Homemade Candy Canes Food

HOMEMADE CANDY CANES

Steps:

• Grease two baking sheets with butter; set aside. In a large saucepan, bring the sugar, water, corn syrup and cream of tartar to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 280° (soft-crack stage)., Remove from the heat; stir in extract and food coloring. Immediately pour onto prepared pans in eight 8-in. strips. Let stand just until cool enough to handle, about 1-2 minutes., Working quickly, roll each strip into a 10-in. log. Cut each into two 5-in. lengths. Curve the top of each to form the handle of a cane. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

HOMEMADE CANDY CANES

Steps:

• Pour remaining 1/4 cup water into a small bowl and use it to wet a pastry brush .
• Repeat this process for 2 to 3 minutes, until candy takes on an opaque color and a satiny finish. At this point, the candy will be warm-you should have some trouble pulling and folding it.
• Pull and fold the candy in the same fashion, until it becomes opaque, glossy, and difficult to manipulate.
• Stretch candy again. This step will determine the thickness of your candy canes-you can make thinner ones (with a 1/4-inch diameter) or thicker ones (with a 1/2-inch diameter).
• Cut off another segment from each log, returning the remaining logs to the oven, and repeat the twisting and stretching process until you have used up all the candy.

CANDY CANES

Steps:

• Before you begin this recipe, please take a class from a professional on working with sugar. This is a skill that professional pastry chefs develop after years of experience. Working with sugar will burn your fingers so know before you start that your fingers will develop burn blisters. Place the sugar, vinegar and water in a saucepan over high heat. Insert a candy thermometer and cook until the sugar reaches 320 degrees F. Use a pastry brush to keep the inside of the saucepan clean as the sugar cooks or the sugar may recrystallize. To do this, dip a clean brush in cold water and brush the inside of the pan clean. Pour the cooked sugar onto 3 or 4 silicone baking mats. If you want to color and/or flavor the sugar with food colors and/or flavored oils, this is the time to do so. Add a few drops of color to the sugar. Mix with a wooden skewer. To get started, push the sugar from the sides toward the center. This process takes a little while. Try to keep the sugar divided by color. Use the mat to push the firm sugar around the edges toward the center. Use a folding motion to accomplish that task. The next step is to pick up the sugar with your hands. Place each color under the heat of the sugar lamp. Pull the sugar until it becomes glossy and the color is evenly distributed. You will need to pull the colors simultaneously. Keep them under the sugar lamp but keep an eye on them. The lamp can melt the sugar so it is important keep rotating it and folding it onto itself.
• Start with 2 pieces of colored sugar. I used red and green. Pull them into a rectangular shape that is about 1 1/2-inches wide by 3-inches long and 1/2-inch thick. Place the pieces side-to-side and let them stick together on the long side. Place a piece of white sugar that is about 1/2-inch wide by 3-inches long and 1/2-inch thick in the middle. Close the red and green around it. Roll it and twist it while pulling it. When it gets to the desired thickness, use a scissor to cut the length and shape into a cane. Allow to cool completely. The white is inside and will become apparent when eaten.
• Jacques? tips: Vinegar keeps the sugar from crystallizing. You will not taste the flavor. It serves as an acid in this recipe. Sometimes candy cane recipes contain corn syrup, which makes the sugar very dry and very hot. Adding corn syrup makes it more difficult to work with the sugar at home. Remember, the sugar is at 320 degrees F, and that will burn you. The ideal work surface is a silpat placed over cool marble or granite. If you do not have marble or stone, use wood. It is a good idea to use gloves to help protect your hands from the heat and to prevent burning.
• I use a special sugar box that includes a special heat source, If you don?t have one, you can work in front of the oven. Set the oven to 300 degrees F. Open the oven door and place the silpat on the oven door. It provides a similar effect to the sugar box heater.

CANDY CANES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
• Add egg, vanilla, extract and salt, beat well.
• Add flour and beat until thoroughly mixed.
• Divide dough in half.
• Add red food coloring to one half.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• For each cookie, on a floured surface shape a teaspoon of plain dough and a teaspoon of red dough into a 4 inch long rope.
• Place ropes side by side and twist together.
• Pinch ends to seal.
• Form into a candy cane shape and place 2 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake for 8- 10 minutes.
• Remove from sheet, cool and brush on icing.

HOMEMADE PEPPERMINT CANDY CANES

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, water, syrup and cream of tartar in a sauce pan and heat till the sugar has dissolved.
• Divide mixture into 2 saucepans, bring to a boil (do not stir the mixtures in both pots) until the candy thermometer reads 280 degrees F.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint into each pot and add the red food coloring into one pot, leaving the other pot plain.
• Oil an enamel or marble surface or slab.
• Place mixture from one pot and stretch it like taffy, pulling and forming the mixture into a rope.
• Set aside and continue with other pot doing the same thing.
• Take both red and white ropes and twist them around each other again and again.
• Cut into desired sizes and form into candy cane shapes.
• Oil the surface lightly again and place candy canes and allow them to harden.
• Have fun making these!