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You’ll love this homemade candy corn recipe! Candy corn is a popular confection long enjoyed in the US, traditionally around Halloween.
This recipe makes a colourful homemade confection that recreates the taste and appearance of traditional candy corn. Some think it actually tastes better. Now you can get your fill of candy corn all year round. Your family and friends will be amazed that you made it yourself!

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup (golden syrup will do as a substitute)
1/3 cup (2.5oz) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups powdered icing sugar
1/3 cup powdered milk (2.5 oz)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Red and yellow food colouring

In a large pan mix granulated sugar, corn syrup (or golden syrup), and butter. Bring to the boil over high heat while stirring continuously, then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. Remove the mixture from heat and add the vanilla extract.

Mix together the powdered milk, icing sugar, and salt in a separate bowl and add to the mixture in the saucepan, combining thoroughly. Allow the dough mixture to sit until it is cool enough to handle.

Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and place each part in a small mixing bowl. Add orange food colouring to one part (a combination of yellow and red) and yellow food colouring to the second, leaving the remaining part uncoloured or white.

Knead the dough in each bowl until stiff and smooth enough to hold its shape, and the colour is even. (Wearing plastic gloves can help prevent your hands from being stained by the food dye)

Roll each part into a long, thin rope, making each rope of equal length. You may need to use a long counter or tabletop covered with a strip of waxed paper for this. You’ll also need to be careful when rolling as the ropes can easily break if you make them too thin.

When you’re finished, lay the three ropes of dough next to each other with the orange dough in the middle and carefully press them together to make a long, narrow strip. A gentle, light rolling with a rolling pin along the length of the rectangle helps to press the edges together, but be careful not to flatten the dough so the strip stays as narrow as possible, plus you’ll also want the kernels to have a rounded look rather than be flat.

Finally, cut the dough into triangles or "kernels" using a sharp knife and gently shape the kernels with your fingers, if needed. Allow the kernels to sit for a while and become firm.

You should end up with over a pound of home-made candy corn, some with yellow tips and some with the traditional white tips. Kneading the dough and forming the ropes IS time-consuming, but the results are worth it.

And bon appetit! You could leave this lying around in bowls for a Halloween party, if you can bring yourself to share it that is!!

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