Candy Coal Food

CANDY COAL

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a piece of aluminum foil large enough to overhang the sides by about 2 inches. Set aside.
• Bring sugar, 3/4 cup water, and corn syrup to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar, and wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystals from forming. Once mixture comes to a boil and all the sugar has dissolved, clip a candy thermometer to pan, and raise heat to high. Continue cooking without stirring until mixture registers 300 degrees. Remove from heat.
• Carefully add food coloring, extract, and baking soda; stir slowly with a clean wooden spoon until thoroughly combined and mixture no longer bubbles, about 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan, and let cool completely. Lift foil to remove candy from pan, and transfer candy to a large plastic bag. Crush with a kitchen mallet into chunks.

CANDY COAL

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a piece of aluminum foil large enough to overhang the sides by about 2 inches. Set aside.
• Bring sugar, corn syrup and 3/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar, and wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipping inwater to prevent crystals from forming.
• Once mixture comes to a boil and all the sugar has dissolved, clip a candy thermometer to pan, and raise heat to high. Continue cooking without stirring until mixture registers 300 Fahrenheit (hard crack stage). Remove from heat.
• Carefully add food coloring, extract and baking soda; stir slowly with a clean wooden spoon until thoroughly combined and mixture no longer bubbles, about 2 minutes.
• Pour into prepared pan, and let cool completely.
• Lift foil to remove candy from pan, and transfer candy to a large plastic bag. use a kitchen mallet or hammer break candy into pieces.

COAL CANDY

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch square METAL baking pan with foil, extending the edges over the sides of the pan. Lightly grease the foil with butter; set aside.
• Measure sugar, corn syrup and water in large heavy pot.
• Stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, being careful not to splash sugar mixture on side of pan.
• Carefully clip candy thermometer to side of pan (do not let bulb touch bottom of pan).
• Cook about 15 minutes, without stirring, until thermometer registers 290.
• Immediately remove from heat.
• Stir in anise extract and food coloring.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cool completely.
• To get big pieces of coal-looking candy, gently drop pan to break the candy.

CHRISTMAS COAL CANDY

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Mix together the egg white, confectioners' sugar and cocoa in a bowl with a fork until smooth and very thick. (The mixture should hang on the fork in a blob without falling off.) Whisk in the vanilla and vinegar. Whisk in enough food coloring to turn the mixture a deep black color and the brown of the cocoa is no longer visible, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.
• Combine the granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and stir until the mixture looks like wet sand. Using a wet pastry brush, wipe down the sides of the pot where any sugar has clung to the side. Cook over medium heat until the mixture registers 258 to 260 degrees F on a candy thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the black mixture, stirring vigorously until smooth. Spread in the prepared pan and let harden and cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Lift the candy out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang as handles. Peel off the parchment and chip into small irregular-sized pieces using a chisel or a sturdy butter knife and rubber mallet.