Lollipop Recipe

According to the National Confectioners Association, July 20^th is National Lollipop Day. After researching for quite some time I will admit that I can not find the history of this holiday but have read many claims of its existence so I think we should grab a sucker and celebrate.

No one really knows who first invented the lollipop but it is believed that George Smith coined the term in 1908 when he named this hard candy on a stick after his favorite racehorse Lolly Pop. Since then lollipops haven't changed much in theory, they have always been a hard candy made of sugar and corn syrup on a stick but the shapes and sizes have changed over time. The production speed is one thing however, that has changed a lot over time. The Racine Confectioners Machinery Company was one of the first companies to produce an automatic lollipop machine which in 1908 was able to produce 40 lollipops a minute. Today, machines are able to produce 5,900 lollipops a minute.

The largest lollipop was reported in 2002 and measured fifteen feet tall, just under nineteen inches thick, and weighed 4,031 pounds including the stick, talk about a giant sweet treat!

Since the history of this holiday is so hard to find, here is a lollipop recipe you can make at home and have fun with the kids.

You will need the following ingredients

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

2 tsp light corn syrup

½ tsp flavoring of your choice

Food coloring

Cooking spray

Plastic wrap

Lollipop sticks

Candy thermometer

First you will need a medium sized saucepan, in this pan combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook this mixture over medium heat stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring this to a boil and heat to 295 degrees Fahrenheit. Add your choice of flavoring and food coloring and now without stirring turn the heat up to high and cook until the mixture reaches 300 degrees.

While the mixture is cooking, prepare lollipop molds or a flat surface by spraying them with cooking spray.

When the sugar has reached the 300 degree mark remove the pan from the heat and spoon the candy into the mold. Place the lollipop sticks into each mold and cover the tip with another dab of candy to seal the stick inside.

Once the candy has completely melted remove from the candy molds and wrap them in plastic or enjoy them right away!