How To Make Rock Candies At Home

"This is chocolate!" gasped Hansel as he broke a lump of plaster from the wall.

"And this is icing!" exclaimed Gretel, putting another piece of wall in her mouth.

Starving but delighted, the children began to eat pieces of candy broken off the cottage.

"Isn't this delicious?" said Gretel, with her mouth full. She had never tasted anything so nice.

Who could forget the amazing children's story that made even the adults reading it hungry for candies? Who could fail to recall the tale about the two siblings who ate a house made of candies and sweets?

There aren't many people who can say no to candies, not even the President himself, they say. Try putting a plate of candies on a table, and in just a few seconds, the candies disappear just like magic. At every occasion, candies seem to be the focus of attention. They are put at the center of the table, and every now and then someone comes and refills the bowl. When my mom recently hosted a party for my little sister, she had everything prepared - from the should-be-served-first candies to the giveaways. The guests' faces were saying "Wow tell me where you bought this?", while my Mom was smiling at their amazement. People hosting parties or any events, search for new candies to make their guests feel like "Oh this is something new", or "I'm going make something like this one too". To have super-satisfied guests, my mom usually prepares homemade candies like fudge cookies, maple walnuts and, of course, rock candies.

According to an American Candy Survey "What is Your Favorite Type of Candy", rock candies ranked top. They may be made at home for pleasure, or just used as a simple science project.

Making rock candies at home can be a messy and complicated process, but don't be put off, it will be fun, and if you follow carefully you will achieve a worthwhile result!

The first secret in achieving a mouthwatering candy is to use all the correct ingredients and equipment. We'll need a wide-mouthed jar, a pencil, a length of string, measuring cups, boiling water (enough to fill half of the jar), white table sugar (twice as much sugar as the water), and a paper plate and food coloring (optional). The brighter the candy, the more kids will like it. The second secret in achieving a delicious candy is the procedure, so follow the steps and don't miss one! Now, let the magic begin!

There are twelve steps to how to make rock candies at home. These are:-

i) Boil the water. (Keep the hot water away from your kids).

ii) Tie a piece of string around the middle of the pencil making sure it's long enough so that when the pencil is placed over the top of the jar, the string will come up just short of the bottom.

iii) Sprinkle a little sugar on the paper plate. Have your kid wet the string and roll it over the sugar to coat it. Set it aside.

iv) Carefully fill the jar full of boiling water.

v) Kids love colored rock candies, so now you can add the coloring to the water. vi) Add 2 cups of sugar for every cup of water that you have in the jar.

vii) Stir until the sugar dissolves. There should be a thin layer of un-dissolved sugar at the bottom of the jar. If there is none, add more sugar until there is.

viii) Place the pencil over the jar and lower the dangling loop of the string into the water.

ix) Place the jar anywhere where it can sit for a while undisturbed. Do not refrigerate it.

x) You should notice small crystals growing on the string after two or three days. Let it sit for three to four more days and the crystals will grow.

xi) When the crystals have already stopped growing or are large enough to eat, pull it out of the water and let it dry (you can use paper towels).

xii) Enjoy your delicious and mouthwatering rock candy.

As you can see, it takes several days to grow crystals and about a week before you can eat them. This is the main reason why some teachers make this a simple science project. So now, you've successfully completed a science project and made a delicious snack at the same time.

Homemade rock candies are the all-time favorite of kids everywhere. You can personalize the taste, the color and you can make a constant supply for your children! Homemade rock candies also offer numerous benefits, and are widely used and enjoyed around the world. In Asian Countries, it is used in their tea cultue. In China, it is used to sweeten Chrysanthemum tea, as well as Cantonese desserts, soups and the liquor Baijiu. In India, homemade rock candies are mixed with aniseed to make mouth fresheners. They are a common ingredient in Tamil Cuisine, particularly in Sri Lanka. In the Friesland province of the Netherlands, bits of rock candy are baked in the luxury white bread Fryske Skerble. During the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration, children make rock candies in the shape of human skulls and decorate them with icing and jewels. These "calaveras de azcar" (sugar skulls) are usually eaten after the festivities.

Rock candies made at home are delicious and clean. The process may be involved, messy and challenging, but in the end, the result is worth the wait and sweat. Kids love homemade rock candies because of the crystals, the coloring, the taste and simply because they made them!