Instructions
1. Prep Workspace: Although this is an easy process, it does require a little set up. Take wooden spoons (or spatulas with wooden handles) and lay them over the edge of your countertop. We taped ours down, but you can also set something heavy on top and be just fine. Place newspaper or parchment paper on the floor to protect the surface (and save you some cleaning).
2. Prep Ice Bath: Having an ice bath on hand is super important and since you can't take your eyes off the sugar while it's heating, it needs to be made now, before things get all bubbly and brown!
3. Combine Ingredients: In a saucepan over high heat combine ingredients and stir just until sugar is moistened (using a fork). It should only take 5 seconds or so and then put the fork down! No more stirring!
4. Bring To Temperature: Clip on your candy thermometer and bring mixture to 256 degrees fahrenheit. Have a bowl of water and a pastry brush on hand to wipe to the sides of the pot. You'll want to remove and crystallizing sugar around the edges so it doesn't cause the entire pot to seize. It sounds scary, but it's really no big deal, just a few wipes with the brush and you should be set.
5. Remove From Heat: When the mixture comes to 254 degrees, remove it from the heat and transfer the entire pan, straight to the ice bath. In the time it takes for you to move the pan it will have gained it's last 2 degrees. When the thermometer stops climbing, remove from the ice bath and place on a dampened towel or potholder.
6. Spin Baby Spin!: Using a fork (or 3 forks at the same time), dip them into the sugar and then whip them back and forth slowly over the handles of your wooden utensils. Repeat the process until there is enough sugar hanging onto the handles that you can pick it up with your hand. Assuming your sugar was the right temperature, it will still be slightly pliable. If it went a few degrees over (like ours did in the photo above) that's no big deal, but it might break instead of pull, so be prepared with both hands to help transfer it to a piece of parchment or air tight container