Pineapple Drops

Pineapple juice makes this hard candy taste like honey, and with a tiny cube mold making lots is easy!

If you could believe it, I used to be deathly afraid of boiling sugar. Like my (still unresolved) fear of hot oil, I was burned by molten sugar syrup when I was younger, and avoidance seemed like the best tactic. Of course, now that I've been making and canning other splattery things like jam, I have developed more or less asbestos hands and while I can't say I've escaped unscathed I do know how to be a bit smarter about the substance! 

In possession of a can of pineapple juice (left over from stir fry night), I decided to see if I could somehow convert it into a candy. I had a feeling that gummies would be out due to their gelatin base, but I wondered if hard candy would work. Well, I can safely say it does - and while the finished candy tastes nothing like pineapple, it does taste like the most divine honey in solid form! It's a good thing I picked up a tiny silicone ice cube mould for this recipe, otherwise they would be taking up permanent residence around my waist!

Pineapple Drops
Makes ~2 lbs, 64 (1/2 oz) servings
4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
¼ cup (3 oz dry weight) corn syrup
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan (this one’s a foamer) and place over medium heat.
2. Insert a candy thermometer, bring to a boil and cook until temperature reaches 300F.
3. Remove from heat and pour into hard candy moulds (I used silicone for easy removal).
4. Cool completely.
5. Dust with icing sugar and store in a single layer in an airtight container up to 1 month.