Here’s a classic old-fashioned orange candy recipe you can try at home. It’s a simple hard candy with a bright citrus flavor.
Old-Fashioned Orange Candy Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tsp orange extract (or 1 tbsp fresh orange juice for a natural flavor)
- Orange food coloring (optional)
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Equipment:
- Candy thermometer
- Saucepan
- Baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mat
Instructions:
- Prepare your pan: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and lightly dust with powdered sugar if desired.
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water: In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, corn syrup, and water over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
- Boil the mixture: Attach a candy thermometer. Increase heat and bring the mixture to a boil without stirring. Continue cooking until it reaches 300°F (hard crack stage).
- Add flavor and color: Remove from heat immediately. Stir in orange extract (or juice) and food coloring. Be careful—steam may rise.
- Pour and shape: Pour the hot candy onto the prepared baking sheet. Let it sit for a minute, then you can score it with a knife for pieces, or wait until slightly cooled and pull/shape it into sticks or rounds.
- Cool completely: Let the candy harden at room temperature. Once fully set, break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
This recipe makes bright, hard, old-fashioned orange candy just like you’d find in a vintage candy shop.
If you want, I can also give a version that makes chewy orange candies instead of hard ones—they’re softer and melt in your mouth. Do you want that version too?
