Stained Glass Hard Candy Recipes

Steps:

• Melt butter and chocolate chips in a pan over low heat. Let the mixture cool slightly before stirring in walnuts and marshmallows. Let cool.
• Spread coconut on waxed paper. Divide the cooled dough into two even portions. Form each portion into a long roll. Coat the rolls with the coconut. Wrap the rolls in waxed paper then again in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or longer. Cut into 1/2 inch slices to serve.

Steps:

• 1. Cook sugar, water and corn syrup in 3 quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until sugar is dissolved. Cook WITHOUT STIRRING to 310 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• 2. Pour powdered sugar onto cutting board or marble slab while candy is cooking. Shape into rectangle 12x11 inches, BUILD UP THE SIDES.
• 3. Remove hot syrup from heat, stir in desired flavoring and color. Pour CAREFULLY onto powdered sugar rectangle. Cool slightly. Cut into 3/4 inch strips. Cool. Break into pcs.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine. Form dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between floured parchment paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Stack dough in parchment on a baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes. With a 2 1/2-inch Christmas-ball-shaped cutter, cut out dough (reroll scraps, if desired). Place cookies, 1 inch apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. With a 1-inch star cutter, cut out dough in center of each cookie. Bake until cookies are pale but set, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Remove sheets from oven; fill cutouts with crushed candy. Bake until cookies begin to brown at edges and candy is melted, 3 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
• 2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and molasses and beat for 2 minutes. Beat in the water. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
• 3. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• 4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil.
• 5. Divide the dough into thirds. Divide each third into 10 equal pieces. Using your palms, roll each piece on a lightly floured work surface into a rope 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. Gently trace the design of your choice onto the prepared cookie sheets (a wooden spoon handle or chopstick works well for tracing on foil). Outline each design with a rope of dough, pressing the ends together to seal securely.
• 6. Sprinkle the inside of each design with the crushed candies, dividing the candies evenly among the outlined designs and creating an even layer.
• 7. Bake in the center of the oven or until the edges of the cookies are golden and the candy has melted, 6 to 9 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets on wire racks until the candy hardens, about 5 minutes. Gently peel the foil away from the cookies and transfer to the racks to cool completely.

Steps:

• Butter a 15x10x1-in. pan; set aside., In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage)., Remove from the heat; stir in oil and food coloring (keep face away from mixture as oil is very strong). Immediately pour into prepared pan; cool. Break into pieces. Store in airtight containers.

Steps:

• It's sea glass you can eat! To make it, crush 1 cup blue hard candies (such as Jolly Rancher) and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. (Be careful, the molten candy will be super-hot!) Immediately pour onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and let harden, 15 minutes. Repeat with green candies and a mix of blue and green. Remove from the parchment and rub the candy with confectioners' sugar, then break into pieces.

Steps:

• To make your own molds from foil: Cut aluminum foil in desired shapes: stars, trees, etc. Grease foil lightly with vegetable oil. Fold up edges to make 1/2" sides. Seal corners with freezer tape to prevent leaks.
• You can also pour this candy onto a greased cookie sheet to make your own shapes. Score the candy while it's still warm (be careful not to burn your fingers) so you can break it on the score lines. I've even used mint containers as molds.
• To make the candy: In a 2-quart saucepan combine sugar, syrup, water and vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, until it reaches the hard crack stage (300F degrees).
• Remove from the heat, stir in the flavoring and color. Allow the candy to cool SLIGHTLY. Pour the candy into prepared molds, about 1/8" deep. When firm, remove from the molds.
• If you wish to hang the finished candy on a string or ribbon: when the candy begins to set (before it hardens) use a skewer to make holes for stringing.
• If candy becomes too firm to pour and shape it, then remelt it over low heat. Be careful not to boil it.
• Tips for other color combinations: Use a toothpick to swirl food coloring through the uncolored candy after it's been poured into molds. Make molded candies of one color and dribble with a second color to get a "stained glass" effect. To store candy ornaments, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in a covered container at room temperature in a dry place. Keep them flat to prevent warping.