Candy

Most candy is sugar cooked into a syrup and then shaped, whether poured into glassy drops, set with pectin or gelatin into jellies, or built up in thin shells around a nut or seed.

How to choose Candy

  • Hard candy. Lollipops and drops are cooked to the hard-crack stage, 300 to 310°F, where the syrup reaches about 99 percent sugar, so they set hard and brittle.
  • Gelatin or pectin. Gummies set with gelatin are firm, chewy and elastic. Jellies set with pectin are softer, with a short texture that melts in the mouth; pâte de fruit is rolled in sugar so the pieces do not stick together.
  • Soft nougat. Its syrup is taken to the hard-ball stage, 250 to 265°F, which leaves it firm but still chewy around the nuts.
  • Panned sweets. A center such as a nut or a jelly bean tumbles in a rotating pan while syrup and dry sugar go on in alternating layers. Depending on the method, the shell sets thin, hard and brittle or softer and chewier.

About Candy

Candy is a sugar confection, most often cooked into a syrup and shaped by pouring, molding, pulling or coating.

Most candy begins as sugar and glucose syrup, sometimes with honey, boiled to a set temperature. Starch and gum arabic, a natural plant gum, also set candies, and unlike gelatin, gum arabic holds up to heat. Gelatin is usually stirred in after cooking because high heat weakens it, while pectin syrup has to stay near 194°F until it is deposited.

Store candy in a cool, dry cupboard, away from the stove. A tin with a tight lid keeps hard candy from turning tacky.

At a glance

Main types
Hard candy, fruit jellies, gummies, nougat, panned sweets
Made from
Sugar, glucose syrup, fruit, honey, gelatin or pectin
Label terms
Pectin, gelatin, glucose syrup, gum arabic

Candy questions

What is pâte de fruit?

The name means fruit paste in French. It is a candy of fruit puree, sugar and pectin cooked until it sets, then cut into cubes and rolled in sugar. The pectin used for it, a natural fiber from fruit cell walls, needs the right balance of sugar and acid to gel. Early versions in France were called dry jams, and the sugar coat keeps pieces from sticking.

How should hard candy and fruit jellies be stored?

Keep them dry, cool and covered. Hard candy is cooked until it is about 99 percent sugar, so moisture in the air softens its surface and makes it tacky. Fruit jellies hold more water, and homemade ones keep only a couple of weeks. A lidded tin in a cupboard far from the stove and dishwasher suits both.

Why are gummies shaped in trays of starch?

Starch makes a reusable mold. A machine presses the shape of each candy into a tray of cornstarch, hot syrup is poured into the hollows, and the starch pulls water out as the candy sets. Afterward the pieces are shaken free and the starch is sifted and used again, which also lets makers change shapes easily.

Sources: Exploratorium candy temperature chart; Roquette confectionery process notes; Ohio State University Extension.

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