candy-striped twist

i tried out this recipe for peppermint sticks from the december issue of martha.
the finished pieces and my photos of them are not so pretty-pretty as i would like them to be, but hey, this was the test-run.





when i got my magazine in the mail, i looked through it and immediately thought that THIS was the one recipe i most wanted to try. i had never made this kind of candy before - oh how exciting - a new thing to try! the ingredient list and the process both looked simple enough, so i gave it a go.

here at my parent's house with my mama and my pop and my niece and nephew all standing by, it became this super-fun family activity. the recipe really is very easy to follow, it is just the timing that is a bit tricky. you have to move very quickly with the molten candy (and it is VERY HOT -- wear winter gloves UNDER your rubber gloves!) and i was certainly thankful that my papa was standing by and jumped in to help. he and i pulled the candy (pulling and stretching it into long ribbons -- read the recipe to see what i mean) as aidyn and bella watched the excitement. mama was there to help out with the food-coloring, the bottle of which was just about empty, which is why we didnt get much more color than the pale swirl of pink that you can see in the photos. it was super super super neat-o. the flavor is PERFECT -- they are so super yummy and i wouldn't change a thing from the original recipe. it's really just the process that is tricky. you just need to be prepared and have some help on the ready. it was fun having aidyn and bella look on as the candy turned from yellow-y goop to pretty white ribbons as papa and i crafted our own visions of peppermint sticks. he rolled his to create smooth, perfectly-formed candy cane sticks while i left mine rustic and textured in more of an attempt to really bring out the twists.
a day later and the finished candies are a little sticky (mama suggested rolling them in a little bit of powdered sugar, but i havent tried it yet) but other than that -- totally awesome. we'll be making these again next time the family is all gathered around, right before christmas.