Description
This Cinnamon Rock Candy recipe creates delicious hard candy infused with warm cinnamon flavor. The candy mixture is cooked to the hard crack stage, poured into a parchment-lined pan, cooled, and broken into shards coated with confectioner’s sugar for a festive and flavorful treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Candy
- butter for preparing the pan and parchment paper
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup purified water
- 1 teaspoon water based red food coloring (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon candy oil
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the Pan: Grease a 15”x10”x1” baking sheet (jelly roll pan) with butter. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper as well to prevent sticking.
- Combine Ingredients: In a large saucepan, add the granulated sugar, light corn syrup, purified water, and red food coloring if using. Stir gently to combine.
- Heat Mixture: Cover the saucepan and heat over medium heat until the mixture begins boiling, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar evenly.
- Boil to Dissolve: Once boiling, uncover and let it continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to fully dissolve the sugar.
- Cook to Hard Crack Stage: Insert a candy thermometer and cook without stirring until the temperature reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit (hard crack stage), taking about 25 minutes. Remove from heat briefly to stir to prevent burning if needed, then return to heat and watch carefully until 300 degrees.
- Add Cinnamon Oil: Immediately remove from heat, add 1 teaspoon cinnamon candy oil quickly in a well-ventilated area due to strong fragrance, and stir briefly.
- Pour into Pan and Cool: Carefully pour the hot candy mixture into the prepared pan and allow to cool undisturbed for 1.5 to 2.5 hours until fully hardened.
- Dust with Confectioner’s Sugar: Sprinkle the top of the cooled candy with confectioner’s sugar, then flip over and sprinkle the other side to prevent sticking.
- Break Candy: Wrap the head of a hammer with a zippered plastic bag and gently break the candy into pieces.
- Optional Final Dusting: Re-sprinkle broken candy pieces with confectioner’s sugar if desired or leave edges clean for serving.
Notes
- Use a candy thermometer for precise temperature to ensure perfect hard crack stage.
- Be very careful when working with hot sugar to avoid burns.
- The cinnamon candy oil has a strong fragrance; ventilate the kitchen well when adding.
- Butter the pan and parchment paper thoroughly to prevent sticking.
- Storing candy in an airtight container extends freshness.
- Red food coloring is optional; you can omit or use other colors for variety.
- Broken candy pieces can be wrapped individually for gifts.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece (~30 g)
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
