Line the baking pan with foil and grease the foil generously with butter or margarine. Place the confectioner’s sugar into a plastic food storage bag. Set the pan and the bag aside.

Combine the granulated sugar, water, corn syrup and food coloring in a large saucepan. Blend the ingredients well. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil.

Cover the pan and cook the mixture for 3 minutes to completely dissolve all of the sugar crystals.

Uncover the pan and turn the heat up to medium-high. Place the thermometer into the rock candy mixture. Cook the rock candy without stirring until the temperature reaches the hard-crack stage at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir the cinnamon oil into the rock candy mixture. Avoid inhaling the vapors because the cinnamon smell will be quite strong. Pour the rock candy mixture into the prepared baking pan immediately. Completely cool the flat rock candy, which will take about an hour.

Use a kitchen mallet or the handle of a butter knife to strike the hardened flat rock candy and break it into pieces. Put the candy into the bag of powdered sugar. Seal the bag, and shake it gently to coat the rock candy with the sugar. Store the finished flat rock candy in an airtight container.

Things You’ll Need:

* 1 Cup – Water
* 2 Cups – Granulated Sugar
* Saucepan
* Spoon
* Empty Glass or Jar
* Lollipop Sticks
* Tape
* Pencil
* String
* Paper Clip
* Food coloring (optional)
* Flavoring or fruit extract (optional)
* Fresh fruit (optional)

Instructions
How It Works

Rock candy is the end result of nucleation, a scientific phase that leads to the creation of, among other things, crystals. What rock candy really is, is the crystallization of a sugar water solution on a surface that is able to collect the crystals – like a piece of string or a thin stick. When the phase is complete, you are left with a pretty cool science project, and a snack made entirely out of sugar!

To get started, heat a cup of water in a saucepan on the stove. When the water is about to simmer, slowly add 2 cups of sugar at ¼ cup at a time, while stirring continuously. Keep adding the sugar until you have dissolved 2 cups completely. If you would like to make colored rock candy, add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture as well.

If you are adding flavored extract, add now and mix well. About 5-10 drops of flavored extract will be enough to create flavored rock candy; if you would like the taste to be very strong, add 15-20 drops to the mixture. You can skip this step if you would prefer “unflavored” rock candy, which is just as tasty as flavored rock candy, in my humble opinion.

If you are using fruit for flavoring, you will need to bring the mixture to a simmer. Drop a few small pieces of fresh-cut fruit into the saucepan, and continue to simmer for 3-5 minutes. You will need to strain the fruit pieces from the mixture using a spoon or a colander before transferring the mixture into a glass.

Carefully pour the sugar water mixture into a clear glass or jar. If you are using a string to make rock candy, first run the string under some water to make it damp, then roll in some granulated sugar – this will help the string collect the sugar crystals. Tie one end of the string to a pencil, and secure a paper clip to the other end. Position the pencil over the mouth of the glass or jar, and drop the string down into the sugar water. The paper clip will help keep the string straight and in place.

If you are using a clean lollipop stick, moisten the stick and roll in some granulated sugar. Tape the stick to the pencil, or use some string to tightly fasten the two together. Place the pencil over the mouth of the glass or jar, and position the stick so that it is completely covered in the sugar water. If your stick is too short, you may need to use a smaller glass or jar.

Over the next few days, you will begin to see crystals forming on the stick or the string. It can take up to a week to make a full-sized rock candy stick or string, but you can remove it sooner if you can’t resist the urge to eat. Recipe yields one serving. Try creating different flavors and colors and setting up multiple jars of the mixture to see the varied results you get!
http://www.ehow.com/how_5116183_make-rock-candy-stick.html#ixzz0w8pRloPH
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