Summer vacations are just around the corner and children will have ample time to try different activities and learn new skills. This period of over a month allows children to pursue different endeavours every year. This year parents can teach children some basic cooking skills by making them learn to cook or make something that they like to eat.
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It is a way to make their dormant culinary skills more active and in practice. Candies are one of the favourite treats of children. Many people do not even consider making candies at home and simply choose to buy them from the market. But if you are looking for easy candy recipes that can be made at home then bookmark this article. Here are some candies that you can make with your children this summer vacation.
Also Read: Quiz: This Candy quiz is very handy!
* Rock Candy
Rock candy is not just fun to look at and delicious to eat, but also comes with a scientific tangent. A homemade rock candy is an awesome way of teaching kids the work of science while also making them learn how to make candies at home. To make this candy, one would need filtered water, granulated sugar, some natural food colour, and any flavouring ingredient that they would like to add. The rock candy is made by the process of crystallisation when a skewer is dipped into the warm water and rolled into a plate of granulated sugar. This sugar is coated with some colour and flavouring ingredients and then dried for at least half an hour before being served.
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* Sea Glass Candy
Sea glass candy is not just delicious in terms of taste but also quite interesting visually. It looks like glass and one would need something hard like a hammer to break it into small pieces. It may not look like it, but it is edible. The base of this candy is made from a mixture of corn syrup, sugar, and water. In this mixture, one has to add some food colouring and some food-grade flavour oil. The mixture must be heated to 300°F which will help in reaching the hard crack stage of the candy-making process. Make sure that the temperature is right because any fluctuations in the temperature will not make the accurate sea glass candy.
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* Candy Dots
Candy dots are very intriguing candies that are flavourful and colourful. These candies are made by simply using powdered sugar, egg white, and some flavouring colourful powders. This is a novel candy recipe that only requires the above-stated three ingredients but can keep the kids well entertained for a very long time. After mixing these ingredients one has to keep them inside ziploc bags and then start making dot-shaped candies on a plastic sheet. This is not just a delicious candy but a way to keep children occupied for up to 3 to 4 hours.
* Peppermint Patties
Home-made peppermint patties are simply made from starch and taste exactly like the peppermint patties bought from the market. The filling inside these patties is made from some simple ingredients and the patties are then finally coated with some melted chocolate. It is a no-bake recipe which is why one can make this around the year and is also children-friendly as it requires no heat. One has to make some corn syrup with butter and some sweetened condensed milk. The filling becomes sweet, creamy and very pepperminty in taste. For melted chocolate, one must always use semi-sweet chocolate as powdered sugar is already used in making these candies.
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* Lollipop
What's a better candy than some colourful lollipops that kids can customise as per their choice? One simply has to add some sugar to the water and stir it until it starts thickening. In this sugar mixture, one may also add some cornstarch to make the consistency richer. Now one can add colourful sprinkles and a fruit extract like strawberry or apple to give a nice colour and flavour. This thick syrup can be poured on some sheets in circular shapes after attaching skewers and refrigerating them until they become proper lollipops. Children must make lollipops with the assistance of their parents because the sugar syrup is hot and has to be handled carefully.