Easy, festive Halloween lollipops that look like you spent hours making
Recipe creator Karen Aronian uses grape flavoring for the bats, pumpkin pie for the pumpkins, and vanilla for the ghosts
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}These fun pumpkin, ghost and bat-shaped lollipops are sure to be a family Halloween favorite.
"This is a scrumptious, edible confection to create with your kids," says the recipe creator Karen Aronian, Ed.D., who runs an educating design firm, Aronian Education Design LLC. "It's a perfect give away for friends, classmates, and trick or treaters this Halloween."
Even better: They only take about 30 minutes to prep.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aronian uses grape flavoring for the bats, pumpkin pie for the pumpkins, and vanilla for the ghost lollipops using these natural extracts from NaturesFlavors.com and she prefers to use plant-based food coloring from 365 Whole Foods, she said.
Halloween Lollipops from Karen Aronian, Ed.D.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tools: Lollipop hard candy molds (see eBay, Etsy, Amazon); paper lollipop sticks (Amazon, Michaels); pots; wood spatula; candy thermometer (Amazon, Baking Stores); oven gloves; optional: Sucker bags and twist ties (Amazon)
Yield: Depends on mold size; approximately, 10 lollipops
Ingredients:
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}- 1 cup sugar, honey, agave, or Dolcetti (apple sweetener)
- ½ cup of rice syrup or light corn syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoons extract (any flavor you choose)
- 6-8 drops of plant-based food coloring
(Aronian Education Design LLC)
Directions:
- Lightly spray cavities of dry candy molds with non-stick cooking spray. Wipe out excess. Insert sucker sticks.
- In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar, rice syrup, and water. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
- Bring mixture to boiling without stirring, and insert the candy thermometer without touching the bottom of the pot.
- With a wood spatula, brush and incorporate any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan.
- Without stirring, continue cooking the syrup, until the temperature reaches 260º F; add food coloring until desired color is achieved.
- Remove from heat precisely at 300 °F. After boiling has subsided, add flavor extract and stir. CAUTION: steam and heat will rise, and you must keep your face back and wear gloves during this part.
- Carefully pour syrup into prepared molds.
- Cool completely and place into sucker bags and secure with twist ties. Store lollipops in a cool, dry place and don’t refrigerate. Enjoy.