Old-Fashioned Hard Candy Recipe

Last Updated on March 25, 2025 by becky

An old-fashioned hard candy recipe based on an old family recipe. With endless color and flavor options, this sugar-coated homemade hard candy keeps and ships well. Ideal for holiday gifting!

Why Do I Love This Old-Fashioned Hard Candy Recipe?

This old-fashioned hard candy recipe is a decades-old family favorite.

I’m not sure how long the recipe has been in my family, but growing up I can remember my mom making it every year for Christmas. There were different varieties, one of which was always cinnamon. (And for some reason, in our family the cinnamon flavor was traditionally yellow rather than red!) We would gift some of our homemade hard candy to friends and family, and save the rest to enjoy during the holiday season.

This easy to make hard candy requires just a handful of simple ingredients. (You will also need a candy thermometer, plus flavor extracts, food coloring, and a few special candymaking tools!) Read on to learn exactly what you’ll need to make old-fashioned hard candy at home.

Ingredients for Making Old-Fashioned Hard Candy

To make this old fashioned candy recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar forms the base for homemade hard candy. You can substitute caster sugar, measured by weight rather than volume.
• Corn Syrup – In the US, I prefer the Golden Barrel brand. You can also use light Karo syrup, or liquid glucose. Corn syrup helps to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.

• Flavorings – I chose fruit flavors in rainbow colors, but this recipe for old fashioned hard candy also works with non-fruity flavors. (Butterscotch, licorice, cinnamon, chocolate, root beer, and coconut are a few of my favorites.) I prefer the LorAnn Oils brand of extracts and flavor oils because they’re ultra-concentrated and designed for candymaking. Avoid supermarket extracts—they’re weaker, so you’ll need a lot more product to produce a flavorful piece of homemade hard candy.
• Gel Food Coloring – You can choose any color you’d like. I enjoy color-coordinating my flavors and colors (yellow for lemon, pink for watermelon, etc.) You can also omit the gel food coloring for a natural look.
• Confectioner’s Sugar – Also known as icing sugar, or powdered sugar, for coating the cooled candy.

How to Make Hard Candy

Note: Skip to the recipe card below to see quantities, step-by-step instructions, and process photos.

To make homemade hard candy, start by cooking sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan until it reaches  300° F / 149° C on a candy thermometer, then swirl in your favorite gel food coloring and flavor oil or extract. (Keep in mind that you’ll only need a few drops if using a pure oil, and up to 1 teaspoon if using a flavor extract.)

Pour the molten sugar out onto a silicone baking mat, and allow it to cool.

Then, just break the cooled sugar into small pieces, toss in confectioner’s sugar, and enjoy!

Helpful Candymaking Tools and Equipment

To make this old-fashioned hard candy recipe, I recommend gathering the following tools and equipment:

• Silicone Mat –If you don’t already own one, a silicone baking mat comes in handy for candy (ha!) Silicone baking mats perform well at high temperatures, make cleanup easy, and prevent molten sugar from sticking to your countertops.
• Digital Thermometer – My go-to is this Taylor Instant Read Digital Thermometer. but any good-quality candy thermometer will work. Because precise temperatures are important, I do not suggest making this recipe without a thermometer.
• Heavy-Bottomed Pan – For cooking the hot sugar. Opt for a metal pan, not one with nonstick coating. I use a medium saucepan for small (1/4 or 1/2) batches of candy, and a large stock pot when making the full hard candy recipe, or a double batch.
• Pastry Brush – To brush down the sides of the pan, helping to prevent crystallization and burnt sugar.

How Much Does This Homemade Hard Candy Recipe Make?

For this batch I made four colors and flavors of old-fashioned hard candy:  Pink (watermelon), green (green apple), yellow (lemon), and orange (orange). 

For each flavor I made 1/4 of the recipe, resulting in about 140-150 grams (5 ounces), or 1 US cup of hard candy pieces per flavor. A full batch in a single flavor will yield approximately 600 grams, or 4-5 cups of hard candy.

Tips and Tricks for Making Hard Candy at Home

For best results, pour the hot sugar mixture directly onto a silicone baking mat. Do not use wax paper; your candy mixture will stick to the paper, making it impossible to remove!

To break the cooled candy, I put the slab in a large food storage bag and crack it into small pieces with a kitchen mallet. This method is much easier than breaking the candy with your hands, and it prevents sharp, sticky shards of candy from flying all over your kitchen. Place a folded tea towel underneath the plastic bag to avoid damaging your countertops.

Shipping and Packaging Homemade Hard Candy

This easy homemade hard candy ships well and stays fresh for months, so it’s ideal for holiday gift-gifting.  (Plus the candy is already “broken,” so no worries about damaging the contents in transit!) If you are gifting locally, I suggest packaging your homemade hard candy in a cello bag or a pretty mason jar.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Store old-fashioned hard candy in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three months.

Recipe can be doubled. Larger batches will take longer to reach 300° F.

Other homemade hard candy recipes you might enjoy:

Chocolate Peppermint Lollipops
Lemon Drops
Caramel Apple Lollipops
Root Beer Hard Candy

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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