These lovely old fashioned suckers are so easy to make! Just a few ingredients...Here is the recipe:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 tsp pure peppermint extract (or another flavor of choice)
gel-paste food coloring of your choice
In preparation grease both a baking sheet (rimmed) and a metal spatula. In a sauce pan bring sugar, corn syrup, and water to a boil over medium-high heat--stirring till you reach a boil. Allow the mixture boil now without stirring... You will need to bring the mixture to 304 degrees on your candy thermometer--about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and add lemon and your flavoring extract... Stir and then pour onto prepared pan. Fold mixture into itself from all sides using spatula until the mixture starts to turn a little opaque...
Wearing rubber gloves, you will need to pull candy--as soon as it's cools enough to handle--although it will remain hot. Pull to about 8-10 inches, twist and fold back into itself. Take a small ball and drop food coloring in--you will need to continue to fold and twist both pieces until the candy mixture begins to whiten. Just a minute or two.
Lengthen both pieces about a foot and twist into each other. Twist from one end and use scissor to cut the length you desire. I wrapped mine around candy sticks--but you could easily cut into bite sized peppermints! You will have to work quickly--but worth the effort. So yummy--hard to resist! A great treat to add to a Christmas gift.