Kitchen Science: Homemade Hard Candy Lollipops
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Have you ever made homemade hard candy? Â If not, you should give it a try! Â Today I want to show you how to make lollipops with your kids. Â This is a fun kitchen science activity with a tasty reward at the end!
This kitchen science experiment will require adult supervision due to the hot candy mixture. Â It’s not very hard, but the level of heat can be dangerous!
Making these lollipops can be used to teach a variety of educational topics. Â You can practice measurement and fractions while preparing them. We used number lollipop molds, so they can also be used for counting, addition, subtraction and even multiplication and division. Any shape of mold can be used for this recipe though!
How to Make Homemade Hard Candy Lollipops
Ingredients & Supplies for Homemade Lollipops
2 c. Sugar
â…” c. Corn syrup
â…” c. Water
Food Coloring
½ tsp. Flavoring/extract
Large pot
Lollipop Molds or other hard candy molds
To make these hard candy lollipops, start by mixing together the sugar, corn syrup and water in a pot. Mix well to combine and dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Insert the candy thermometer into the pot and boil until the mixture reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure your thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pot.
While the hard candy mixture is cooking, spray your candy molds with non-stick spray. If you want a few colors or flavors, prepare some glass bowls or measuring cups to use to divide out the mixture. Slowly pour the candy mixture into the molds.
While still hot, press the sticks into the candy and twist a bit to make sure it is covered on all sides. DO NOT TOUCH with bare hands! It is very hot!
Cool completely for at least 20 minutes before touching or removing from the molds. Take the lollipops out of the molds. They can now be used for counting and equations.
The Science Behind Making Hard Candy:
Hard candy is made with sugar and water. Â You dissolve lots of sugar in water. Â When the sugar is mixed into the water, it breaks apart into individual sucrose molecules. When you add heat, you can dissolve even more sugar in the water than you could with cold water.