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Learn how to make homemade root beer hard candy with my root beer candy recipe! Similar to classic root beer barrels, you’ll only need a handful of ingredients (and a good pair of gloves!) to make a batch of these old-fashioned sweets.
What Inspired This Root Beer Candy Recipe?
Like lemon drops, root beer barrels evoke nostalgic memories of old-fashioned candy shops. (As a kid, I remember going to the corner drugstore for penny candy—back then, it really did cost a penny!—and choosing root beer barrels, candy sticks, bubble gum, Necco Wafers, and Tootsie Rolls, amongst other classic sweets.)
Root beer candy, with its sweet sassafras flavor, evokes the effervescent joy of sipping a can of ice-cold root beer on a hot summer afternoon. This root beer hard candy recipe is my take on the classic root beer barrel, capturing the essence of a mug of fizzy root beer (or a classic root beer float!) in the form of a sweet homemade candy treat.
Root Beer Candy Ingredients
This recipe requires just five ingredients: water, granulated sugar, liquid glucose (or light corn syrup, or light Karo Syrup), root beer flavoring, and brown gel food coloring.
As with my lemon drops candy recipe, I flavored my root beer candy with Lorann Oils Super Strength Root Beer Flavor. And to color these root beer barrels, I added a few drops of gel food coloring. My go-to is the Chefmaster brand; in this recipe, I’ve used Buckeye Brown.
Tools and Equipment for Making Homemade Root Beer Candy
To make this root beer 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 candymaking and sugarwork, as well as for making chocolates, cookies, and more. Silicone baking mats (a.k.a. silpats) perform well at high temperatures, make cleanup easy, and prevent molten sugar from sticking to your trays and countertops.
- Digital thermometer – My go-to is this Taylor Instant Read Digital Thermometer. but any good-quality candy thermometer will work. Because your sugar temperatures must to be precise (otherwise you’ll end up with taffy or caramel!) I do not suggest making this hard candy recipe without a thermometer.
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan – For cooking the hot sugar. Opt for a metal pan, not one with nonstick coating.
- Pastry brush – To brush down the sides of the pan, helping to prevent crystallization.
- Gloves – You’ll need a pair of soft cotton gloves, as well as a pair of rubber gloves. See my notes below.
- Kitchen shears – For cutting the ropes of molten sugar into individual candy pieces. Don’t use a knife—you should never cut directly on a silicone mat.
How To Make Root Beer Hard Candy
Making hard candy really isn’t as difficult as you might think! The trickiest part is handling the sugar, which must be cool enough to pull, yet hot enough to remain pliable. If you haven’t worked with pulled sugar before, I recommend first preparing a test batch with just sugar and water (no flavoring or coloring) to get a feel for the hot sugar.
If your sugar mass cools too much (you’ll know because it will become difficult to pull and cut) simply place it on a silicone mat and microwave for 10-15 seconds, or until warm enough to pull.
Handling Hot Sugar
For sugarwork, most chefs will wear a pair of soft cotton gloves, with 1-2 pairs of rubber gloves layered over top:
The cotton gloves protect your hands from the hot molten sugar, while the rubber gloves prevent the candy from sticking.
If you don’t have cotton and rubber gloves, I suggest buying a pair or two of each before making this root beer hard candy recipe. Both kinds can be ordered from Amazon, or purchased from a big box store. (Look for the white cotton gloves in the cosmetics/beauty aisle.) If you can’t find cotton gloves at a big box store, a Halloween or costume store will definitely sell them.
Root Beer Candy Recipe Tips and Tricks
To prevent the candy from sticking to your scissors, spray the blades generously with nonstick spray.
While the sugar cooks on the stovetop, keep a dish of water and a natural-bristled pastry brush nearby, and brush down the sides of the pan every few minutes. This simple step helps to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
When pulling and cutting the hot sugar, I suggest working in small sections rather than attempting to pull all of the sugar at once. Pull the ropes in 12-inch increments, and keep the remaining sugar in a large mass until ready to pull.
Other hard candy recipes you might enjoy:
Lemon Drops Candy Recipe
Old-Fashioned Hard Candy Recipe
Caramel Apple Lollipops Recipe
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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Root Beer Candy
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 60 pieces 1x
Description
An old fashioned root beer candy recipe, similar to classic root beer barrels. You’ll only need a handful of ingredients (and a good pair of gloves!) to make a batch of these sweets.
Ingredients
210 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)
110 milliliters water (1/2 cup)
20 grams liquid glucose, or corn syrup (1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon root beer flavoring
2–3 drops brown gel food coloring, or as desired
Vegetable oil or nonstick spray, for coating kitchen scissors
Instructions
Cover countertop or work surface with a silicone baking mat. Spray kitchen shears with vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan, combine granulated sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
Once sugar dissolves, stop stirring and add a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature (or keep a hand-held digital thermometer nearby!) Cook the sugar mixture until it reaches 300° F / 149° C on a candy thermometer, periodically swirling the pan as needed, and brushing down the sides with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization. (Cooking the sugar will take about 15-20 minutes, so be patient!)
Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in root beer flavoring and brown food coloring.
Pour hot sugar mixture onto prepared silicone mat.
Put on your cotton gloves, then add a pair of rubber gloves over top.
Allow the sugar syrup to rest on the mat, periodically folding the mat over itself. As you do this, you’ll start to see the sugar sticking to itself and forming a mass, rather than immediately running back into a puddle.
You’ll know the sugar is ready to pull when it comes together into a ball, and does not lose its shape. It will still be hot and easily pliable, but no longer “gooey” or runny.
With gloved hands, fold the sugar over itself several times, until it starts to feel thicker and slightly less pliable. Do this 20 times, or until streaky and lighter in color. (The longer you pull, the more opaque your candy will be, but it will also be harder to cut.)
Pull hot sugar into a short, thick tube.
Working in small sections*, pull the tube into a long rope, about 1/2-inch in diameter. Use kitchen shears to cut the rope into 3/4-inch pieces. Repeat until you’ve used all of the hot sugar mixture.
Allow candy pieces to cool on the silicone mat.
Store root beer hard candy in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three months.
Note: Work in small sections rather than pulling all of the sugar at once. Otherwise, the sugar will cool and become difficult to cut (or might even shatter when you try to cut it!) Pull the ropes in 12-inch increments, and keep the remaining sugar in a large mass/tube until ready to pull.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Candy and Confectionery
- Method: Stovetop