HOW TO MAKE ROCK CANDY - FAST!

by Leila
(CT)

Rock Candy On Cake

Rock Candy On Swizzle Sticks

Rock Candy Sugar Cubes

Traditional-rock-candy

I love rock candy. It looks beautiful whether you use it as fun party decoration or as classy wedding decorations, it always seems to draw attention.

I just don't have 7 days to wait for rock candy crystals to form so I came up with this super quick, super fun, rock candy recipe. Here it is:

FAST ROCK CANDY CRYSTALS

Super for decorating cakes, cup cakes, for colorful party table decorations and instant swizzle sticks.

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. flavored oil
Food coloring of choice

1. Cook the first 3 ingredients over low heat, stirring continuously until sugar is dissolved and reach approximately 300 degrees. Remove from heat then add food flavoring oil and food coloring.

2. Pour quickly onto greased cookie sheet. Cool down and cut into small pieces or break if you want uneven pieces.

Flavored oil can be any flavor desired and you can add different food colorings to individual batches.

INSTANT ROCK CANDY SWIZZLE STICKS

If you want to put the broken crystals on a stick to make rock candy swizzle sticks:

Wet a wooden stick by dipping it into cooked sugar syrup (same as you’ve made for step one of the rock candy recipe, just make far less and leave it clear) now roll the wooden stick in the broken crystals, let it dry, wet again by drizzling a bit of sugar syrup on this time and roll in the crystals, repeat the process until you have the desired result.

TRADITIONAL ROCK CANDY

There is the traditional way of making rock candy that takes a few days, where you wait for the crystals to form naturally, it is a fun chemistry process but very time consuming.

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Comments for HOW TO MAKE ROCK CANDY - FAST!

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Shipping my rock candy sugar?
by: KittyGlitter

I am making some aqua coarse sugar from my rock candy, I want to ship it to my daughter for her baking business. Will it clump together in shipping or will it arrive as I sent it?

This is fun thank you so much!

~Kitty

From: The Fun Team

Gosh Kitty, we are not sure, that will all depend on the conditions of the shipping company and the time it would take to where you are shipping.

Best thing would be to ask the shipping company directly about shipping these types of products, I am sure it won't be the first time they deal with "homemade candy" shipments.

Good luck! We hope it all works out!

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A Couple of Tips
by: Anonymous

Someone asked about using dry kool-aid mix for flavoring. It is a great way to add flavor and color, but only add it AFTER removing from heat. Add 1 or 2 drops of water to make it liquid before adding, this will ensure uniform color.

The other thing is about refrigeration. Hard candy doesn't require cold temps to harden. In fact, refrigerating it will cause it to sweat and get sticky when you bring it back to room temperature.

From: The Fun Team

Thank you so much! We'll definitely try these great tips.

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Substitute for Corn Syrup?
by: Anonymous

Hi, what will happen if I don't put corn syrup? Would it still be rock candies?

From: The Fun Team

We asked a chef friend. She says 1 cup sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water or 1 cup honey or 1 cup light molasses or Golden Syrup or Maple Syrup, should work the same.

Let us know once you've tried!

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Quarantine fun stuff to do
by: Me

I need to try this. Maybe I won’t be bored while doing it. Quarantine got me going CRAZY!!! Thanks for this!

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Fast rock candy
by: Felicious Cakes

I will def be trying this out as I have to start practising for a geode wedding cake. Always love a good short cut.
Thanx for sharing.

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Question
by: Anonymous

How many crystals does this recipe make? A few cups? If so how many? Or only a few oz?

From Fun Stuff: I would say about 2 cups, it all depends on how finely you crush the rock candy.

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Thermostat
by: Anonymous

Do you kneed a candy thermostat or can you use a regular one?

From Fun Stuff:
You need a candy thermometer

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Clear Rock Candy
by: Jan

Always seems to go golden before it even gets to 250degrees. How can I make clear rock candy to look like ice for an ice bucket cake

From Fun Stuff:
Make sure you use clear/light candy corn syrup and that the temperature does not go over 310°F (hard-crack stage) on your candy thermometer otherwise it will turn a yellow caramel color.

Once your candy reaches 300°F you can transfer the saucepan to a bowl of ice water, carefully submerging the sides but ensuring no water seeps into it. Swirl the pan for 10 to 15 seconds to help the saucepan cool then remove the saucepan from the bowl of ice water. You do this to prevent the mixture from increasing in temperature.

Also opt for a flavoring/extract that is clear in color.

Also see "Degrees" in the comments below.

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Swizzle Sticks
by: Amore

I found this super easy to make, thank you so much.
My first try flopped it didn't set, I was taking a few short cuts. The recipe and the follow up tips must be followed precisely. Love your site! I follow you on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter there's always something special to enjoy.

From Fun Stuff: Thank you for the kind words Amore! I did the same! Did not follow the recipe exactly the first time! Thanks for all the follows, hope you signed up for our monthly newsletter on the Homepage too! Much love & many blessings!

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Flavor
by: Anonymous

Can I use juice or soda to give the candy flavor or would it not work.

From Fun Stuff: Haven't tried that yet, but you may have a problem; the mixture might not set because it is thinned down. I suppose a little bit of dry drink mix - like Kool Aid could work. I would stir a little bit in during the the cooking process. Again, haven't tried it yet, so if you do, please come back and tell us if it worked.

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Can you put it in the fridge so it can cool faster
by: Ashley

I really want to know because if I do put it in there I feel like I am going to ruin it.

From Fun Stuff: It would make sense to, especially if you have warmer weather. It can only reduce the setting time, I would think.

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How much does recipe make?
by: Anonymous

I need to make about 250 of these! How many do you get out of this recipe?

From Fun Stuff: It depends on how many crystals you place on every stick, so it is very difficult to say.

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SHEKNOWS
by: Kelli

Thank you for allowing us to feature this article on SHEKNOWS.

We have made it, it works, important to follow the instructions.

We will be in contact, you have so many fabulous articles throughout your website.

Best Regards,
Kelli

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Super
by: Leanda

I saw the reference to this on SheKnows.com, thank you, it is a super idea.

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Degrees
by: Anonymous

I realize you have to make the mixture 300 degrees but what do you set the stove to? I tried this tonight and even tho the candy thermometer never reached 300 at about 250 it started to crystallize very fast. So I was left with clumps of sugar. I feel like I did something wrong.

From Fun Stuff: A medium heat always works fine for me. I would not go over medium heat on my stove top. Your mixture will turn yellow (basically burn). It really depends from stove to stove and how quickly it heats. Some people with slower heating stove tops have however reported that they set the stove to medium/high just until boil. It should not take longer than 5-7 minutes then it should be off the stove. Also remember to stir until the sugar is dissolved. Use a small pastry brush dipped in water to wash down the sides of the saucepan to prevent crystals from forming.

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How long
by: Joshua

How long does this recipe take?

From Fun Stuff To Do

Hi Joshua, it shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes to get everything together and make, and then about 2 hours for the mixture to cool down and set, on a cool day. If it is very hot where you live, I would leave it over night or place it in the refrigerator after it has cooled down a bit. The last thing you want is to try and crack a sticky mixture. So I would definitely make sure it is cold, properly set and "rock candy" hard before crushing it.

The best way to test this is to hit it with a metal spoon or the back of a knife while in the stainless container or metal baking tray that you have used to spread the mixture out into to set, to see if it will crack.

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Flavored Oil?
by: Anon

Where do you find the flavored oil?

From: Fun Stuff To Do

Lorann and Wilton makes a huge variety of flavored oils for candy, you can get the oils here:

Wilton Candy Flavoring Set

Rating

Best
by: Medya

Best cheat sheet I have ever used. All was ready in two hours. Can't believe I never thought of this. It's the same as a toffee (candy) dipped apple recipe, instead of dippping an apple into the mixture spread it onto cookie sheet and crush into bits. Thank you so much this is genius and going into my recipes under FUN STUFF TO DO.

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To make the rock candy
by: Anonymous

I was wondering could I use this same process to make the rock candy for my daughters birthday I started yesterday but I dont think they will crystalize in time for her birthday this week end.

From: Fun Stuff To Do

This is a recipe that should take less than an hour to complete (same as candy covered apples). There is no actual crystalization period where the crystals must form over a period of days. This is only a heated sugar mixture that needs to harden.

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step 1
by: Nicole

Hi there

I am wanting to make this recipe. But when you say use step 1 of the recipe for the sticks. What step do you mean? Thanks!

Hi Nicole

Step 1 would be the first step below the ingredients, {making the cooked syrup}. In other words you would make the crystals as described in the recipe and then make more syrup (step 1) when you are ready to put the cracked up pieces on a stick. Dip the sticks in some of the syrup, then roll the syrup dipped stick in the crystals that you have made. Does that make sense?

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Love this
by: Rita

Love this, made it, it is amazing. I'm back for more fun! Thanks and I'm heading over to the party stuff and printables now I have a special little birthday coming up!

From: Fun Stuff To Do

Great Rita! We love it when our visitors come back!

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300 degrees
by: Fanny

I've tried different recipe of this, but i failed. The sugar don't get crystalized on the stick. I want to try your recipe but get confuse with the 300 degrees it's in celcius or fahrenheit?
Thanks

From Fun Stuff To Do:

We have asked Leila who originally posted this wonderful recipe, Leila says:

300 degrees Fahrenheit which is approximately 150 degrees Celcius.

The mixture will not crystalize on a stick. You are meant to spread the mixture on a cookie sheet, wait for it to harden then break in to small pieces and then follow the instructions for the swizzle sticks below the recipe. To break the solid piece, you can either follow some of the suggestions here or you can place wax paper over the hardend mixture and crush with a rolling pin.

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Oil
by: Caitlyn

Do you need the flavor oil? Ive never heard of it.

From: The Fun Stuff Team

We think the flavor oil is simply to give the different colors a different aroma and won't necessarily make or break the recipe. A lot of users have found that the mixture hardens quicker without the oil.

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Wow
by: Anonymous

Thanks a bunch for this recipe and all the tips!

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Corn Syrup
by: Anonymous

I want to start with this recipe for a science project, but i wanna know what kind of corn syrup to use? Thank You

From: Fun Stuff To Do

I didn't know you get TYPES of corn syrup, I would go for the ordinary one or Golden Syrup as it is called in some countries! (Please keep in mind: this post was made by a visitor to our site. If it is a Science Project then this is not the right page, this is a "cheat sheet" for busy cooks. Your science teacher will definitely see the difference, unless you ARE the science teacher! (Smile)

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LOVE UR SITE !!
by: Bizigrams

Just discovered your site and I love it! I'm "Santa's Helper" this year for a business' staff family party. You have so many great ideas and FREE PRINTABLES!!! This year is going to be a blast!! Passing the word around to everyone I know with kids or kids at heart. Thanks again for all your hard work!

From: Fun Stuff To Do

Glad you like our site! Thank you very much for sharing our site with others! It is hard work but the saying: "If you love what you do, then you never have to work a day" is completely relevant when it comes to this particular website. Many hours, days and NIGHTS goes into this website but it is always only a pleasure and we owe that to the awesome type of visitors we attract to Fun Stuff To Do!

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Wooden Sticks
by: SauceKat

I am super excited to try out this recipe as I am short on time. I have been challenged to create the perfect old fashioned and I think the Rock Candy Swizzle Stick is definitely the way to go. My one question is, Where in the heck did you find the wooden sticks with the ball on the end? Thanks.

From Fun Stuff To Do:

Got them from a local supermarket but you can also get them here:

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Question about Rock Candy
by: Emily

How long to cook the 1st 3 ingredients?

Hi Emily, that will depend on your stove and the type of pot you use. You will need a thermostat to see when the mixture reach 300 :-)

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Rock Candy Question
by: Anonymous

How long does it take exactly?

Hi Anonymous, I would say 1 hour, 23 minutes and 15 seconds exactly :-)

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Best Recipe Ever
by: Anonymous

This is the best recipe ever thank you so much!

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A tip for breaking the rock candy
by: Megan

I made this recipe and it came out wonderful. When it came to breaking the solid piece of rock candy, I got stuck.

A friend told me to use a meat tenderizing hammer, it is a solid metal hammer with spike like edges. It worked like a charm! For both the rock candy and my emotional issues!

Great tip, thanks Megan! And funny too!

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Aussie Substitutes For Corn Syrup
by: The Keen Baker

by: Lexi

This sounds great, but I'm in Australia and we don't have corn syrup - what could I use instead? Would liquid glucose work?

Hi looking forward to start using this recipe later in the week. Lexi, I too live in Australia and looked up substitutes for the corn syrup. Golden Syrup is great to use measure for measure. Hope it helps

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Question? Did I mess up?
by: Cat L

I used this recipe but when it was done the finished result was soft and pliable, not hard like rock candy. Any idea what I did wrong?

Gosh Cat, I truly don't know what you could have done wrong. The only thing I can think is perhaps too much oil! Did you use a teaspoon of oil or a tablespoon, it should be teaspoon! I left the oil out completely and it came out rock hard and broke beautifully!

Someone just told me it could have something to do with the spoon you use when stirring the boiling mixture. You should always use a wooden spoon, apparently metal spoons are the greatest culprit for flops. I don't know how true this is, anyone like to comment???

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Great
by: Lexi

This sounds great, but I'm in Australia and we don't have corn syrup - what could I use instead? would liquid glucose work?

From Fun Stuff To Do:

Gosh Lexi, I am not sure but I would try something like Maple syrup or Golden Syrup (UK make) if you have anything like that over there.

The syrup refered to here is surely a simple dilution of brown sugar and water that is boiled over low heat, the same type that you would use for making sticky toffee apples, I would say because the end result sounds more or less the same.

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Wonderful Rock Candy Idea for Birthday Parties
by: Madeline

Thank you so much. I made this Rock Candy Recipe in different colors of the rainbow and it is amazing. I used it to decorate a rainbow cake for my daughter Ashley's birthday, together with you rainbow party printables it looked stunning. It must be one of the most beautiful parties I have ever created, so unique, so beautiful.

I've used some of your free labels to label the food on the table, then printed the bright set of polka dots and made a tiered cake with your free cake slice box templates, some placemats, napkin rings and the ever so cute drink umbrella's for the table. It WOWED my daughter and everyone that was there. I found some amazing little printable games for them to play under fun party games that matched the rainbow theme and some more great ideas under the pre-schooler party game section.

This was definitely one of the cheapest most beautiful, most entertaining parties this year and will be hard to match.

I just want to say a BIG HUGE "Thank You" to Fun Stuff To Do for all the amazing little things I have found on your website. It is definitely worth it to search around on this website. There are so many interesting surprises from beginning to end and what blew my mind; most are for free when other websites make you pay for everything.

Thank you so much, I am forever to come a fan of Fun Stuff To Do. I can't wait to plan my daughter's next birthday party.

Big Hug, Madeline

From: Fun Stuff To Do

Dear Madeline,

It makes the days behind the computer worthwhile when we hear from visitors like yourself!

A big WOW to you!

Thank you for using FUN STUFF TO DO!

We have included the links to the different pages Madeline's post refers to if you want to check out the pages she talks about!

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Rock Candy That Rocks!
by: Anonymous

WOW! Thanks so much. I was searching high and low for fast rock candy recipes for days. This is the first helpful post that won't TAKE DAYS! Absolutely brilliant!

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Awesome
by: peachi473

This is sooooo cool. Do you have one without any oil though?

From: The Fun Team

My guess is you can just leave the oil out if you do not want flavoring. Have fun!

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Flavored Oil
by: Anonymous

I can't find any flavored oil anywhere and for some reason my computer isn't letting me buy it online. Is there anything else I could use besides the flavored oil?

From Fun Stuff:

Try this link on Amazon - there should be no problem.

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Wonderful
by: Anon

This is awesome for parties! I loved it.

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