Sugar Free Hard Candies

Candies have been eaten for nearly 350 years, although earlier they did not have hooks or sticks at the end of the candy. They were more like a simple and single colored sugar stick. People diagnosed with diabetes, and others on special sugar-free diets always feel guilty about munching on these yummies. But with the following delicious sugar free hard candy recipes, one can eat them endlessly!

Sugar Free Hard Candy
Ingredients:

• Maltitol, 1 cup
• Sugar-free syrup, 1½ cup
• Candy flavoring oil, ½ tsp
• Food coloring

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan heat Maltitol and sugar free syrup, and bring it to a boil. Insert a candy thermometer into the boiling syrup, until it reaches 300°C. While doing so, make sure the thermometer does not touch the bottom of the saucepan. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat. When the syrup stops bubbling, add the flavoring oil and food coloring to it, and immediately pour the candy syrup into the greased candy molds. Use a funnel for small molds. Let the candy cool completely before removing them from the molds. Wrap candy individually in foil or plastic wrappers and store in airtight containers.

Peppermint Brittle Candy
Ingredients:

• Low-cal milk chocolate, 1 pound
• Chopped nuts, 1 cup
• Broken bite-size peppermint hard candy, 1 package

In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and add the broken peppermint pieces and the nuts. Line a cookie sheet with a piece of foil and grease it. Pour the candy into the foil sheet. Once the candy has cooled, remove the foil and cut break the candy into pieces in the shape you desire.

Hard Candy Cane
Ingredients:

• Maltitol, 2 cups
• Light corn syrup, ½ cup
• Cream of tartar, ¼ tsp
• Water, ½ cup
• Peppermint extract, ¾ tsp
• Food coloring, 10 drops

Mix Maltitol, corn syrup, tartar cream and water in a large, heavy-bottomed kettle, and stir well. Insert a candy thermometer into the mixture and continue cooking until the solution reaches 265°C. As soon as the correct temperature has been reached, add the peppermint extract and divide the contents into two equal halves. Add the food coloring to one pot only and allow both the pots to cool. Grease your hands with butter, and using a rubber spatula, remove enough mixture to form one colored and one white coil, until you have a thin, four-inch strip of glossy coil. Place the two colors side by side and inter-coil them, twisting three or four times. One can design the candy with the symbolic hook on the end of the candy cane or leave it straight.

Eating colorful and different shaped candies can bring loads of happiness to children and adults alike. These sugar free candy recipes will let you enjoy the sugary candy without the ill effects of consuming too much sugar.