Hard Candy Peppermint Twists Recipes

PEPPERMINT HARD CANDY

Steps:

• Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil. Grease the foil with 1 tablespoon butter; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook for 3 minutes to dissolve sugar crystals. Uncover; cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage)., Remove from the heat; stir in extracts and food coloring. Pour into prepared pan. Cool; break into pieces. Store in airtight containers.

HARD CANDY PEPPERMINT TWISTS

Steps:

• Coat two 9-in. square pans with cooking spray; set aside. (Do not use butter or foil to prepare pans.), In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine water and vinegar. Add sugar. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, about 8 minutes. (If sugar crystals are present, cover saucepan for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes to allow steam to wash crystals down.) Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage), about 26 minutes., Combine peppermint extract and food coloring. Remove syrup from the heat; stir in peppermint mixture until well blended (mixture will bubble up slightly). Immediately and carefully pour into prepared pans (do not scrape saucepan or tilt pans to spread mixture evenly). Cool for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes., Using a sharp knife, score candy into 1/2-in.-to 3/4-in.-wide pieces, about 3-in. long. Place both pans in a warm oven(150° or your oven's lowest temperature) for about 5 minutes or until candy is warm enough to cut but cool enough to handle., Using a heavy-duty kitchen scissors, cut along scored lines, one piece at a time. Immediately wrap each piece around the handle of a wooden spoon; remove candy and place on waxed paper to harden. Continue cutting and wrapping until mixture in pan begins to harden. Return pan to oven for at least 5 minutes. , Meanwhile, remove second pan from oven. Cut and wrap as before until mixture begins to harden. Return to oven and repeat with the first pan. Repeat until all mixture is cut and formed into twists.

PEPPERMINT TWIST CANDY COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, mixing until pale yellow and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add in the peppermint extract and eggs and mix well. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, divide into two disks, wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Working with one disk at a time, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out candy cane shapes with the cookie cutter and place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll the scraps to get as many cookies as possible, returning the dough to the refrigerator to chill if necessary.
• Bake just until the edges start to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (Bake one sheet at a time for even cooking and browning). Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
• For the royal icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer using a whisk attachment, combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder and mix for 30 seconds. Add 1/3 cup water and the peppermint extract and continue mixing on low until the icing forms peaks, 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust the consistency of the icing with additional water if necessary.
• Set aside some of the icing in a small bowl and add enough food coloring until the desired shade of red is reached.
• Ice the cookies with the white icing and let dry completely. Decorate with the red icing and crushed candies to make a candy cane pattern.

HARD CANDY PEPPERMINT TWISTS

Steps:

• Coat two 9-in. square baking pans with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. (Do not use butter or foil to prepare pans.)
• In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine water and vinegar. Add sugar. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, about 8 minutes. (If sugar crystals are present, cover saucepan for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes to allow steam to wash crystals down.) Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees F (hard-crack stage), about 26 minutes.
• Combine peppermint extract and food coloring. Remove syrup from the heat; stir in peppermint mixture until will blended (mixture will bubble up slightly). Keep face away from mixture as odor is strong. Immediately and carefully pour into prepared pans (do not scrape saucepan or tilt pans to spread mixture evenly). Cool for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, score candy into 1/2-in.-to 3/4-in.-wide pieces, about 3-in. long. Place both pans in a warm oven(150 degrees F or your oven's lowest temperature) for about 5 minutes or until candy is warm enough to cut but cool enough to handle.
• Using a heavy-duty kitchen scissors, cut along scored lines, one piece at a time. Immediately wrap each piece around the handle of a wooden spoon; remove candy and place on waxed paper to harden. Continue cutting wrapping until mixture in pan begins to harden. Return pan to oven for at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, remove second pan from oven. Cut and wrap as before until mixture begins to harden. Return to oven and repeat with the first pan. Repeat until all mixture is cut and formed into twists