Featured in: The Real Reason to DIY
Ingredients
- •128 grams (1 ¼ cups (4.5 oz) confectioners’ sugar
- •21 grams (3 tablespoons plus ¾ teaspoon) nonfat dry milk
- •1.3 ml (¼ teaspoon) kosher salt
- •99 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
- •99 grams (¼ cup plus 3 teaspoons) honey
- •28 grams (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) vanilla
- •Food coloring (yellow and red or orange)
- •Non-stick cooking spray
Preparation
Sift the confectioners’ sugar, dry milk, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the granulated sugar, honey, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil, and continue to cook without stirring until the syrup registers 110° C (230° F) on a candy thermometer, 1 to 2 minutes. The mixture will be pale and frothy.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla and the reserved confectioners’ sugar mixture. Continue to whisk until the mixture is combined and smooth. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and let rest until it is cool enough to handle, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Using a bench scraper or a knife, divide the dough into three equal batches and transfer each to its own bowl. Add 7-10 drops of yellow food coloring to one batch of dough and knead until the color is consistent throughout the dough. Add more coloring if desired. Add 7-10 drops of orange food coloring (or 7 drops of yellow and 4 drops of red coloring) to the second batch of dough. Knead until the color is consistent throughout the dough. Add more coloring if desired. Leave the third batch white.
On another piece of parchment paper, roll each piece of dough into a snake about 45 cm (18 inches) long. Cut each snake in half and roll until each snake is 1.27 cm (1/2 inch) thick.
Lay three snakes side by side in the following order: orange, yellow, and white. Press the snakes together firmly with your fingers and cut into sections about 10 cm (4 inches) long. Repeat the process with the remaining snakes.
Spray a bench scraper or pancake spatula with non-stick cooking spray and use it to press each 10 cm (4-inch) section into a wedge; the orange section should be the widest point and the white section should come to a tip. Repeat with remaining 10 cm (4-inch) sections.
Using the bench scraper or a knife sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, cut each wedge into individual .6 cm (1/4-inch) candies. Lay the candies out on the parchment-lined cookie sheet, and let air-dry overnight. Store in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper for up to a week.