Old-Fashioned Ribbon Candy Recipe
A traditional, old-fashioned pulled hard candy that can be colored and flavored to preference.
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Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 200 F. Prepare four cookie sheets with nonstick spray or oil.
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Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
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Insert a candy thermometer and cook without stirring until 285 F (soft-crack stage).
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Remove from heat and stir in peppermint extract.
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Pour 1/3 of the mixture onto a prepared sheet and place it in the oven.
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Pour another 1/3 onto a second prepared sheet, add green food coloring, and place it in the oven.
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Add red food coloring to the remaining 1/3 mixture, then pour onto a marble slab or heat-safe cutting board.
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Allow the red candy to cool slightly until a skin forms. Use a sprayed bench scraper to spread and push the candy as it cools.
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Once the red candy is cool enough to handle (wear sprayed gloves), pull it by stretching and twisting until it achieves a satin-like, opaque red finish.
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Form the pulled red candy into a 2-inch thick log and place it on a third prepared baking sheet. Place this sheet in the oven, then remove the sheet with the uncolored candy from the oven.
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Repeat the pulling and forming into a 2-inch log process with the uncolored candy. Place this log on the fourth prepared baking sheet and put it in the oven, then remove the sheet with the green candy from the oven.
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Repeat the pulling and forming into a 2-inch log process with the green candy. Place this log in the oven with the others to keep warm.
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Remove all three candy logs from the oven. Cut a 5-inch segment from each (green, white, red) and arrange them with the white in the middle on a clean prepared surface.
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Gently pull and mold the three segments together, thinning them into a tricolored piece about 1-inch in height.
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Using oiled kitchen shears, cut the twisted candy into 6-8 inch lengths. Immediately shape into ribbons and place on a baking sheet to set at room temperature.
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Repeat pulling and cutting with any remaining candy. If candy hardens, briefly warm it in the oven to soften.
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Wrap the set ribbon candies in cellophane for storage.