On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, there is a tradition of eating apples dipped in honey symbolizing the hope for a sweet New Year. This year I made sparkling Honey Lollipops as Rosh Hashanah gifts for family and friends. The amber apples are enjoyed as candy. The small circle pops double as tea stirrers, adding smooth honey sweetness as they melt into the tea!
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I am not a candy maker. I own a candy thermometer that gets used only for occasional adventurous confectionery endeavors, like tempering chocolate or making maple sugar candy. Before trying these Honey Lollipops, I had never made hard candy . They turned out to be incredibly easy once I had the right recipe.
The internet is full of honey candy recipes with honey as the only ingredient. Perhaps it’s due to some trick I can’t figure out, but though I tried three times, honey by itself burns before it gets hot enough to make hard candy.
Researching a bit of candy making chemistry, I realized the Honey Lollipops would need added glucose to harden. Honey is 40% fructose, 30% glucose, 1% sucrose, 9% bee spit (tmi, I know!). Corn syrup is mostly glucose and flavorless. Honey plus corn syrup has the chemistry, when heated, to avoid crystallizing and produce a golden syrup that hardens into honey flavored candy. With the right recipe, making Honey Lollipops is super easy, and can even be done without a candy thermometer if you don’t have one.
A candy thermometer indicates when the syrup reaches the “hard ball” stage (310˚F) after about 10 minutes of cooking. Dripping a tiny drop of the syrup into cold water will either harden immediately (ready!) or remain soft (keep cooking a bit). When the syrup is at the hard ball stage, it is ready to be poured into molds or free-form shapes on parchment paper.
Sticks are then added. In 10-15 minutes, the Honey Lollipops are hard and not sticky. Pop them out of the molds or peel off the parchment to wrap in plastic and store in an airtight container.
At first, I was only thinking of Rosh Hashanah gifts as I made the Honey Lollipops, but once they were wrapped and glowing like little pieces of amber, I realized that Honey Lollipops are full of gift giving potential.
I can solve all of your holiday gift giving troubles right now! Teachers, friends, and family are sure to appreciate a special mug filled with a variety of tea bags and Honey Lollipop Stirrers!
Chilly weather and winter colds are around the corner.
College student living in dorms or military personnel in barracks have many opportunities to share germs.
A care package of cold remedies would be extra special with throat soothing Honey Lollipops!
For gourmet candy gifts, Honey Lollipops can be molded into a wide variety of shapes. I get my molds for around $2 at a cake supply store. You can also get apple molds from Amazon, if waiting for delivery isn’t an issue.
Even plain circle lollipops morph into specialty treats with a quick dip in melted chocolate and a dash of holiday sprinkles.
Honey Lollipops offer so many possibilities. Be sure to make enough to lick, stir, AND gift!
Note about quantity
This recipe makes the correct amount of syrup for the 4 molds I used. Leftover syrup will harden and cannot be reheated. If you have more molds, you can double the recipe. If you have less molds, make free-form candy on parchment paper with any leftover syrup.
Candy making tools
Honey Lollipops for Licking, Stirring, and Gifting
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Prepare candy molds by spraying lightly with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine ice and water to create an ice water bath and set aside.
- Add sugar to a small saucepan. Carefully pour corn syrup, honey, and 2 tablespoons water on top of the sugar, avoiding splashing or dripping on the sides of the pan.
- Over a medium low heat, bring to a boil, stirring gently without splashing, only until sugar dissolves.
- Boil for about 10 minutes, until a candy thermometer reads 310 degrees. (If not using a candy thermometer, drip a bit of the mixture into the ice water. If it forms a hard candy ball it is ready. If the ball is still soft, cook a few moments longer and repeat.)
- Remove the pan from the heat and immerse the bottom of the pan in the ice water bath for about 20 seconds to stop the cooking. Carefully wipe dry all water from the pan before proceeding.
- Pour syrup into candy molds. Add lollipop sticks and twist the stick so that the tip is coated in syrup.
- Allow to cool and harden at room temperature. The lollipops should be hard, shiny, and ready to pop out of the molds and wrap in plastic in about 15 minutes.
- Store lollipops wrapped individually in plastic (bags or wrap) at room temperature in an airtight container or freezer weight ziplock bag for up to 7 days.
Notes
- Pack individually wrapped lollipops securely in a well padded container.
- If the container itself is not airtight, wrap the container in plastic wrap or enclose in a freezer weight ziplock bag.
- The objective is to keep air and humidity from making the candy sticky.
Nutrition
Claudia
This will be my recipe going forward!
Thank you so much and God Bless♥️
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Claudia. I am delighted that you are so happy with these lollipops! Thanks for the 5 star rating!
Jennifer
Hi there!!!!
Im going to try your recipe, it looks great!!!!
Just a question though….
I’ve made Honey Lollipops before and wrapped them in a small cello baggie, and after about 2 weeks, you couldn’t unwrap the pops without tearing the wrapper, and some of the wrapper was stuck like glue to the lollipop!!!!!!
Have you had this happen to yours?
I even stored them in an airtight container with multiple dessicants and yet this happened!!! maybe the cello is too thin? When I wrapped the pops they were completely perfect! Not tacky at all, and hard as they should be!
Thanks in advance!!!!!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Jennifer. I experienced the same thing as you, which is why the recipe says up to 7 days. It’s the moisture in the air that makes them melt. Sugars are like sponges for moisture even if you don’t think the air is humid! The only thing I can think of is vacuum sealing the cellophane wrapped lollipops, maybe 6 or 12 in a pack. I haven’t tried this but it may be worth a go. Good luck!
Gloria T
They turned out perfect, even at high altitude 7,300 ft. I followed your instructions to the letter. Thanks so much!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Gloria! Wow! I know that candy making and baking can be tricky at high altitude. I’m delighted to hear that your lollipop turned out perfect! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. Enjoy.
Jules Fern
Hi. I bought a glass cooking pot with a small nozzle for easy pouring. Any suggestions on what to use for stirring the syrup? Eg rubber spatula, metal spoon or wooden spoon?
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Jules. Your glass cooking pot sounds so helpful, especially with the pouring spout! I think any non metal utensil would be fine. I’m not sure why candy making instructions say to use a non metal utensil when usually the pot is metal, but those are the instructions I followed for this recipe. I usually use a silicone spatula, but a wooden spoon would work too. Good luck with your candy making!
Whitney
How do you prevent the honey mixture from flowing down to the stick part of the mold?
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Whitney. If you take a look at the photo of my circle lollipops in the mold, you will see that some of mine slowed down to the stick part of the mold too. I have two suggestions. First, it’s a matter of pouring less in the mold. Second, the extra will often break off easily once the candy is hard or just leave it there.
Teresa A. Kesterson
Where in the world can I get the apple shaped mold that you used ? I tried to find them and cannot.
Wendy Sondov
Hi Teresa. I got my molds from a candy and cake store, however they are also available online from candy supply companies and from Amazon (https://amzn.to/3wCy490)
Phyllis Thornton
This was a Pintrest fail. I ordered the molds to make these lollipops for company. They would have been a cute addition to my coffee bar. I made them following the directions exactly. I even had a candy thermometer. They never hardened. They were so soft and sticky I couldn’t even put them in the little bag. I was so disappointed
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Phyllis. I am sorry to hear that your lollipops didn’t harden! I find that candy is tricky and have had my own disappointing failures and which I think can be caused by both too much moisture in the air (never make candy on a rainy day!), the candy being exposed to the air for too long before wrapping, and sometimes the slightest variation in the candy temperature. I always check the accuracy of my thermometer by sticking it in boiling water which should read 212° F.
Linda
I would like to make pomegranate flavored honey lollipops. My daughter buys them to use in her tea and I’d like to try making them at home for her instead. How and when would I add flavoring? Also, why do those honey tea lollipops purchased in the store (Home Goods, TJ Maxx, tea stores) last so long compared to home made?
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Linda. First please note that I removed your last name as you requested. I would try mixing in the flavoring right before pouring, after you remove the cooked syrup from the heat. As far as the shelf life goes, I’m not an expert. However, my guess is that it’s the honey that makes these lollipops go soft. When you make plain homemade lollipops with just sugar and corn syrup, they stay hard for a very long time. It’s likely that the store bought candies have little to no honey in them and instead add honey flavoring to a sugar syrup mixture.