How to Make Rock Candy

Rock, or glass candy (as a friend of mine calls it), is a great and easy treat to make for the Christmas holidays.

It not only tastes delicious, but looks beautiful and is perfect for your sweet tooth.

Christmas Rock Candy Recipe

My husband loves rock candy. He’s been asking me for quite a while to make some for the holidays.

I’d never made any before now, and I was surprised at how easy it is to make your own rock candy.

It’s especially fun to make around Christmas time with different colors and different flavors.

If you have an hour, you can do it.

Sometimes candy can be a bit overwhelming, fearing that it will either turn out like taffy, or be so hard it will break your teeth.

But, this is an easy recipe and turns out so pretty.

What Ingredients Do I Need For Rock Candy?

• White sugar
• Water
• Light corn syrup
• Food coloring
• Powdered sugar

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

How To Make Rock Candy

1. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray.
2. Pour the water, corn syrup, and sugar into a medium-sized saucepan and mix well. Place your candy thermometer into the pan.
3. Boil for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the temperature reaches 300-degrees.
4. Remove the saucepan from the burner and add the food coloring. Stir until it’s well blended.
5. Pour the candy onto the cookie sheet and let it cool. (Make sure the cookie sheet is on a heat-safe counter or hot pad, as the candy will be hot).
6. After the candy cools, crack with a knife.
7. Add the candy to a bag of powdered sugar and shake until it’s covered.

But truly, it’s not hard. Grab a saucepan, a few ingredients, a candy thermometer, and you’re on your way!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Grab a cookie sheet and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.

I wipe it down after I spray it with a paper towel, so it’s not terribly greasy. Set the pan to the side.

My cookie sheet is sort of sad-looking, but it works. 

Next, pour the sugar into the saucepan.

Pour the water into the pan with the sugar.

Add the corn syrup to the saucepan.

Give it all a good stir to mix everything together. 

I keep the burner on medium-high heat.

The temperature needs to reach 300-degrees to become hard candy. It will take a good 25-30 minutes to reach the temperature. 

It will reach a quick boil, and then sort of darken a little and become a slow boil. 

The sugar dissolves as it cooks.

When the sugar mixture reaches 300-degrees, you’re at the hard crack stage.

Not sure why my pictures turned out so dark, but you can kind of see how the mixture turns clear. 

When the candy temperature reaches 300-degrees, take if off of the burner and add the food coloring to the hot mixture and stir.

When I added red food coloring, I added about three food dye drops and it was kind of a quiet red.

I made another batch and added about 10 green food dye drops and it really didn’t come out much brighter, so you don’t need to add more than a few drops. 

Once you stir in the food dye, pour it onto the greased pan placed on a heat-safe area.

*Be careful, because the heat will transfer quickly onto the pan and it gets hot. 

I sort of move the candy around so it slides to the edge of the pan, but if it doesn’t, that is ok, too. You’re going to be breaking it up, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.

As it cools, it becomes hard rock candy.

Once the candy cools, you can take the tip of a sharp knife and press against the candy. It will break fairly easily. 

I break it up in the pan, but you can also place the candy on a large cutting board to break it up.

You can break it up into large or small pieces.

Put the rock candy into a large plastic bag and add some powdered sugar. Give it a good shake and you’re done! 

The recipe is so much fun, and the kids love creating the colors and shaking the candy in the powdered sugar.

If this is your first time making the candy, you will love how easy it is to make.

You can also add your favorite flavor to the recipe with flavoring oil.

An Affair From The Heart has a great recipe for cinnamon rock candy with cinnamon oil. And, you can make it spicy, as well.

How Do You Store The Rock Candy?

You can store the candy in an airtight container at room temperature, or in a sealed Ziplock bag.

You can also add them to glass jars as a gift.

More Delicious Desserts And Candy Recipes

• Easy Turtle Candy
• Easy Pecan Brittle
• Divinity Candy Recipe
• Easy Christmas Crack
• Easy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Easy Stovetop Candied Pecans
• Fudge That Will Make All Your Friends Jealous
• Peanut Butter Fudge to Die For

Music: Moose – Bensound.com