Hard Candy

A hard candy, or boiled sweet, is a candy prepared from one or more syrups boiled to a temperature of 160 °C (320 °F). After a syrup boiled to this temperature cools, it is called hard candy, since it becomes stiff and brittle as it approaches room temperature. Hard candy recipes variously call for syrups of sucrose, glucose, or fructose.

Once the syrup blend reaches the target temperature, the confectioner removes it from the heat source, and may add citric acid, food dye, and some flavouring, such as a plant extract, essential oil, or flavorant. One might then pour the syrup concoction (which is now very viscous) into a mold or tray to cool. When the syrup is cool enough to handle, one can fold, roll, and mold it into the shapes desired.

Hard candies and throat lozenges prepared without sugar employ isomalt as a sugar substitute, and are sweetened further by the addition of an artificial sweetener, such as aspartame, or a sugar alcohol, such as xylitol.

Among the many hard candy varieties are stick candy (such as the candy cane), the lollipop, the aniseed twist, and the bêtises de Cambrai.