How to Make Candy Corn

Candy corn is somewhat time-consuming to make as opposed to buying the premade kind, but the taste of homemade candy corn is well worth the effort for someone who loves the sweet confection! To avoid wasting any candy, half of this candy corn will end up inversely colored, while the other half will have the standard coloring pattern.

[Edit]Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup (155 g) of powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 1/2 tsp (9 g) of powdered milk
• 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) of salt
• 1/2 cup (60 g) of granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (83 ml) of light corn syrup
• 2 1/2 tbsp (37.5 ml) of water
• 2 tbsp (28 g) of unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) of vanilla extract
• Gel paste food coloring, yellow and orange

Makes 80 to 100 pieces

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Making the Candy Mixture

1. Combine powdered sugar, salt, and powdered milk in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/4 cup (284 ml) of powdered sugar, 6 1/2 tsp (32 ml) of powdered milk, and 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) of salt to a medium mixing bowl and stir or whisk them together until they are evenly distributed. Set it to the side as you prepare the syrup.^[1]
   
   
   • Sift the powdered sugar through a fine-meshed strainer first. This will help it blend better with the other dry ingredients.
2. Heat granulated sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a medium saucepan. Add 1/2 cup (60 g) of granulated sugar, 1/3 cup (83 ml) of light corn syrup, and 2 tbsp (28 g) of unsalted butter to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the ingredients constantly until the mix comes to a boil.^[2]
   
   
   • Soften the butter first by leaving it at room temperature for 15 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat of the syrup mix to medium after it comes to a boil. Stir the ingredients together for 5 more minutes on medium heat. Don't let the mixture come to a boil again.^[3]
   
   
   • You may want to use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the candy as it cooks. Clip the thermometer to the side of the pot and position it so that the tip does not touch the bottom of the pan, but dips into the liquid candy. The temperature at this point should be about 230 degrees Fahrenheit (110 degrees Celsius).
4. Remove the candy mixture from the stovetop and stir in vanilla extract. Place the saucepan on a cold burner, or a surface that it won't burn, and pour in 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) of vanilla extract. Stir the candy thoroughly with a heat-resistant, non-stick spatula, such as a silicone spatula, until it is fully blended.^[4]
   
   
   • You should not see any streaks of the vanilla extract in the mixture.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the candy and mix everything together. Dump the powdered sugar, powdered milk, and salt mixture into the saucepan with the liquid candy. Use the same heat-resistant, non-stick spatula to rapidly stir the two mixtures together until the dry ingredients are completely blended into the wet.^[5]
   
   
   • The new mixture should be smooth and should not have any visible clumps.
6. Pour the candy into a pan and let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Line a standard half-sheet size baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pour the candy into the pan and scrape the sides of the pot with your spatula to remove the sticky candy clinging to the side.^[6]
   
   
   • Allow the candy to cool until it is cool enough for you to handle without burning yourself. You do not want it to cool completely.

[Edit]Coloring the Candy

1. Divide the candy dough into three parts. Separate the candy into three equal parts that you will use to create the three distinct layers for your candy corn. Place each piece of dough into a different bowl.^[7]
   
   
   • If the candy is still warm and has not yet turned into the consistency of a dough, let it cool for a few more minutes.
2. Color the candy with gel paste food coloring. Add 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring to 1 bowl and 2-3 drops of orange food coloring to another bowl. Leave 1 bowl of dough uncolored.^[8]
   
   
   • You will easily be able to add more food coloring afterwards, if you need to.
3. Knead the dough until the color is distributed evenly throughout the entire piece. Make sure your hands are clean and knead the coloring into the candy. Keep going until the candy is all one color and there are no streaks.^[9]
   
   
   • You may want to wear disposable plastic gloves to prevent your hands from getting stained. Do not wear the same pair of gloves to knead each colored batch. Change your gloves in between each color. If you do not wear gloves, wash your hands after you knead the 1st color, before you knead the 2nd.
   • You may need to chill the dough if it becomes too sticky after coming into contact with the warmth of your hands. If you suspect that it has become too soft, chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

[Edit]Shaping the Candy Corn

1. Roll the dough into strands on a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Roll each batch of dough into a long, slender strand. Make each strand approximately the same length and thickness.^[10]
   
   
   • To create easy-to-work-with pieces, the strands should be about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick and 22 inches (55 cm) long, but you can make the rope as thick or thin as you like. Thicker ropes will create larger candies, and thinner ropes will create smaller candies.
2. Line the strands up next to each other so that they're touching. Put the yellow strand on the bottom, the orange in the middle, and the white on the top. Use your fingers apply pressure with a rolling pin to press the dough together.^[11]
   
   
   • If you use a rolling pin, lay a piece of wax paper or parchment paper over the candy strands to prevent them from sticking to the rolling pin. Roll the pin over the strands gently, just enough to press them together without flattening them.
3. Use a knife to cut the combined candy strands into triangles. Create a zig-zag pattern across the dough so that half of the triangles are colored traditionally, with a white tip and a yellow base. The other half will be inverted, with a white base and a yellow tip.^[12]
   
   
   • You can also try a pizza cutter or another smooth-edged cutting tool, instead of a knife, to cut the triangles.^[13]
4. Clean off your knife as necessary while you cut the candy. Your knife will get gummed up with candy residue as you work. Clean the knife off with a clean cloth before you continue cutting out the candy corn to avoid transferring the reside to other pieces.^[14]
   
   
   • Make sure your knife or cutting instrument is sharp before you begin and you will end up with cleaner cuts!
5. Allow the cut candy corn to finish cooling. Separate the candies so that they don't connect or touch one another. Allow them to dry on parchment paper for 1-2 hours until they aren't sticky anymore.^[15]
   
   
   • Do not stack the candy corn because this will cause them to stick together.
6. Enjoy your finished candy corn. You will have 2 batches of candy corn; 1 with the traditional coloring, and 1 with an inverted color pattern. It's up to you whether to serve only the traditional batch to guests, or mix them together!^[16]
   
   • Both batches of candy corn will be equally as delicious!
   • Store your leftover candy corn in an airtight container. Create layers separated by parchment or wax paper to keep them from sticking together. The candy will last up to a year.

[Edit]Things You'll Need

• Medium bowl
• Medium saucepan
• 3 small bowls
• Candy thermometer
• Silicone spatula
• Half-sheet baking pan
• Plastic gloves
• Parchment paper or wax paper
• Rolling pin
• Knife or pizza cutter

[Edit]Related wikiHows

• Make Candy Corn Crispy Treats
• Create Halloween Candy Corn Jell O Shots
• Make Candy Corn Infused Vodka
• Make Old Fashioned Hard Candy

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary

1. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candy-corn-recipe2/index.html
2. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candy-corn-recipe2/index.html
3. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candy-corn-recipe2/index.html
4. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candy-corn-recipe2/index.html
5. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candy-corn-recipe2/index.html
6. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candy-corn-recipe2/index.html
7. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-candy-corn-halloween-recipe.html
8. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-candy-corn-halloween-recipe.html
9. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-candy-corn-halloween-recipe.html
10. ↑ http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-candy-corn-halloween-recipe.html
11. ↑ http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-candy-corn-halloween-recipe.html
12. ↑ http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-candy-corn-halloween-recipe.html
13. ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candy-corn-recipe2-2120004
14. ↑ http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-candy-corn-halloween-recipe.html
15. ↑ http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-candy-corn-halloween-recipe.html
16. ↑ http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-candy-corn-halloween-recipe.html