RIBBON CANDY
3 cups
sugar
1
cup light corn syrup
1/4
cup water
6
-8 drops peppermint oil or cinnamon oil
1/4
teaspoon red paste food coloring (or liquid, or gel)
1/4
teaspoon green paste food coloring (or liquid, or gel)
2
pairs white cotton work gloves(one pair for you and one pair for a friend)
Butter
3 shallow baking pans; set aside. Butter sides of 3-qt saucepan.
In saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, & water. Cook over med.-high
heat to boiling, stirring constantly with wooden spoon to dissolve sugar,
about 5 min. Avoid splashing mixture on sides of pan. Carefully clip candy
thermometer to side of pan. Cook over med. heat, stirring occasionally,
until thermometer registers 280°, soft-crack stage, about 20 min. Remove
from heat; stir in peppermint or cinnamon oil. Pour about 2/3s of
the mixture into a buttered pan. Pour half of the remaining candy into
a warm small saucepan. Add red coloring to this portion and pour into another
buttered pan. Add green coloring to the remaining portion in the 3-qt saucepan.
Pour in remaining buttered pan. Let candy cool slightly, 3-5 min.
for larger, uncolored portion, 1-2
min for smaller, red &
green portions. As edges cool, lift & fold edges to center with metal
spatula. (If candy is too warm, it will stick to spatula.) When red &
green candy can be rolled into balls with spatula, they are ready for shaping.
With
gloved hands, pull and twist red candy until light in color, 2-3 min. Shape
into 6: rope. Place in 1 of the buttered pans & keep warm in 200°
oven. Repeat with green portion. At the same time, have the 2nd person
pull uncolored portion until white. Shape into 6" rope. Place white
rope in center of 1 of the buttered baking sheets; place 1 colored rope
on each side of white rope. Press all 3 ropes together to form a single
flat log. Working quickly, have 1 person stretch 1 end of striped candy,
log lengthwise, working to other end until ribbon
narrows to about 1" wide. Have 2nd person immediately follow 1st person
& turn ribbon onto 1 edge & fold accordion-style to make ribbon
shape; break off in 6" lengths. If candy hardens too much, return to oven
3-5 min to soften.Yield: 2 pounds.
NOTE
: It takes 2 people to pull & shape this candy; it hardens veryquickly!
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