This idea started out as an ornament. My cousin’s wife, Sheryl, told me about some cute little hard candy ornaments she saw at a party this past weekend. Hard candies melted together into shapes like wreaths, trees, snowflakes, and so on. She inquired as to how they were made and was told to put the candies–touching–in whatever shape you like on wax paper and bake them in a 250-degree oven for 5 minutes. Then you can hang them on the tree or whatever.
I decided I had to try this.
Don’t blame Sheryl because she was just reporting, but that didn’t work for me. None of it. First of all, the candies won’t melt in 5 minutes. It takes 10 minutes. Second, the candy sticks to the wax paper. I tried without cooking spray and with cooking spray.
After much experimentation and many failures, I did finally end up with one ornament that I scraped off the wax paper the best I could and hung on the tree.
That’s okay, but I wasn’t too impressed. Maybe I’m just not artistic enough to make cute hard candy ornaments, so don’t let that stop you if you want to try. I wasn’t enamored enough with the ornament idea to keep experimenting in that direction, but…..
Then I had a brainstorm. Wouldn’t that be cuter if it was a LOLLIPOP?
Oh yes, yes it would!
But I had to solve the wax paper sticking problem. I made another one using parchment paper (no cooking spray). Perfect! It peeled right off.
And the lollipop stick poked right in.
At first I was making them using 7 peppermints in a circle, as a wreath. Then I tried putting one candy in the middle.
Then I tried six to make the circle and I liked that better.
To make hard candy lollipops, you need lollipop sticks, hard candies, and parchment paper, that’s it. Arrange your hard candies how you want them, making sure they are touching. Bake on parchment paper at 250-degrees for about 10 minutes. I found that some of the hard candies melted faster than others. (The peppermints got soft faster than the other colored candies. But NONE of them melted in 5 minutes.) Test the candies you’re going to use first to see how they melt. You don’t want to over-melt–they’ll turn to useless goo. You want them to soften enough to melt into each other and also to be soft enough to poke a lollipop stick into them.
As soon as you take them out of the oven, poke in the lollipop stick. Let cool and harden before removing from the parchment paper.
And if you think that is cute for the holidays, try spring flowers!
You could make these to suit any holiday. So easy and fun and kid-friendly. Kids can help and choose their own candies to make their lollipops. If you have little kids in your house, how can you not make these today? For gifts, wrap them in a plastic baggie and tie a ribbon around them. They would be really fun for kids’ parties, too. Makes me wish I had little kids again instead of big ones with tattoos.
Lollipops for everyone! Somebody send me a little kid. I have lollipops!
Update per the comments–apparently, the correct temperature for melting the candies is 350-degrees for 6 minutes. I bet that works!
See this recipe at Farm Bell Recipes and save it to your recipe box.
Bev in CA says:
So cute! Can’t wait to try them. Suzanne, it is always fun when you sleuth out a recipe for us. Thank you. It is 25 years since our son, a Seabee, came home from overseas and had a tattoo. It must be a Navy thing. Our Grandson is in Iraq, who knows maybe it isn’t. Merry Christmas!
On December 21, 2010 at 1:31 am
Luann says:
Very cute, I was just going to recommend parchment paper then saw you tried it later in your post! :snoopy:
On December 21, 2010 at 1:47 am
Nancy K. says:
That would be a fun one to do with my grandsons!
On December 21, 2010 at 1:54 am
Sheila Z says:
Tattoo won’t stop anyone from eating a lollipop. Although, personally I like the peppermint wreath ornament the best. Perhaps that’s because I never liked to actually eat hard candies even as a kid. Give me chocolate and leave the hard candy for ornamental purposes.
On December 21, 2010 at 1:57 am
Karen Anne says:
Looks like the directions may have lost a few bits in translation. Here’s what
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/hard-candy-ornaments-recipe/index.html
says – 350 degrees, six minutes, parchment paper, and put the candies in cookie cutter forms while baking to keep their shape.
On December 21, 2010 at 2:21 am
Mary says:
Five kids on the way!
On December 21, 2010 at 6:38 am
CindyP says:
So cute! I think the lollipops would be cute in the grandkids’ stockings!
OOOO, melt 2 small candy canes together for a heart, with the stick in the middle at the bottom!
On December 21, 2010 at 6:53 am
NorthCountryGirl says:
What a novel idea!! Those lollipops are so cute! I was thinking how cute fruit LifeSavers would be arranged on a stick. Hmmmm. I shall have to retire to my laboratory and experiment….
On December 21, 2010 at 7:40 am
Miss Judy says:
I think the ornament was very cute!I wonder what green and white mints would look like using a christmas tree cookie cutter. Hummmm, I just might give this a try.
On December 21, 2010 at 8:44 am
KristenA says:
I’ve got 3 that I’m (I mean THEY’RE) dying to send your way. These are adorable and before I got that far, kept thinking how cute these would be for a spring party or class treat. Thanks for the idea.
On December 21, 2010 at 9:23 am
texwisgirl says:
So cute! I like how you didn’t let the candies (or paper) stop you! 🙂
On December 21, 2010 at 9:24 am
Jane says:
I LOVE the ornament! The lolly’s are cute too:)
On December 21, 2010 at 9:41 am
Joanna Wilcox says:
LolliPop – a cute, future goat name
On December 21, 2010 at 10:01 am
Ramona says:
Lollipops and ornaments sound like a great idea for them.
On December 21, 2010 at 10:17 am
QuietStorm says:
I bet Clover would like one! :reindeer:
On December 21, 2010 at 11:10 am
Quietstorm says:
making these now…..
SO cute!!!!
On December 21, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Sheila says:
Waaaahhhh I’d like to make these , but because of some health scare crises , homemade goodies aren’t allowed to be taken to parties etc anymore (at least thats what I heard) and my son doesn’t really care for hard candies much :no: .
On December 22, 2010 at 5:55 pm
jane says:
I made these and they are very striking. I used green peppermints for a tree with a chocolate one for the trunk. I made teardrop shaped out of red ones and white ones. Brach’s melts more evenly, though cost more unless you get them onsale now. I want to go to HL to see if there is a preservative or a varnish thing so they are not so sticky and will last yr to yr. I glued a ribbon tie on the back to hang.
On December 29, 2010 at 8:46 pm