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Although I enjoy baking, candy and confectionery projects are my all-time favorite. I love making lollipops, pulled sugar sweets, old-fashioned hard candy, caramels, fudge, and elaborate sugar showpieces.
As I’ve honed my candymaking and sugarwork skills over the past decade or so, I’ve developed a long list of favorite tools, products, and supplies. Below are some of the candy and confectionery products I love for making sweet treats.
Lollipop Mold
Buy Now → I love my silicone lollipop mold for creating one-of-a-kind homemade lollipops, like watermelon lollipops, caramel apple lollipops, and peppermint lollipops at Christmastime.
Cotton Gloves
Buy Now → For pulling and handling hot sugar (like in this root beer candy recipe) protect your hands by wearing a pair of these soft cotton gloves with 1-2 pairs of rubber gloves layered over top.
Heat Lamp
Buy Now → If you plan on doing lots of candy and confectionery (or making sugar sculptures!) a heat lamp is a worthy investment for keeping pulled sugar warm.
Digital Probe
Buy Now → A digital thermometer is a must if you’re making gummy candies, caramel, or marshmallows; tempering chocolate; or working with molten sugar.
Flavor Oils
Buy Now → I love using the LorAnn brand of flavorings for candymaking. Their natural oils (such as peppermint, orange, and lemon) also work nicely for candy and confectionery projects.
Eye Dropper
Buy Now → Use an eye dropper for filling small candy molds, like silicone gummy bear molds. Opt for a plastic eye dropper—glass can break when it comes into contact with hot sugar syrup.
Parchment Wrappers
Buy Now → These pre-cut parchment wrappers are a major time-saver! I love these for wrapping homemade caramels or pieces of clotted cream fudge.
Corn Syrup
Buy Now → Corn syrup is a must for making hard candy, lollipops, marshmallows, and other homemade sweets. I like the Golden Barrel brand.
Rubber Gloves
Buy Now → I wear these to avoid stained hands when working with food dyes and colorings. For sugarwork, I wear a pair of soft cotton gloves with 1-2 pairs of rubber gloves layered over top.
Gel Coloring
Buy Now → Gel food coloring is a must for tinting all kinds of candies, from lollipops and lemon drops to peppermints and homemade candy corn. These gels are great for making marshmallows, too.
Gummy Bear Molds
Buy Now → These gummy bear molds are great for making homemade treats. This easy gummy bear recipe with Jello is a personal favorite.
Oil Based Coloring
Buy Now → Use oil-based food colorings to tint white chocolate. For example, I tinted the green chocolate in these watermelon lollipops with oil-based color.
Granulated Sugar
Buy Now → Granulated sugar is crucial for candymaking because it provides structure, sweetness, and the necessary crystallization or caramelization needed for different candies and confections.
Gelatin
Buy Now → In the US, recipes often call for powdered gelatin rather than sheets or leaves. I like to keep both versions on hand. These big bottles of Knox unflavored powdered gelatin are ideal for making homemade marshmallows.
Rebecca Frey is a freelance recipe developer, food writer, photographer, stylist, and pastry chef. She earned the Diplôme de Pâtisserie (French Pastry Techniques Diploma) from Le Cordon Bleu London in 2020 and an MSc in Culinary Innovation from Birkbeck, University of London in 2022, where she focused her dissertation research on Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. She also holds a Professional Chocolatier’s Certificate from Ecole Chocolat. Rebecca has developed recipes for websites including Serious Eats, The Spruce Eats, Wine Enthusiast, and others. Follow her on Instagram @bastecutfold.
