a magnifying glass on top of a friend’s murder mystery birthday cake. Didn’t think of the powdered sugar trick though so I just carefully poured circles on wax paper and picked the most even one. The fondant rim covered any minor miss-shapings.
What a cool idea! To get really clear pops for the photo, I just dusted the sugar off with a damp paper towel. When eating them, we just licked the sugar off. ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 4:24 pm
I’ll second the request for the Banana Berry Oat Smoothie…
You know, I was just outside (nice 101 today) and was thinking, iced tea with peach flavoring would be really good about now… Think of all the variations of iced tea you could make…
You could also decorate the lolly pops with royal icing that’s been flavored with a complementary flavoring for a small burst of taste. Think banana flavored icing on a cherry pop. Or blueberry and lemon. Or…
Here it is, my famous (to me anyway) Banana Berry Oat Smoothie:
1 cup vanilla almond milk (more if needed)
1 banana
1/2 cup yogurt, your choice of flavor. I use vanilla non-fat
1 cup raspberries or whatever berries you have on hand
1/3 cup rolled oats, uncooked
6 ice cubes
4 drops almond oil
Throw it all in the blender and let it whirl away as you shove the cat off of the table and holler that you’ll be leaving in 5 minutes whether anyone else is ready or not. Pour into a large container and hit the road.
~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 4:49 pm
I had one question about the recipe-I don’t have a microwave oven so can you pls give directions for melting the sugar/cornstarch on the stove? Thanks in advance, Simone
Hi Simone,
Lorann has a full recipe for stovetop hard candy on their site. Great details. Enjoy! ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 5:48 pm
I love LOVE Lorann oils and have a zillion of those little bottles. I use them tons for fillings in cakes or unique flavored frostings (you can’t get a much easier cheesecake flavoring) but I think my favorite is whenever I make lemon curd, I add a good few drops of tangerine oil to it. Not sure why but the tangerine gives the lemon an extra zap of citrusy flavor and it tastes SO good. No one can figure out why my lemon curd tastes so good, but thats it.
~ MaryJane
Thanks for sharing your secret Jessica. We promise not to share it with anyone. Well, maybe just a few thousand of our favorite friends
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:03 pm
These sound wonderful! I would love to make them for my mother in law, but she has a corn allergy. Any idea if one could substitute another type of liquid sweetener for the corn syrup?
Sherri, agave syrup would probably work, though we haven’t tried it…. PJH
HI Sherri. Susan via email also commented to remember that most powdered sugar has cornstarch in it, so be aware of that for your MIL if you use it for making molds. ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Ohhh….. I have not made lollipops since 7th grade home economics! I bet this would be a nice surprise to mail to my daughter when she goes off to college next week! (sniffle sniffle!)
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:20 pm
Quick question- some of the Lorann flavorings are oil based and some are not. Does it make a difference?
I use them in my coffee. I learned the hard way to make sure I wasn’t pouring the oil based flavorings in my coffee!
Try the Praline Pecan and some butter extract in your morning coffee- amazing!!
Great question. In candy making, it doesn’t make a difference. All of the LorAnn flavors we carry here say they are good for candies. I know what you mean about the oils, I’ve tried with varying success to flavor my seltzer. I don’t like coffee, but your versions sounds GOOD! ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Ok, I lied. Another question. I’m thinking to make hard candies you can do the same conf sugar trick but just indent a candy sized and shaped something-or-other into the sugar. And to make them tangy, what can you add to the mixture? Some ascorbic acid powder? Or would it not mix in? Or would you dust the inside of the conf sugar depression with some lemon or lime powder? My wheels are turning…..
Look out honey, your pants are on fire!
I think there are so many different things you could try. I thought it would be cool to use little plastic dinos or bugs to make creepy candy for Halloween, just press them into the sugar to make molds. Think giant grape spider. We used to sell a liquid that was tart and sour flavor, if you have some of that in cupboard still. You could dust the finished candy with sour sugar too, sugar mixed with the citrus powders. Ohhh, how about coconut sugar? Or make flavored sugared with the LorAnn and roll the candy in that. **cue the endless creativity music** ~ MaryJane
August 2nd, 2011 at 9:47 pm
MJ – we have the same morning rituals, I see. Get the cat moved & run out the door while half dressed hoping that I turned the stove off after making egg whites!!
And I am all about the stained glass idea!
And….what about using the oils in the faux-reos cream to make flavored faux-reos? Or whoopie pie?
Rock on! Morning time is always fun, isn’t it?
Love the whoopie pie idea, I’m on a real whoopie kick right now. Frank in the test kitchen has been playing with LorAnn’s new Red Velvet flavoring/coloring as a possible new product, so keep your eyes open. I’m thinking my next whoopie will be a butter pecan with maple filling. Oh, yeah! ~ MaryJane
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:44 am
I always love reading through new posts on your blog, but I must say that I’m a bit disappointed with KAF on this one! Although the lollipop recipe and ideas are great, the fact that you suggested adding flavorings to play-dough is terrible! The entire reason why so much salt is added to play-dough is to prevent children from eating it…the creation of “scented play-dough” is not only counterproductive, but down-right dangerous. I know the blog is as much to promote products you sell, but KAF should do so in a safe and responsible manner.
I apologize for the misunderstanding. The suggestion was to scent the playdough to make it smell good, not to encourage ingestion. The blog also specifies that the playdough is homemade (which although not very palatable, is not harmful). I hope this clarifies things, and again, I am sorry for the confusion. ~Amy
August 4th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
These would be fun to make in school colors for bake sales and football games… love those intense colors in the picture!!!
August 8th, 2011 at 11:14 am
Can you give me an idea of how many pops this makes?
Unfortunately there is not a yield on this recipe as it completely depends on the sizes you are making. ~Amy
August 10th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Oooo…adult lollys! (No, not THAT). Lemon-thyme, watermelon-mint, pear-rosemary…my herb garden is overflowing right now…oh, the ideas! Thanks for the recipe!!
August 22nd, 2011 at 2:02 pm
It was unclear as to whether the powdered sugar from the backside of the lollipops should dust completely off. I made these lollipops this weekend and the backsides don’t look like the front side. Also, my microwave heats way too fast. If i was to melt the sugar on the stove top, is there a temperature it should reach using a candy thermometer?
Hi there,
Sorry for any confusion. If the sugar is still a little foggy on your pops, just use a slightly damp paper towel to wipe them off. They should be clear after that.
For a stovetop version of the recipe, LorAnn provides a very nice one on their website. ~ MaryJane
August 24th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Plastic wrap in the microwave?Really?My microwave has a reputation for melting things.(so does my family.My brother melted a steak knife,my dad melted a saucepan and made a container in the microwave melt.)Can’t I just use foil?
Unfortunately, aluminum foil is not microwaveable, but the plastic wrap should hold up just fine. ~Amy
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:16 pm
This was clever!! I can’t wait to start making them! Thank you