Try this cinnamon hard candy recipe this year!
Years ago I went home with my boyfriend (now husband) for Christmas. We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas together and I was able to celebrate the holiday with new experiences. It’s always interesting to me how different families celebrate each holiday. On this visit all those years ago I was introduced to many new traditions (they open all of their presents on Christmas Eve, was, ALL the presents. Anyone else do this???) and lots of new foods! One of my favorite Christmas treats his mom made for us was Cinnamon Candy. I begged her for her recipes and I have been making this Cinnamon Candy recipe ever since!
It takes less than 30 minutes to make and requires very few ingredients. Yay! This Cinnamon Hard Candy recipe is now a tradition in our own home and we look forward to making it every year.
You can make this Christmas hard candy recipe two different ways.
The first way is with red food coloring and cinnamon oil, which is how I always make it.
Another way to make this candy is using green food coloring with peppermint oil.
My mother in law makes a batch of both flavors, but I have only made it with the cinnamon. I encourage you to make it however your family will enjoy it most!
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How to Make Your Own Cinnamon Candy
It’s easy to make Cinnamon Candy, which is one of the reasons why I love this easy recipe!
First, gather all of your ingredients. You will need:
- White sugar
- Light corn syrup
- Water
- Cinnamon oil (or peppermint)
- Food coloring (red for cinnamon, green for peppermint)
I usually buy cinnamon oil at a local craft store in the cake decorating section. It is also on Amazon here. Do not use cinnamon extract, it will not taste the same…I promise, I have tried! It needs to be cinnamon oil.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water together in a medium sauce pan. Stir mixture continually until it boils.
Insert a candy thermometer and continue stirring occasionally. Keep stirring until thermometer reaches 300 degrees.
Remove candy from heat once it reaches 300 degrees. Quickly stir in the oil and food coloring.
Immediately pour it onto an oiled cookie sheet.
Pick up the pan and gently tilt it left, right, back, forward to help the candy fill up the pan.
Let candy cool completely and then you can break it into pieces. I usually just use the back of a spoon to crack each section.
Now enjoy your delicious cinnamon candy! See how easy that was?!?!
Christmas Hard Candy Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon or peppermint oil
- 1 tsp either red (for cinnamon) or green (for peppermint) food coloring for cinnamon or green (for peppermint) food coloring
Instructions
- In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook on medium to high heat until candy thermometer reads 300 degrees (hard crack stage), stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in oil and food coloring, keeping face away from mixture as odor is very strong. Immediately pour onto an oiled cookie sheet. Cool and break into pieces. Store in air tight container.
This Christmas cinnamon candy recipe also makes the perfect gifts to hand out to neighbors and friends! Just package it up in a cute gift bag, tie a bow around it and done!
Let me know if you try it and like it! It puts a big smile on my husbands face every year and I hope it will bring a smile to your face!
Check out my other Christmas Recipes:
Don’t forget to pin this recipe for future reference!:
Dumb question. Where can I find cinnamon oil? Thanks for all you do!
Totally not dumb! I buy mine at Michaels Craft Stores. It’s also on Amazon! I linked to it in the post above if that helps!
We made these in both colors tonight – how long does it take for them to cool enough to crack cleanly? We’re still at kind of a taffy state…
It only takes about 30 minutes to an hour to cool and harden. If it stays taffy it might be a sign that they didn’t reach a high enough heat when cooking.