SUGAR | Halloween Lollipops

It's Halloween!!
I figured I'd TRiCK you today...
by TREATiNG you with a double blog post.

I shared our Phantom Pumpkin treats  with you earlier today...
which included these...

Homemade Lollipops

Although the "bewitching hour" is close at hand...
and the idea that some of you would even attempt these with festivities just hours away is far-fetched...
I'm sharing these lollipops because they are actually quite versatile.
Change out the colors and the edible images...
and you're all set no matter what holiday/event you've got coming up.

You may remember the original lollipop tutorial I shared with you...

from the Lemonade & Sunshine party I styled for my daughters.

I've revised some of my techniques a bit...

and we will be incorporating edible images for these boo-liscious treats.

SUPPLiES NEEDED (adapt to your specific likes/preferences)

• Edible Images - I designed my own and had a sheet printed by my local grocery store bakery. 

                               You can also find them pre-printed online or in craft stores

• 1" Round Craft Punch (make sure your punch results will fit in the cavities of the lollipop mold you are using).

• Lollipop Mold

• 4" Lollipop Sticks 

• Cookie sheet - for placing the lollipop mold on when baking

• Hard candy - I used LifeSavers

• Ziploc bags - if your hard candy isn't individually packaged

• Kitchen Mallet or rolling pin - for crushing candy

• Packaging supplies - small cellophane bags, ribbon or fabric

STEP ONE

GATHER SUPPLIES

I took the image I designed and printed onto cardstock to my local grocery store bakery.

They basically "photocopied" it to create an edible image. 

- notice the difference in the ink color between the cardstock and edible sheet?

STEP TWO

PUNCH OUT EDIBLE IMAGES

STEP THREE

PEEL OFF BACKING FROM EDIBLE IMAGES AND PLACE FACE-DOWN IN LOLLIPOP CAVITIES

STEP FOUR

CRUSH HARD CANDY

Avoid a sticky mess by leaving the candy in their individual packaging while crushing... 

this makes it easy to fill the lollipop mold too.

STEP FIVE

FILL LOLLIPOP MOLD

I used two lifesavers per cavity

STEP SIX

MELT IN OVEN

Bake at 275º 5-8 minutes until completely melted

Caution: Higher heat will melt the candy faster but it will also cause the candy to brown in some cases

STEP SEVEN

ADD LOLLIPOP STICKS

Working quickly, add lollipop sticks.

I find pressing the sticks down into the candy and twirling them 

allows the melted candy to grab hold of the sticks - making them more secure.

Be Careful - the mold and baking sheet are hot!

STEP EIGHT

COOL COMPLETELY AND POP OUT

After cooling, turn the lollipop mold upside down and gently press on the middle of each cavity to remove lollipops.

Tip: Hold the inverted mold close to the countertop so that when the candy pops out, it won't break on impact.

STEP NINE

PACKAGE THEM UP

Use small cellophane bags (or mini ziploc bags with the "zip" cut off) and a ribbon to finish it off.

Give them away individually or add them to a mix of treats.

I hope you'll try this candy making technique out.

You can personalize them for favors to use at any celebration...

and you can even create a bouquet of lollipops for a sweet gift.

RESOURCES

• Lollipop Sticks - TomKat Studio

• Lollipop Mold - Bake It Pretty

• Hard Candy - LifeSavers individually packaged

KEEPiNG iT REAL

It was through trial and error that I finally perfected the edible image lollipops.

Things I learned:

• The image doesn't show up very well if you try to embed it in the middle of the lollipop.

• Embedding the edible image not only takes more time but the results aren't favorable anyway. *wink*

• Keeping it simple is ALWAYS the better choice. 

• Be patient. Melting the candy faster on a higher temperature causes the candy to brown in areas. 

• Don't forget to peel the backing off of the edible images prior to using

• Although it's safe to put the lollipop sticks in the oven when melting the candy...

   adding them afterwards prevents burning your fingers when pushing and twisting the sticks mentioned in STEP SIX.

• Make sure the edible image is positioned in the lollipop cavity the way you want it seen while it's being held...

   meaning, make sure the image isn't upside down when you are actually holding the finished lollipop.