Homemade DIY Spiked Lollipops Ingredients:
1/4 cup of hard liquor, we used clear rum for half and tequila for the other half
3/4 cup water
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
Splash of flavoring, we used peppermint (optional)
Silicon mats
Candy Thermometer
food coloring of your choice
1. Lay down silicon mats to use to pour the lollipops once they’re ready.
2. Stir together the water, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan until just mixed, then let the mixture come to a boil without stirring it at all. Continue testing with a candy thermometer until it reaches 320 degrees.
3. Once it’s reached 320 degrees, add in the liquor, give it a very quick stir to mix, and then let it reach 310 degrees again.
4. Remove from heat and spoon onto the silicon mat, while quickly making a swirl or two with food coloring dipped on the end of the lollipop stick, then lay the stick in place to cool. (You want to heat the liquor as little as possible so it doesn’t boil out all of the alcohol.)
The mixture should be solid within 10-20 minutes. If it doesn’t completely harden, it didn’t reach hard crack phase, so you will need to adjust to cook it longer.
Easy Melted Jolly Rancher Spiked Lollipops Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of unmelted Jolly Ranchers
1/4 cup of hard liquor
If you’re going for the easy jolly rancher version, all you have to do is unwrap the jolly ranchers and place them in a pan on low/medium heat, let them get to 290 degrees, then add in the liquor, and let warm back to 290-300, then quickly pour onto the silicon mats and insert the lollipop sticks. Let them cool for 10-20 minutes and then you’re all set!
Lollipop Tips:
-If your lollies are too soft, they weren’t cooked long enough
-If they’re cloudy or brown, they were cooked too long
-Be VERY quick with adding your color and sticks
-Don’t double the batch because you won’t have enough time to make all of them anyways