Let's Make Candy Corn from Scratch (Online)
Taught by Sarah Lohman
Sarah Lohman is a culinary historian and the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed book Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine. She focuses on the history of American food as a way to access stories of women, immigrants, and people of color, and to address issues of racism, sexism, and xenophobia. Her work has been featured inTheWall Street Journal andThe New York Times, as well as onAll Things Considered; and she has presented across the country, from the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC to The Culinary Historians of Southern California. She is also 1/2 of the Masters of Social Gastronomy, a monthly food science and history talk at Caveat NYC, with Brainery co-founder Jonathan Soma.
Based on the original, 19th century, “buttercream” version of this recipe, we’ll make candy corn from scratch. It’s creamy and tastier than you ever imagined these festive little candies could be. A great activity for kids (with adult supervision), or just for someone who wants a fancy, crafty candy for Halloween.
Bonus: Sarah will share some candy corn history while our candy cools!
Ingredients needed:
- 4 1/2 ounces confectioners' sugar (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1/2 ounce nonfat dry milk (about 6 1/2 teaspoons)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 3/4 ounces light corn syrup (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 or 3 drops each yellow and orange gel paste food coloring
Links are just examples, there are many brands that would work.
Equipment needed
- 2 qt pot or saucepan
- Candy thermometer
- Silicone spatula
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone mat
- Bench or Bowl scraper