Fun Times with Old Fashioned Candy

Reminiscing on the good ole days of childhood brings back so many memories. Playing ball in the park, staying up late at a friends house, or even family road trips come to mind. Just a few days ago I had a chance to think about my childhood days; when it seemed like the days were less frantic. One memory in particular that brought a smile to my face was thinking about when my friends and I would pick out our favorite candies from the local store.

Modern day candy just doesn't feel the same. There is something about old fashioned candy that makes me smile. Today's candy is no match to the likes of: Teaberry gum, Necco wafers, Boston Baked Beans, root beer barrels, or Abba Zaba. Each one of these yummy candies brings about associations to different childhood memories. Since many of these candies are no longer sold in stores it got me thinking, what are some fun ways to celebrate these retro candy favorites?

One idea that came to mind was to order a bunch of old time candy from the internet and throw a party with a nostalgic theme. One approach could be to send out invitations that have a classic look to them encouraging guests to dress according to the decade they were born in. Then you can surprise them all by setting up appropriate decorations and music, but more importantly, creatively displaying some of the nostalgic candy you ordered. Not only does candy serve as a great decoration, but it is the
perfect conversation piece. When guests notice some of the candies they haven't had in years they will have to get a taste.

 Everyone is surely to have a story of their favorite childhood candy memory.

Another way to celebrate with nostalgic candy is to send it as a gift. There are websites that sell nostalgic candy by itself or as a bunch that is neatly arranged into a gift box. What a great way to send a thank you to a friend or anyone else. Once I received a whole bunch of retro candy as a business gift. There were about fifteen different kinds of old fashioned candy that I hadn't seen in years. The fun part was sampling each candy and reminiscing with my family about those times as a kid. Who wouldn't love getting some of their old time favorites in the mail?
 

To Help Produce Candy Creations

One of the hottest wedding and shower favor ideas these days is candy. Personalized candy wrappers with your name and wedding details offer an alternative to the traditional tulle and ribbon wedding candy, the ubiquitous Jordan almond. Whether you choose a bar of Belgian chocolate wrapped in embossed foil or a chocolate candy rose with a personalized ribbon and tag, personalized candy favors are the kind of sweet treat that guests love to take home.

Most companies that offer personalized chocolate candy wrappers give you a wide variety of styles and kinds of candy to choose from. A particular favorite with many brides are miniature 1-inch square chocolate candy. Bright foil candy wrappers are stamped with brides, grooms, wedding bells and doves to further the happy couple's wedding theme. Full size candy bars with personalized
wrappers average about $1.75 apiece. For a bit less, you can have your name and wedding date imprinted on Hershey's miniatures like Krackel, Hershey's Special Dark candy bars and Mr. Goodbars. A package of 100 miniature candy bars costs about $50.

There's more to personalized candy wrappers than wedding bells, though. How about a chocolate or bubblegum candy cigar to announce the birth of a new child? You can purchase chocolate cigars with personalized candy bands or wrappers in "It's a Girl" pink and "It's a Boy" blue from any supplier of personalized candy bars. Nearly any occasion can be marked with personalized candy favors or gifts. Whether you're looking for candy shower favors or unique, personalized fund raising candy, personalized candy wrappers could be just what you need.

Some of the more unique candy favor ideas that we've seen are outside the realm of personalized candy wrappers though. One of the most adorable is the bubble-gum buddy bride and groom. Using a full size gumball for a base, the maker uses royal icing to form clothing and features on two of the cutest little wedding favors that can grace your wedding tables. Other candy favor ideas take their cue from the season of the year. Miniature wreaths made of starburst peppermint candy are perfect party favors for the office Christmas party, for example, and candy corn makes great candy fillers for wedding and shower favors at Autumn weddings and parties.

Finally, any wedding favor that can be made with candy Jordan almonds can also be made with the quintessential romantic candy of all time - candy hearts. Whether you choose foil-wrapped chocolate hearts or candy conversation hearts for a more whimsical look, how can you go wrong? Candy hearts and romance just belong together - naturally.

Basic Steps Making Candy

The candy cutter, which is used to cut the candies, especially the hard ones, into different designs. This is the best tool for making individual customized candies.

Candy Thermometers, used to calculate the candy mixture's temperature. Three kinds of candy thermometers are available.
(1) The traditional liquid thermometer, the most common one, which is used by dipping it into the mixture.
(2) The coil spring "dial" thermometer or the differential absorption lidar (a technology that utilizes lasers to determine the distance to an object or surface) thermometer, an automatic device that uses a metal pointer to indicate temperature measurements.
(3) The digital thermometer, a modern device which reads temperatures quickly and accurately.

Candy Paints, which are used for painting fine details onto your candies like chocolates or truffles. Candy paints are included in candy making kits, and as well as colors like orange, red, blue and purple which are available separately. There are also specialized dusts like luster, pearl, and sparkle to make your candies glow.

Spatulas are used for removing all the remaining chocolate or candy from the bowl, and help to alleviate spillages.

The Truffle or Candy Scoop makes scooping truffles and candies easy. These are used to transfer bulk candies from one bowl or jar to avoid candy losses.

                                                                     

  Dipping forks are used for truffles, grahams and lots more. Candies are submerged into different flavors and colorings using these forks, in the cleanest way possible.
                                                                                                                
The Bench Scraper is excellent for cleaning work surfaces and working hot sugar candies such as fondants, scraping ingredients, spreading candy flat in pans, and making precise cuts in fudge and nougat.

Candy molds and supplies are the secrets to making memorable candies. They are used to customize candies and can make your entire candy-making experience a smooth and happy one. So make your list, get your supplies, then wow your kids with your candy creations.

Janine Rose Lumanag lives in the Philippines. She is a college graduate, and is passionate about researching and writing articles regarding a wide range of topics which are close to her heart. Janine has a unique talent for research and physical investigation, which results in articles that offer her readers a very honest, entertaining and personal view of the subject.

                                       

Her love of candy and how to make it has always been a passion of hers, and she is currently writing a series of articles on this topic. If you want to learn more about candy molds and supplies, visit our website at http://www.suesse-werbung.de/werbeartikel-bonbons/ for helpful tips and information about all aspects of candy making.

Stirring The Batch Of Candy

Stirring The Batch of Candy

It is absolutely important that you stir the candy only when the recipe you are following instructs you to. Don't attempt to stir the candy early on in the cooking process, as this may result in a greater chance for grittiness of the candy. Irregular sugar crystals will also form if the candy is stirred either too early or too late in the cooking process. It is important to note that when you are making hard candies like lollipops, little

or no stirring needed to bring the candy to an evenly cooked condition. Also, hard candies like lollipops can be transferred directly to a storage or mold after cooling for several minutes.

Cooling & Setting Of The Candy

To be on the safe side, allow your fresh batch of candy to cool for a several minutes before pouring it into a clean, flat surface or into candy molds. This cooling process is vital to the final outcome of your candy making project. Two results can happen when the candy is cooled. If the candy cools at an accelerated rate after cooking, the physical structure of the sugar will change to form brittle candy. If the cooling process is prolonged, the batch will be transformed to a non-crystalline candy like caramel (or even taffy!). If you want other various types of candy to emerge (such as jelly beans), starch or gelatin can be added to the batch after the initial cooling to produce these desired candies.

Preparing The Candy For Serving

Prior to serving your batch of candy to family and friends, you have to produce serving size pieces. This can be done through the following methods:

- Placing the hot candy into greased molds and then allowing the candy to harden prior to removing it from the molds.
- Spreading the candy across a clean, flat surface like a counter top or table and breaking the candy into smaller pieces by beating.
- Candies such as taffy and caramels may be manually cut using knives or a mechanical type of slicer.

  Keeping these six basic steps in mind when cooking your next batch of candy will ensure your success and result in tasty treats to share with your friends and family.

Candy Creations

Once the pot has been covered and moisture has washed down the sides of the cookware, it is time to clip the candy thermometer unto one side of the pan. It's important to ensure that the main bulb of the candy thermometer does not touch the bottom part of the pan or pot, as this can result in a false temperature reading.

Almost all candy recipes follow a specific order, and this information is an overview to show you how nearly all candy makers prepare their tasty creations following these six basic steps.

STEP 1: Getting Prepared for Candy Making

First of all, before doing anything, all of your equipment, cookware, and tools for candy making must be set-up in the kitchen. These include: measuring cups, spatulas, mixing bowls and most significantly, your candy thermometer must be in reach when you begin making candy.

It is important to prepare all these tools in advance because you have to focus your complete attention solely on cooking candy once the pot is set on the kitchen range and you begin the cooking process. The result of not paying attention to the cooking candy is an imperfect or ruined batch of candy later on, so this really is key. All the pots and saucepans that will be needed for making candy should already be clean and dry before the cooking process even begins.

Step 2: Mixing Sugar and Water

The main basic ingredients of candy are sugar and water. These components are typically poured first in the pot or saucepan.
Apply low or medium heat to start cooking and caramelizing the sugar. The sugar must be mixed thoroughly with the water to achieve even cooking.

At this point, some recipes will instruct you to cover the pot or saucepan. This is so that the condensed water will naturally wash away sugar fragments on the sides of the pan. This will also stop unsightly crystallization from taking place.


Step 3: Bringing The Sugar To A Boil

The next step is to transform this mixture of water and sugar to sugar syrup by allowing the candy mixture to boil. Do take notice that the sugar solution will be boiling at a much higher temperature than plain water - so for safety do not attempt to taste the sugar syrup while it is still cooking!

Follow the instructions in the recipe exactly. If the recipe calls for low heat, use low heat. If the recipe instructs you to raise the temperature after ten minutes, then do so. Don't attempt to shorten the cooking time by increasing the werbeartikel bonbons on the burner. Doing this will most certainly scorch the candy and can greatly reduce the quality of the final product.

After the sugar syrup comes to a boil, watch the candy thermometer carefully because you have to turn the heat off and remove the pot from the kitchen stove once the precise target temperature has been reached. If the cooking process is extended without making the necessary adjustments (such as adding a couple tablespoons of water to the mixture) the batch of candy may burn.