Why Handmade Hard Candy?

What makes our small-batch handmade hard candy lollipops superior to mass-produced ones? Obviously, one way is that we take chances on creative, unusual flavors that you rarely find from other candy makers. Some the special characteristics of our lollipops might be less obvious until you’ve eaten them or at least seen them up close; namely: their smooth, dense texture and how beautifully clear they are.

photo by Kevin Keeker

Why does texture matter? If you’re a biter, and you chomp on our lollipops, they cleave more cleanly than mass produced ones, which are prone to shattering when bitten.

We achieve this texture by refraining from overworking the syrup after it has reached the hard crack stage (~300 F). Commercially produced hard candy usually has the color and flavorings worked into the syrup after it has cooked. Our small-batch methods use a few techniques to avoid overworking the syrup.
 
We add the coloring while the syrup is still coming up to its final temperature on the stove, leveraging the motion of the bubbling syrup to distribute the color evenly without having to stir it. Working the color in afterward would incorporate air into the product, which makes it more brittle, more light-weight, and frosty-opaque**.

**When we make opaque lollipops, we do it through creative color combinations that don’t compromise the texture of our lollipops.

Mass produced lollipop syrup is also usually worked into a long strip and stamped out into its final form. We use a more time-consuming gravity-pour method to portion the syrup smoothly into individual lollipop molds instead of using machines to stamp them.

If you’ve had our lollipops, how do you think they compare to big commercially produced brands in terms of texture and appearance?