Ribbon candy

 
                                Ribbon Candy
 
 Recipe By     : Country Home 12/95
 Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Candy
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
    3      cups          sugar
    1      cup           light corn syrup
      1/4  cup           water
    6      -8 drops      peppermint oil or cinnamon oil
      1/4  teaspoon      red paste food coloring
      1/4  teaspoon      green paste food coloring
                                         
    2      pairs         white cotton work gloves
 
 Butter 3 shallow baking pans; set aside. Butter sides of 3-qt saucepan.
 In saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, & water. Cook over med.-high
 heat to boiling, stirring constantly with wooden spoon to dissolve
 sugar, about 5 min. Avoid splashing mixture on sides of pan. Carefully
 clip candy thermometer to side of pan. Cook over med. heat, stirring
 occasionally, until thermometer registers 280°, soft-crack stage, about
 20 min. Remove from heat; stir in peppermint or cinnamon oil.
 
 Pour about 2/3s of the mixture into a buttered pan. Pour half of the
 remaining candy into a warm small saucepan. Add red coloring to this
 portion and pour into another buttered pan. Add green coloring to the
 remaining portion in the 3-qt saucepan. Pour in remaining buttered pan.
 
 Let candy cool slightly, 3-5 min. for larger, uncolored portion, 1-2
 min for smaller, red & green portions. As edges cool, lift & fold edges
 to center with metal spatula. (If candy is too warm, it will stick to
 spatula.) When red & green candy can be rolled into balls with spatula,
 they are ready for shaping.
 
 With gloved hands, pull and twist red candy until light in color, 2-3
 min. Shape into 6: rope. Place in 1 of the buttered pans & keep warm in
 200° oven. Repeat with green portion. At the same time, have the 2nd
 person pull uncolored portion until white. Shape into 6" rope.
 
 Place white rope in center of 1 of the buttered baking sheets; place 1
 colored rope on each side of white rope. Press all 3 ropes together to
 form a single flat log. Working quickly, have 1 person stretch 1 end of
 striped candy, log lengthwise, working to other end until ribbon
 narrows to about 1" wide.  Have 2nd person immediately follow 1st
 person & turn ribbon onto 1 edge & fold accordion-style to make ribbon
 shape; break off in 6" lengths. If candy hardens too much, return to
 oven 3-5 min to soften.
 
 Yield: 2 pounds. 
 
 
 
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 NOTES : It takes 2 people to pull & shape this candy; it hardens very
 quickly!