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closeup of a bowl of hard tack candy
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4.81 from 81 votes

Hard Tack Candy

Remember this vintage candy recipe from your childhood? Hard Tack Candy is easier than you think! Make for any holiday.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Setting Time30 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: candy, christmas, old fashioned recipe, vintage
Servings: 20
Calories: 213kcal
Author: Julie Clark

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Line a large baking sheet (at least 12x17") with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Place the sugar, water and corn syrup in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Mix constantly until the sugar melts and the mixture starts to boil. 1.75 pounds granulated sugar, 1 cup water, 1 cup corn syrup
  • Continue to cook and stir. The first time you make this, you may want to keep the heat at medium. Once you are comfortable with the process, feel free to turn up the heat. Just continue to mix gently. Be patient!!! Temperature is everything. This recipe will not work if you take it off the heat too soon.
  • Constantly measure the temperature of the boiling sugar mixture and cook until it reaches 280º Fahrenheit. At this point, add in the food coloring. Add a few drops at a time until it reaches the color you'd like. food coloring
  • Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches 290º Fahrenheit. Don't rush this process! Make sure it hits at least 290º, but up to 295º is ok. Remove the sugar from the heat and stir in the flavored oil. .125 ounces LorAnn Flavoring Oil
  • Immediately pour the hot sugar on the prepared pan. Make sure you don't have a super thick layer or it will be hard to crack apart. Allow the mixture to cool completely (this will take about 30 minutes).
  • Use a meat mallet to crack the candy into pieces.
  • Place the candy pieces into a zippered bag. Add the powdered sugar and shake to coat. 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The candy will keep this way for several months.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving about 20, with 1 serving being 1/20 of a recipe. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 1mg | Sugar: 56g | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.02mg