Years ago I knew a magnificent man of God, Mr. J.  Mr. J was patient, kind, loving and just a wonderful man.  He taught me many things like how to shell pecans, how to relax in a hammock, and how to garden.  He even gave me a piece of his land for several years in a row as my own garden when I was 10-13 years old.

I can just imagine him with his wife in heaven, sitting in their old woven chairs, under the shade, right beside God’s garden with their hoes propped up right beside them.  Ah memories.  To say that this man impacted my life is an understatement.

He filled a gap in my life and supplied me with many things – his heart, his home, his wisdom, and goodies! There are two goodies that when I see them or think of them, remind me of him and his warm smile.  Cranapple Jelly and Glass Candy.  I’ve never made jelly, but I’ve been trying my hand at candies lately.

This Christmas, I made 5 batches of this Glass Candy and gave ziplock baggies of it to family and friends.  We actually still have some and every time I see it on my counter, I think of Mr. J.

Through trial and error I can say to use 2 drams (2 teaspoons) of oil flavoring per batch.  I made 3 batches with only one dram each and the last two with 2 drams… the last two were the best – so don’t skimp!

Glass Candy

1 3/4 cups light corn syrup
4 cups sugar
1 cup water
food coloring
2 drams flavored oil

Line a large baking sheet with tin foil and spray with non stick spray and make sure that the flavoring and food coloring is easy to grab – you’ll wanna work quick in the end.

In a large pan add the corn syrup, sugar and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Turn up the heat to high and let it boil without stirring (though I do tend to stir occasionally- I’d rather have crystals on the pot than burn the sugar). You want the temp to reach 300 degrees, but not 310. I keep a cold glass of water by the stove and using a spoon to drop the candy mixture into it to test for hard crack stage. Once at hard crack stage, remove from heat and add food coloring (if wanted) and your flavorings. Mix well and then pour into the baking pan.

When the candy has hardened, break into small pieces and dust with powdered sugar so they don’t stick to each other.

Just a note, I started with a thermometer, but it soon broke. I’ve found that cooking to a hard crack was the answer – just be careful not to caramelize the sugar. Check out this list, it describes the different stages of candy.

Enjoy!!