Anise Hard Rock Candy

Around Christmas time when I was young I remember my mother braking a pan of hard red candy with a mallet into little shards of white powdered deliciousness.  Anise candy is a quick and simple desert for the holidays.  This candy, with little ingredients, can be made in bulk.

Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 3/4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
• 1 cup of water
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon oil (can use any flavoring oil)  
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring

Prep time: 15 min.

Cook time: 45 min.

First get all of your ingredients together to make sure you don't have to run to the store.  Next, find a medium sized pan and cover and roll the edges of the pan with 2 16 in. square pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil. Make sure to sprinkle the foil very generously with confectioners' sugar.

In a large heavy saucepan or dutch oven and combine the white sugar, corn syrup, and water. Then heat over medium high, stir it constantly until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, and boil until a candy thermometer reads 300 to 310 degrees F.  If you don't have a candy thermometer than fill a cup with cold water and then to check if the candy is done you drop a little bit of the boiling candy into it and if it hardens as soon as it gets into the water than it is done.  Note: We cut the ingredients in half and boiled till the candy thermometer read 280 degrees F to make a smaller batch.  Ours served at least 24 people but it normally serves 48.

Finally, stir in the cinnamon oil (we used cherry but you can also use almond oil or actual anise oil) and food coloring.  Pour the finished product into the foiled pan and allow it to cool and harden.

Wait for the candy to harden for at least 2 hours and then sprinkle more confectioners' sugar over the hard candy.  Then, brake the candy with mallet into little shards.  Note: store the pieces into an airtight container.