When I give candy at Christmastime, it’s truly a gift from the heart. My Aunt Jo used to make hard tack candy every year, and grabbing a handful was near the top of my list when my family made the trek north to visit. Later, in college, my girlfriend Missy’s mom sent us a box of homemade caramel during midterm exams. I think I ate most of the box. When I graduated, I got myself a fancy Williams-Sonoma cookbook (I was living in California, after all) and gave the caramel recipe a whirl. It was HARD. Really. The next time I saw Missy I mentioned her mom’s caramels and she told me how easy they were. Huh. I came away with the recipe and a great homemade holiday gift idea. The hardest part is the wrapping, for sure.
Hard Tack Candy
- 2 c sugar
- 2 c water
- 2/3 c white Karo corn syrup
- ½ t oil flavor (NOT extract)
- food coloring
- powered sugar
You’ll also need: a candy thermometer.
Grease the bottom of an 8 x 11 or 9 x 13 cookie sheet.
Stir together sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook on medium stovetop temperature until the temperature reaches 310°. (This takes quite awhile – usually over ½ hr for me). Remove candy from heat. Stir in desired flavor (I use cinnamon, peppermint, etc. and always leave one plain. Then, I coordinate the color with the flavor). Stir in desired color quickly and thoroughly, then pour onto a lightly greased 9 x 13 cookie sheet. (I use a smaller one for slightly thicker pieces.)
Wait just a few minutes until the edges start to harden. Cut into pieces with kitchen shears. It will be HOT to handle & is best to do with a friend so you can work quickly. If you can’t get it all cut by hand, let it cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap & hit pan on counter, or twist to break. These pieces will have sharper edges than the hand-cut pieces. Put the candy in a bowl and sprinkle with powdered sugar to keep them from sticking.
Mix the colors and flavors together in mason jars, tie with a festive bow, and your gift is ready to give.
Easy Homemade Caramel
- ½ lb (2 sticks) butter
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 c sugar
- 1 c white Karo corn syrup
You’ll also need: waxed paper, cut into squares and a candy thermometer
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 pan.
Melt all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly over medium/high heat until the temperature reaches 240. (On my stove, this takes around 25 minutes.) Remove from heat. Add 1t vanilla. Pour into well-greased 9 x 13 pan. Cool caramel, then turn out onto cutting board. Cut into bite-sized pieces and wrap in squares of waxed paper.
Put these wrapped-up gems in a cute little container and say Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!
Other Homemade Holiday Gifts that Rock:
If you have additional ideas, leave them in the comments section, with a link. I’ll post links to great homemade gift ideas on Friday.
MMMM…caramel! I adore getting homemade candy treats…but I still have 6 lbs to lose before New Years…so I better stay away from those recipes…because I know I'll eat half of it 🙂
thank you so very much for sharing these recipes! The hard tack candy sounds great, but I'm not sure I can get the oil flavor…where do you find that?
I'm really looking forward to trying the caramel recipe. I have one that I've used twice, but they always turn out so soft. I think that's mistake for not heating them enough, but I would still like to try a new recipe.
Thanks again!