Make delicious suckers using your favorite kool-aid as flavoring! Enjoy that sweet, tangy and tartness of Kool-Aid, now in a candy form! Easy and quick too!
I have a bit a sweet tooth. I love baking goodies, and sugary treats are my favorite, which makes it challenging because I really don’t like my kids to eat a lot of sugar (hypocrite much?).
As a child, we would sometimes make homemade lollipops as a family activity and I remember it fondly. We used a vintage mold set that my mother had, that used to be my grandmother’s.
Years later, when I found similar vintage molds in a thrift shop, I decided to keep the tradition going with my little family.
Growing up we always flavored them with traditional hard candy oil flavorings. Those flavors are pretty good, but they won’t provide a pop of tartness that is a favorite of mine, so Kool-Aid is my go-to for flavoring hard candy!
Using Kool-Aid to flavor lollipops requires a bit of extra care, but the final product is absolutely delicious!
KOOL-AID LOLLIPOPS RECIPE
You start by making simple hard candy, then add your favorite flavor of Kool-Aid! Using Kool-Aid makes your flavor options almost endless.
Next, you pour the molten candy into cute vintage-style molds. I have been using an actual aluminum vintage set I thrifted, however, I recently found this modern stainless steel mold set. Stainless steel brings these molds to the next level because they hold their shape perfectly (the vintage ones tend to bend easily) which created a perfectly shaped lollies every time. Plus it makes it easier to pop out your cooled suckers when they are done.
We also tried something different and fun by making candy apple suckers! To do this, we softened some caramels in the oven before adding the liquid candy. They turned out delicious!
Because the caramels are soft, we found we needed to place the suckers in the fridge to fully harden the caramels so we could remove the molds easier.
Kool Aid Lollipops
Simple lollipops will wow anyone when flavored with delicous Kool-Aid!
Ingredients
- 1 C Sugar
- 1/3 C Karo Syrup or Honey
- 1/2 C Water
- 1 Packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid (any flavor)
- Candy Thermometer
- Lollipop Molds
- Lollipop Sticks
- Lillipop Bags (optional)
Instructions
1. Prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper. Set out sucker molds with clamps and stick inserted. Set aside.
2. Mix sugar, syrup/honey and water in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved, and making sure to not let it boil until all sugar is dissolved. (At this stage, you can scrape sides of pan to mix in any sugar crystals. Make sure to do this only before mixture starts boiling.)
3. Keep heat on Medium and bring to a boil. DO NOT stirr it once it has started boiling, and DO NOT scrape the sides of the pot. Candy is very temperamental and the whole batch can crystalize if undissolved sugar from the side mixes in. It doesn’t need to be stirred, so once it starts boiling, you can leave it alone. Heat until it reaches hard crack stage, or 280-300 degrees. The last 50 degress come quick, so keep an eye on it.
4. Removed from heat and stir for about 2 minutes. The mixture should stop foaming/bubbling. (Do not skip this step, your kool-aid powder will burn if you don't stir and let your candy cool.)
5. After stirring for 2 minutes, you can add Kool-Aid packet. Stir quickly and work as the mixture will cool and harden quickly. Pour candy into your prepared molds. Make sure the sticks are submerged in the liquid candy.
Let cool, and enjoy!
Notes
Notes:
You can make caramel apple lollies by using green apple Kool-aid and Werthers Soft Caramels.
To do this, prepare sheet and molds, but put a caramel in each mold. Warm the molds/caramels in a warm oven until caramels begin to soften and lose their shape (watch it carefully!).
Set on the counter and when your candy is done, pour over the molds with caramel. To make sure they pop out easier, you will want to place them in the fridge so the caramel hardens before removing molds.
xoxo,
Those look so good, looks like I have one more thing on the To-Do list for tonight!
I’m not sure if I overcooked it. The mixture was so thick I could barely get the koolaid stirred in, and it was really hard to get out of the pot and into the molds. I had to press the quickly hardening mixture into the molds. The candies did set up well and taste great, but a lot was wasted because it hardened in the pot. I did not use a thermometer (never had much luck with them), I dropped it in cold water until hardball stage. Should I maybe have cooked it less time?
It should be hardball stage, but it should still pour like maple syrup. It sounds like you over-cooked it. Even hard-crack stage will still be liquid enough to pour. A candy thermometer is super helpful here, for sure!
Also, the candy thermometer works to help with the koolaid, if the candy is too hot, it can burn the koolaid when you mix it in and your candies will taste bitter and burned.
We did this in prison using a microwave and just guessing when its cool enough made rose stems with joly rancher roses alot
I was looking for some valentines cookies and saw your molds. this is sooo cute but as i look really good at the tinfoil and the cookie sheet I still don’t see what is going to stop the syrup from running out from underneath but I will give it a try. You say to cool down first. After I take them off the stove it said to stir them but before you said stirring would mess them up. After I remove from stove and temp is down and I pour syrup in molds how long before I can remove molds?. if I put in refrig. would they cool quicker? Also could I use these molds for chocolate as well as lolly pops? One more thing, How did you make the Red ones with the little (I love you ) in there? Thank you soo much
The syrup will run out if you don’t let it cool and get thick first. You can stir once you are done cooking it, if you stir while you are cooking it, undissolved sugar crystals can mix in and crystallize the whole mix. You can remove the molds once the lollies are hardened, and yes, the cold fridge will make them cool off faster. I have never used them for chocolate, but I don’t see why not. The heart I put in while the syrup was still liquid.
how long would you harden them?
You boil the mixture until it reaches 280 degrees, it will harden when it’s cool.
I was wondering, do they keep well? My sons party is 3 weeks away and I want to make these asap! Hehe..
Yes! If you make sure you cook them to the correct temp (hard tack), they will keep just fine.
Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this!! Going to try to make them tonight! :)
I was wondering how many lollipops this recipe will make.
It depends on your mold size and how full you fill them but I usually get about 15-18.
Those are great! Pinning this for future reference. Found you through Bloggy Moms.
Thanks! And thanks for stopping by, have a great day!
You have been featured in my Love is in the Air valentine’s Day Round Up!
http://ow.ly/hamou
Thanks so much, J.Rae!
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! What a darling idea. I would never have thought to do something like this. I wish so bad we were aloud to bring home-made treats to school these days – these would be a win for sure!
Thanks! That’s too bad, they are yummy and easy :) Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
Many schools will let you make them on the premises. You just have to set something up
Those lollipops are adorable! What a great idea!
Cheers
Christina
Thank you, Christina!
These look AMAZING! Thanks for sharing :). I see you are attending the build your blog convention next month..I’ll be there too!
Enjoy your day!
http://rubytiaradiaries.blogspot.com
P.S. Now following!
Thank you! And thanks for visiting! Hopefully I will see you there :)
Oh my heck!!! Those are too cute! I just might have to make some for my family!!
Thanks Jourdan! I hope you do, they are fun and yummy! :)
They look yummy! Thanks for sharing @ Submarine Sunday!
Thank you, and thanks for hosting!