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Sour Candy

Jenni

By Jenni
in Pastry & Baking

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Jenni

Jenni

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You know those excruciatingly sour sweets (candy to you americans!) like Toxic Waste? Well has anyone here made anything similar at home (pref with minimal/no artifical flavourings)? Some of the guys at work really like them and I'm leaving my job soon so would like to make treats for everyone in the office.

Basically they are a boiled sweet that really puckers your mouth with sourness! I still want them to be tasty though (so we may have to sacrifice some of the extreme sourness!). I would really appreciate some advice as I am a total beginner when it comes to sweets.

My Blog: Rice, Spice and Everything Nice

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Lisa Shock

Lisa Shock

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As far as I know, in most cases it's just a mixture of citric acid and sugar that is a coating on the outside of the candy. My local healthy grocery store chain, Sprouts, sells the citric acid in bulk. It seems like it would be pretty easy to make pate de fruits and use the acid/sugar mix as the outer coating.

Have you read eGullet's Kitchen Scale manifesto?

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ChrisZ

ChrisZ

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Yep - all are used in sour candies - citric acid, malic acid and tartaric acid. I've got small amounts of them (and ascorbic acid too) and I'll happily admit that at 100% purity I can't taste a difference but they're all incredibly sour.

I haven't tried making boiled sweets, but I have made sherbet powder by combining citric acid, bicarb soda and icing sugar. It's a common recipe in kids cookbooks! You need equal amounts of the acid powder and bicarb, and double that in sugar. If you want to add colour and flavours, use some of the crystals in packet jelly mixes. As long as you keep it dry, you can use sherbet powder as 'surprise' fillings in marshmallows, cupcakes, chocolates and so on.

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minas6907

minas6907

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Thats interesting you mention that. I saw soda candies that were made with the same mixture, its really cool. I did my best to mimic them at home. I made a batch or hard candy, added red color and raspberry flavor, pulled it a little bit, flattened it into a thick square, then put the citric acid/baking soda/powdered sugar filling in the middle and folded it over, rolled it into a log and started pulling it. I just made little pillow shapes, cutting them with shears, and they came out pretty decent for the first try. You can suck on the candies, but when you bit them you get the fizzy feeling in your mouth.

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dougal

dougal

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UK sourcing note - when you try to buy some Citric Acid, you will have to convince the shop you aren't a drug dealer. Its never on display.

Sainsbury's pharmacy counters might (or might not) have stopped carrying it. But Wilkinsons (taking up the Homebrew torch dropped by Boots) do have it (usually) - but you'll probably have to get it from the help desk.

If you find a convenient source for Malic and Tartaric, it'd be good to share the info!

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

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BadRabbit

BadRabbit

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UK sourcing note - when you try to buy some Citric Acid, you will have to convince the shop you aren't a drug dealer. Its never on display.

Sainsbury's pharmacy counters might (or might not) have stopped carrying it. But Wilkinsons (taking up the Homebrew torch dropped by Boots) do have it (usually) - but you'll probably have to get it from the help desk.

If you find a convenient source for Malic and Tartaric, it'd be good to share the info!

Pardon my ignorance but what illicit activities do people engage in with citric acid?

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Jenni

Jenni

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  • Topic Starter
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UK sourcing note - when you try to buy some Citric Acid, you will have to convince the shop you aren't a drug dealer. Its never on display.

Sainsbury's pharmacy counters might (or might not) have stopped carrying it. But Wilkinsons (taking up the Homebrew torch dropped by Boots) do have it (usually) - but you'll probably have to get it from the help desk.

If you find a convenient source for Malic and Tartaric, it'd be good to share the info!

Hmm, have never had this before. It can be bought very easily in large quantities from Indian and Middle Eastern grocery stores in my area - and it's on display.

My Blog: Rice, Spice and Everything Nice

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dougal

dougal

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Pardon my ignorance but what illicit activities do people engage in with citric acid?

Hmm, have never had this before. It can be bought very easily in large quantities from Indian and Middle Eastern grocery stores in my area - and it's on display.

Its not just me ...

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/12841-citric-acid-for-steriliser

I've just got some from boots. but I had to order it. the pharmacist, who I know which is why she ordered it for me, said that it is no longer much supplied to ordinary punters, because it is commonly used to cut drugs before you inject them!!!!!!!

so those of us with more mundane lives who just want to descale the steriliser have to convince chemists that we aren't addicts....

funny old world

And, amazing as it might be (or not), AmazonUK merchants are selling Malic and Tartaric which I've never seen locally.

Edited by dougal (log)

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

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gap

gap

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UK sourcing note - when you try to buy some Citric Acid, you will have to convince the shop you aren't a drug dealer. Its never on display.

Sainsbury's pharmacy counters might (or might not) have stopped carrying it. But Wilkinsons (taking up the Homebrew torch dropped by Boots) do have it (usually) - but you'll probably have to get it from the help desk.

If you find a convenient source for Malic and Tartaric, it'd be good to share the info!

Wow, citric and tartaric acid are both available in the supermarket here (well, they were when I last bought some)

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