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Rock Candy: Apecial Features and Differences to Normal Sugar

Rock candy is particularly popular with tea drinkers. No wonder – the sugar crystals are perfect for sweetening drinks. But how is rock candy made and what distinguishes it from conventional sugar?

Rock Candy: How it’s made

Rock candy originally came from Persia and India, but today many companies in Europe also produce it. The name Kandis derives from the Arabic word for cane sugar (“quand”). Put simply, candy consists of nothing more than large sugar crystals. In order for these crystals to grow, a highly concentrated cane-based sugar solution is heated in large containers.

Threads stretched in the container prevent the crystallizing sugar from sinking. In addition, the sugar solution is constantly in motion. Only in this way can it flow around the crystals on the threads, which are getting bigger and bigger. It can take up to three weeks for the crystals to reach a size of 18 to 24 millimeters.

For brown rock candy, a cane molasses is added to the sugar solution. The crystals are then heated – the molasses now causes the crystals to caramelize. At the same time, the taste of the sugar changes. In addition, the brown rock candy is often colored with caramel colour.

There are these kinds of rock candy

You can get candy in the store in different colors and shapes. Depending on the production method, it is available in brown or white, for example. Like brown sugar, brown rock candy contains a higher proportion of molasses than white sugars.

Depending on what you want to use the rock candy for, there are different shapes:

Cube rock candy: Cube rock candy are large, individually grown, small crystals that dissolve very slowly in liquid. For example, you can sweeten your tea with the crystals, and you can even use the cubes for several cups. East Frisian tea, for example, is traditionally refined with candy cubes.
Crusty candy: For the irregular pieces of this type of candy, candy slabs that have grown flat are broken up and the broken pieces are sieved off. You can also refine tea with crust candy. The candy tastes particularly delicious in homemade apple punch.
Crumbly candy: For crumbly candy, the white or brown sugar crystals are ground very finely. You can also bake well in this form with candy sugar.

This is what separates rock candy from regular sugar

Unlike normal, fine sugar, rock candy consists of coarser sugar crystals that are only lightly ground in some forms. In addition, brown candy sugar types contain a higher proportion of molasses than white sugar. This is why rock candy tastes more like caramel and gives drinks and pastries a special touch.

However, the coarse sugar crystals are not healthier than normal sugar. Both are double sugars, contain around 400 calories per 100 grams and can damage your teeth in large quantities. The highly concentrated sugar solution required for rock candy is made from the raw juice of the sugar cane, which is additionally filtered and concentrated. Because the candy crystals also take a long time to crystallize completely, the production of this type of sugar is quite energy-intensive. This is also the production of white cane sugar: Here the sugar crystals are dissolved and crystallized again and again.

Tip: Whether you buy rock candy or regular sugar, always make sure that the sugar is organic and unrefined. If you would rather avoid sugar altogether, you can also use various sugar alternatives.

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Make Xylitol Candy Yourself: Sugar-free and Tooth-friendly

Xylitol candies are a great alternative to sugary lozenges: sugar-free, tooth-friendly, and pleasantly minty-sweet. We’ll show you how to make and vary your own xylitol candy.

Xylitol is a sugar substitute that has long been used as a sweetener in chewing gum and toothpaste. According to the AOK, it is particularly suitable for this because it does not cause tooth decay and even protects the teeth from acid-related decalcification. It also contains about half the calories of regular sugar.

So just the right thing for you if you want to snack on your teeth in a way that is gentle on your teeth and low in calories. We’ll show you how to make your own xylitol candies from just two ingredients and how you can vary them.

Tips on ingredients and tools

Xylitol is also often called xylitol or birch sugar. It’s always the same substance, but it’s not exclusively made from birch. For industrial use, xylitol now comes mainly from corn, other types of wood or even straw.
Buy high-quality xylitol: Best fair-grown organic xylitol, like the one from Avocadostore**. This is obtained from corn.
Birch sugar candies are perfect for sucking on after a meal for dessert as they can prevent plaque build-up.
You can vary the taste with essential oils. You can get a good selection of organic essential oils at Avocadostore**. Make sure the oils are edible.
Instead of pouring the candies into a “board” as in the recipe and then breaking them into crystal-like pieces, you can also pour the heated mass into a suitable silicone mold in step four. You can get sweets in all sorts of shapes, such as on Amazon**.
Reusable silicone mats, such as those from Waschbär**, are not only a good alternative to baking paper for xylitol candies. You can use them without fat or oil for baking. Tip: Before you buy such a mat, think about whether the purchase is worthwhile for you. If you’re only going to use them once or a few times, then better borrow one from a friend. You can also use recycled baking paper, for example at Avocadostore**.
Xylitol itself has a virtually unlimited shelf life, but loses its flavor over time. Depending on what you added, your candy should last for several months if you haven’t eaten it by then.

Tooth-friendly xylitol candies: A simple recipe

Ingredients:

100 g xylitol
20 drops of essential oil

Directions:

Melt the xylitol in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the essential oil you want your candies to taste like. Candies without added oils taste just as sweet and fresh as xylitol. Of course, you can also mix the oils according to your taste.

Spread the mixture on sustainable baking paper or an alternative. Make sure you don’t spread it too thinly, otherwise the candies will easily splinter later.

Allow the xylitol mixture to cool for several hours or overnight. Then you can pop them out of the mold or break the board into small bite-sized pieces.

Tips to vary color and taste

Color: When you mix the candy mass, you can add non-toxic and tasteless colorants. We recommend turmeric powder for yellow, currant or rosehip powder for red, or matcha for green. You can get them all at the Avocadostore**. Depending on the powder, they also influence the taste. So make sure these flavors match the oils you use.
Taste: In step three, start mixing with the essential oils and find out what you like. Classic combinations often consist of a citrus component, such as tangerine, and a spicier component, such as cinnamon.

What are the benefits of xylitol?

Xylitol is a so-called sugar alcohol – the body metabolizes it without releasing insulin, so that the birch sugar does not significantly increase blood sugar. This is why xylitol is also a good substitute for sugar for diabetics.

By the way: sugar alcohols have nothing to do with conventional drinking alcohol.

Two other popular benefits of birch sugar: It doesn’t promote tooth decay. Instead, it is even said that it promotes dental health. If you consume xylitol instead of sugar, less plaque should form, it probably slows down the growth of caries bacteria and, according to the AOK, protects the teeth from acid-induced decalcification. Additionally, xylitol has about half the calories of table sugar. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment rates xylitol as an acceptable additive and only points out that excessive consumption can have a laxative effect.

Caution: Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs and other pets. By the way, cats are not included. Be careful not to drop anything that the animals could swallow.

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Homemade Candied Orange Peel: Candy Instead of Rubbish

Candied orange peel is a fruity candy that’s easy to make at home. In this way, the peel of the citrus fruits can still be used in a tasty way instead of ending up in the trash.

Candiing fruit is an easy way to make it last longer. The fruits are cut into cubes or strips and then sugared. Candied ginger, candied apples or candied orange slices are popular sweets.

Instead of using whole orange slices, it is also possible to candy just the peel of the citrus fruit. Candied orange peels have the same fruity taste and at the same time the advantage of reducing unnecessary food waste. This way you can still use the peel of the oranges, which is otherwise considered a waste product.

Important: Be sure to use organic oranges for candied orange peels. They are untreated because organic farming does not use synthetic chemical pesticides. So you can be sure that the orange peel does not contain any unwanted pollutants.

Make candied orange peel yourself: this is how it works

Ingredients:

Peel of 4 organic oranges
400 gsugar
200 g water

Directions:

Thoroughly clean the orange peels. Remove any remaining pulp and use a knife to cut out any damaged areas. Wash the shells under plenty of running water and drain well in a colander.
Cut the orange peel into 5mm wide strips.
Put 200 grams of sugar in a saucepan with the water and bring the mixture to a boil. Let the brew simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the temperature until the water is just slightly simmering.
Add the peel strips to the sugar stock and let them simmer for about ten minutes.
Take the pot off the stove and leave the orange peels in the sugar sauce overnight. Use a small saucepan lid or plate to weigh them down so they are completely covered with the liquid.
The following day, stir another 100 grams of sugar into the brew and let the shells simmer for another ten minutes. After that they have to go overnight again.
On the third day, stir in the last 100 grams of sugar. Let the orange peels simmer in the broth for a third time for ten minutes and then steep overnight.
On the fourth day you can strain the candied orange peel. Use a colander and catch the orange syrup. You can still use it in other ways.
Spread the candied shells out on parchment paper (or a parchment substitute) to dry. Make sure they are spaced enough apart and don’t stick to each other.
The candied orange peels are ready when they are no longer sticky. Until then, they usually have to dry for two to three days. You can then fill them into an airtight screw-top jar for storage.

Candied Orange Peels: Tips and Variations

Stored sealed, the candied orange peels can be kept for several months. You can eat them pure or use them to decorate desserts and drinks, for example.

You can vary the simple basic recipe in different ways:

Instead of orange peel, you can also candy the peel of other citrus fruits and thus save them from the garbage. Try the recipe with grapefruit, lemon or tangerine peels, for example, or mix different varieties.
If necessary, you can replace the sugar in the recipe with a sugar alternative such as birch sugar (xylitol). Then make sure to adjust the amount if necessary. You can exchange xylitol for sugar in a ratio of 1:1 – but this is not the case with all common sugar alternatives.
To refine them, roll the candied orange peels in sugar, for example, while they are still sticky. Or you can cover them with homemade chocolate icing after drying. When buying, look out for Fairtrade chocolate.

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