Sunday, December 2, 2012

Frangelicos Lollipops (Merry Holidays!)

I wanted to make some stuff that was vegan friendly and easy / relatively cheap to send out to friends for the holidays.

I found this amazing recipe from Leite's Culinaria for liquor lollipops.

I decided that if the sugar I use is vegan-friendly, and the liquor I use is as well, then my vegan buddies will be thoroughly gifted for the holidays.

Recipe!

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon hard liquor, such as bourbon, tequila, or rum
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon food coloring of your choice (optional)
When deciding on what liquor to use, I wanted to choose something holiday-y, but vegan friendly. So bailey's was out of the question. As was pumpkin creme liqueur.
But...according to barnivore.com, Frangelico's is definitely vegan friendly! Hooray! 

And hazelnut liqueur is kinda holiday-y, right? I hope so.
So now, you got your instructions:

1. Mix together 1/4 cup of the liquor, and the water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a 1- or 2-quart saucepan until all of the sugar is wet. If sugar crystals cling to the sides of the pan, dissolve them away with a wet pastry brush.


2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally and gently with a heatproof spatula until all of the sugar is dissolved. Then boil to 300°F (149°C) without stirring.




I'd like to take a moment to interject and tell ya'll just how fucked up my lollipop making experience was.

A) My candy thermometer wouldn't go past 240. I got confused. Suddenly the syrup was BURNING. I threw that batch away.
B) Second round, I just fucking ignored my thermometer because that bitch is a liar. I did everything totally fine and stuff, but the lollipops weren't quite hard enough. I was so scared of burning them that they were just a litttttttttttle too soft.
C) I poured the remaining syrup I didn't use out into the sink. I tripped on myself (like the dumbass I am) and got it all over my hand. Much screaming, crying, and burning ensued. 

FUCK THIS LOLLIPOP-CREATING NONSENSE, IT IS EVIL AND DESTRUCTIVE.

And we continue....

3. Remove from the heat, and, working quickly, mix in the remaining 1 teaspoon liquor and food coloring, if using. Still working with haste, drop the syrup into either lollipop molds or onto a silicone mat.

Since I was using a silicone mat....

4. Quickly drop the syrup onto the silicone mat so that it forms 2-inch disks and immediately after plopping the syrup on the sheets place a lollipop stick in the center of each disk and twist it 180 degrees so that it’s fully covered in syrup. Let cool completely.




RATINGS:

Deliciousness: 4/5
Only 4 points because I didn't get them hard enough! Still lollipops, but they stick to your teeth if you suck on them for too long. Other than that, the Frangelico's gives it a lovely taste. :D
Ease of Preparation: 1/5
A nightmare from hell. Fuck this lollipop shit.
Prettiness: 4/5
They're little lollipops! 

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