“They’re a kind of Muggle sweet I’m rather fond of.” – Albus Dumbledore.
When life gives you lemons (I’m talking to you, Yolanda)… you mix them with vodka, or make candy out of them! For this post, we will focus on the candy. We’ll save the drinks for another day, when some most of us have given up on our New Year‘s resolutions. I can remember eating so many lemon candies when I was younger that my tongue would start to burn. I would, of course, keep eating them anyway. I am a citrus fanatic. Generally when it is mixed with tons of sugar. That perfect mix of sweet and sour in candy… Yes!
After you finish reading (and sharing!) this post, you will be able to sneak as many of these bad boys as you can fit into your (and your child’s) pockets into the movies anytime you want!
There are a few well-known versions of lemon drop candies. Most famously the smooth on the outside, slightly-chewy on the inside version and the sugar-coated confection. I am partial to the more coarse, sugar-coated version.
Sugar work can be very rewarding. Some of the results that sugar artists create are exactly that– art. While I won’t be creating a 6-ft tall sugar replica of the Nashville skyline anytime soon, I do enjoy the basics like this hard candy recipe.
While the words ‘sugar work’ may send sour chills down your spine with anxiety, but with the right tools and basic knowledge, it becomes simple science! [I’m allowed to say that, as a Scientist.] Making candy is all about cooking the sugar. As you cook the sugar longer, you reduce the amount of water in the solution. This results in a harder product. Those more experienced in candy-making than I am may tell you that they cook their sugar base to the desired phase (soft ball, hard ball, soft crack, hard crack, etc.) by testing a drop in water to see what phase results. I am more comfortable with a good ol’ $10 bulb kitchen candy thermometer like my momma always used. I don’t even go digital with this. Old-school all the way. Never fails!
Once you have your stations ready (because I know you are preparing properly, right?), start cooking your sugar, water and cream of tartar. Let’s pause for a minute and discuss why we are including something that sounds like a condensed soup in our candy-making blend. When you melt granulated sugar, it will cool into a mixture of crystals, making your candy gritty and terrible. Cream of tartar, or potassium bitartrate, acts as a catalyst in the re-organization of the sugar crystals. Ta-da! Smooth sugar. <Michael Jackson dance in kitchen>
Once you have your sugar at hard crack phase (300 F), you will immediately remove it from the heat and pour it on the marble/silicone mat/oiled parchment lined baking sheet to work in the lemon essence, citric acid and coloring. Citric acid can be found in the canning area of most major grocers, as it is commonly used as a preservative. If your sugar is brown, you’ve gone too far with the temperature. You are in caramel land and there is no turning back. Do not pass go. You must start over. Use a buttered/oiled spatula to work in these ingredients. The candy will cool quickly. When cool enough to handle, you will mold the sugar into a rope of sugary amazingness. Using oiled kitchen shears, cut the rope into pieces into a pan of sugar. I have found that super-fine granulated sugar is my favorite coating. Super-fine sugar is available commercially, but I just throw some granulated sugar into my food processor and make my own. Powdered sugar also works great if you want a more smooth exterior.
Sift away the excess sugar and let the candies cool completely. That’s it! Make a couple batches and give some to a friend. They’ll love you forever.
- 1 cup sugar, granulated
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 teaspoons citric acid
- yellow gel food coloring
- super-fine (granulated sugar in food processor), powdered or granulated sugar, to coat
- Prepare work stations-- sauce-pan, silicone mat/marble/oiled parchment paper on sheet pan, oiled/buttered kitchen shears, oiled/buttered spatula, pan of coating sugar. Have ingredients all measured and ready to incorporate before starting. Sugar isn't very forgiving!
- Heat sugar, water and cream of tartar (prevents crystallization) in stainless steel or copper saucepan over medium/medium-high heat.
- Heat to exactly 300 deg F, using a candy thermometer to verify temperature.
- At 300, immediately remove pan from heat and pour to silicone mat or marble surface.
- Mix in lemon extract, citric acid and a small amount of gel coloring. Incorporate with oiled spatula.
- When cool enough to handle (this will happen quickly), form into rope.
- Using oiled kitchen shears, cut rope into individual pieces. Let fall into pan of coating sugar. This prevents the pieces from sticking to each other.
- Sift excess sugar and allow candy to cool completely. It will harden after some time.
- Come back to SouthernFATTY.com and let us know how it went!
What sweet candy favorites do you have from growing up? Leave a comment below or Tweet and let us know!
Yep so I tried the recipe without cream of tartar and I opted out the yellow food coloring and I didn’t even use a candy thermometer. I used regular sugar as a coating and then I rolled them into little lemon shapes and they turned out great.
That’s great! Enjoy —
-Phillip
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Greetings from Colombia! Managed to do these bad boys (a little extra lemon) and I loved them. I kinda flunked in using the parchment method, but all in all, I had good results! I loved them, and I’m planning on doing more. Any heads up on using the parchment paper? And if I get the silicone mat, any caution? Should I grease the mat or should it prevents the candy from sticking by itself?
Parchment just doesn’t do all that well with blazing hot sugar. The silicone mats do pretty well on their own (I like these), but you can put a tiny bit of oil on them if you want a bit more time to play with it.
Thank you so much!
Sure!
-Phillip
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Great recipe, great technique! I doubled the extract on my second batch because I like the super lemony flavor and I’m using homemade extract.
Great! Happy to hear it
I can’t wait to try to make these for the students. I want them to be able to enjoy this treat while we’re reading Harry Potter. My side note is that the quote for Dumbledore has a homonym in it that is incorrect. Instead of “there”, it’s actually “they’re”. I hope this helps Dumbledore sound more like the wise old wizard that he is! 😉
Love that! Thanks for pointing out my homophone of a homonym mistake. Hah… All fixed!
Enjoy them.
My son, who loves to bake, requested citric acid for his birthday. (He’s a sour candy fan!) When he got it, he needed something to do with it. We were happy to find this recipe and were happy when they were easy to make and turned out great!
Awww! I love that! I was totally that kid hah – Glad it worked out well. Tell him happy birthday for me.
Rose flavored little hard candies shaped much like lemon drops. I made them using your recipe omitting the citric acid, they are fabulous!!! Everyone who has tried these, love them! Thanks for the recipe!
That sounds wonderful!
I made these lemon drop candies and entered them in the county fair. They won grand champion.
That’s great! So glad they worked out well.
I can’t find liquid citric acid where I live. Is there anything I can use to substitute? Or any way I can use the powdered variety?
The powder is actually what I am using here. Just be sure it is added after it cools some or it will burn. I explain that a bit in the post above. Enjoy!
Could you make a chilli based candy by using hot sauce or chilli oil rather than lemon essence?
Sure you could! That’s a great idea. I would be sure to incorporate the chili oil after it has been removed from the heat for a bit. Essences and oils tend to burn easily at the high temperatures of the sugar required in this recipe.
I really want to try this recipe since I cannot find a store bought candy that isn’t without ingredients I don’t want or isn’t outrageously priced (organic – and none I have found contain cream of tarter nor citric acid). Thing is, I would be making it for someone undergoing chemo. Lemon drops are suggested to combat a metallic taste and a dry mouth the meds cause. Chemo can also cause mouth sores. I was excited when I found your recipe, but then scared off when I read where you said you ate so many as a kid your tongue became sore which was echoed by someone else who left a comment. How many did you eat?! 🙂 I am concerned that the citric acid may increase the risk of sores. Do you think a quarter of the acid would be enough to give a bit of tartness or a nice lemon flavor replacing the water with juiced lemons? I would just go ahead a try it, but I really don’t want to waste the beautiful organic lemons I have on hand. Thanks!
That’s a great idea! I actually work in a cancer center as a researcher, and am very familiar with that situation. You can certainly cut down the citric acid as much as you’d like. Even just in half for this would probably be enough, I think. Be cautious if you decide that you want to replace the water with some lemon juice. It will burn quickly. You would need to cook the sugar with some of the water and then remove after it reaches the temperature and mix in the lemon juice after it has cooled quite a bit, but is still warm enough to mix. I would recommend using a good quality extract as the recipe states, but I think it can be done with some attention. — Let me know how it goes!
Should it take a long time to reach 300? It seems to get stuck at 230 / 240
It can take a while, yes. You may not have your heat up high enough, as each oven is different. I would turn it up a bit and just keep an eye on it. Once it gets over the temperature hump, it will move quickly to the required temperature.
What is a good way of cutting it into lemon without it just cracking?
What do you mean by cutting it into lemon?
My 11 year old son and I made these today and they turned out great! Thanks for all the helpful details! As candy making neophytes, we needed the directions !
So happy to hear that! These are incredibly simple, but soooo soo good.
Why put a photo of real lemons if you use extract? I thought I finally found a recipe that uses real juice. 🙁
I put lemons in the photos because the candy is lemon flavored. You could try to juice a lemon and add water to bring it up to the full full half cup, but I’m not sure it will work.
I tried juicing a real lemon and then adding water until it was half a cup, recipe burned before it reached “hard crack” what a waste of a good lemon!
That is precisely why extract is used in this recipe. It is not adapted for fruit juice. You would have to add real juice (preferably concentrated and filtered) after the sugar has been removed from heat and cooled slightly.
Fantastic recipe and easy to follow. We’ve already made a few batches and switched to orange extract for orange sours. This lemon drop recipe is the real deal taking me back to my childhood with lemon drops and eating too many withe. A sore tongue! This is a keeper and I’m completely appreciative you shared this recipe for all to enjoy. Thanks for this and everything you do!
That’s awesome! Love making hard candy / doing sugar work. Very rewarding.
So I decided to make this tonight and the temp using a candy thermometer, the temp was only at 285 and turned brown. Does it matter that I added the citric acid with everything else? Planned on cracking it like hard tack, so the whole kneeding thing wouldn’t be needing.
My very first guess would be that your stovetop heats somewhat unevenly. This is a very common problem with household ovens. I would suggest watching what part of your pan starts to bubble first and plant the thermometer there. I bet you will find a big difference in temp, and can get it off at the right time. Good luck!
Also… you cannot add citric acid while it is heating. I talk a bit about this in the post, but it will burn. If you added it when you were cooking and before you cooled it a bit, it will most certainly burn.
Hi I’m wondering how much this recipe makes? For instance the molds I’m using hold 8g’s/0.29oz’s so I’d like to figure out if I need to double or triple the recipe to make 54 candies. Thanks for your time.
This recipe makes each candy that is about 4-6 grams a piece. To play it safe, you may want to double the recipe.
Let me know how it goes!
Trying this right now with lemon and a second batch with root beer flavoring. Never made hard candies without corn syrup or with cream of tartar so this will be interesting
Let me know how it goes!
Do you think you could do this without citric acid?
Do you think you could do this without citric acid? Citric acid seems to cause cancer sores for my daughter.
Sure you can. But, the candy won’t have any tartness to it.
Awesome! I meant to say canker not cancer. I am going to use colloidal silver instead of the water so we can have them for colds.
Turned out wonderful, even without the citric acid. The kids and I love it. Now I am making a batch with root beer extract. Thanks for sharing.
Do you have a video of you making this? I am just learning how to make candy and for me the directions are a bit vague. Also is there a process to use silicon molds like non stick spray or something else??? Thank you in advance!
Unfortunately, I don’t have any video content for this. I’m happy to help try and explain any steps you are confused about.
It sounds harder than it is. IDK if cream of tartar makes a difference but I tell my friends that the key is to not stir. Once you have everything mixed in, dissolved and boiling, just set your thermometer in and watch your pan to make sure nothing boils over. Play some tunes get the other stuff ready that you forgot to prep before starting. If you have your heat on medium to medium low it will take between 20 and 30 minutes for the hard crack stage (300 degrees) hope this helps.
Oh it does thank you!
No problem, and yes you can just pour them into molds IDK how to post a photo from my phone here but I use The Star Wars silicone molds from Vibrant Kitchen and they just pop right out! Easy cleanup. And Han Solo trapped in carbonite in a candy or chocolate form just seems right! Also anything stuck to the pan can either be reheated to warm back up to a pourable state or you can use hot water and the sugar will just dissolve (unless you burnt your sugar because you stirred it too much!).
Silicone molds do works beautifully if you want to shape the sugar. The cream of tartar isn’t required, but helps with stability. I would highly recommend it if you want a bit more leniency (good for starting out in candy making). It helps the process of creating invert sugars (basically what happens when boiling it – turning sugar into glucose and fructose both — which is what you want to happen). Thanks for the tips!
These were great! I had to keep putting them in a warm oven to soften up as I rolled the little pieces into balls, but they turned out great after that 🙂
That’s great to hear!
So these were outstanding. Directions were great, I can see some people thinking they are too sour but they were perfect for us. Did two batches yesterday, the first one was all over the place, literally(ha), when I poured it out but the second time I had a much better handle on it. I will be making these again, it will be hard to keep them in house! Assuming we can stay out of them, how long do you think they would last?
Great! It definitely does take a bit of practice to work with hot sugar. I’ve kept these for a long time. I usually put them in a mason jar to keep it away from more moisture. Makes for a good gift, too. Just toss some extra sugar in the jar and lightly shake it a bit so they don’t stick together.
How soft are these? If you make them at a low heat (200-250) will they be softer? I’m looking for a firm chew, not a hard candy
These are hard candies. The exact temperature of the sugar mixture is critical to getting the correct finished texture and stage of candy. If you want to attempt it in a softer version, I would recommend trying ‘hard ball’ stage. This would keep the shape but not crack. You would heat to 260F. Good luck!
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Are these really sour? My grandma likes them sour and I thought of making them for her 80th. If not, please can recommend how to make them sour?
They are sour. The citric acid in the recipe is for exactly that. You can find it with canning items at most groceries. Enjoy!
Thanks for getting back so quickly! Is citric acid normally associated with altering wine ph levels? I’ve had a look on some online shops and that’s what comes up. Need to make sure it’s the right thing !:)
Citric acid should be citric acid. I would imagine that the type used in wine would be exactly the same. I use THIS one.
What is this – “cream of tartar” in my country we do not have this ingridients. how can I replace it?
It’s just a stabilizer. You should be able to make it without it. Enjoy!
Glad it worked out! Usually premature browning of the sugar means you are either heating unevenly on a coil-type burner or have a faulty or out-of-calibration candy thermometer. Could give it a go with a new thermometer. (THIS is the one I use.) Try moving it to different places on the pan if you have a coil burner.
Enjoy!
🙁 My sugar started to go golden around 250F and was DARK brown at 300F.
The only way that should ever happen is if your thermometer is faulty or out of calibration. I would give it a go with a new one. (THIS is the one I use. Good luck!
This is the best lemon drop recipe. But double the lemon extract. Can be doubled or quadrupled easily. Just move fast so it doesn’t harden.
Also use bakers sugar
Glad you enjoyed it!
I am very fond of lemon sweets! These bright drops of sunshine are just the weekend project this citrus lover craves!
Thanks, Deb! Hope you enjoy!
I made the lemon candies per the recipe and Whoa were they ever strong! Lol. Too much for me, so I cut the citric acid down to 1 tsp, and added one more tsp to the sugar coating. Worked out well that way! Also made this recipe using raspberry extract, and the kids àre going nuts for it 🙂 Making orange later on.
Uh oh! It seems they turn out differently for people. Sometimes perfect, sometimes not so much. Guess the type and brand of ingredients may have a part in that. Glad you got it sorted and the kids enjoy ’em!
Sounds wonderful, can’t wait to try! Is there a recipe out there for French Creams? These were a Christmas favorite as a kid and I would love to try to make them. I had years ago for a recipe for a melt away wafer that is similar but not sure if I could find it again and it was quite a bit softer than the French Creams.
Thanks, Deb! I’ve never tried to make my own French Creams. Great idea, though! I’ll add it to my list to try to master and get posted.
Hi, The lemon candy is great, I tried it using other flavoring oils and they taste great but when I put it in a jar they all melted to the bottom in one clump can you please advise why this happened.
Glad the taste was there! What other flavors did you try? I’m about to do some blood orange flavored ones (Subscribe to the blog updates to see the next post with blood oranges this week).
What you are describing almost always is the result of cooking the sugar to the incorrect temperature. The get that hardness, you have to be sure the sugar reaches between 300-310 F before removing it from the heat. My guess is that your batch ended up only reaching something in the “firm ball” phase. I’ve had thermometers go bad before and read like it has reached a higher temperature, but when I checked with another it was wrong. Maybe consider a new one if you are sure it showed 300 F when you removed it. I really prefer the block-type, as opposed to the bulb style. The one I prefer can be found by clicking here. Also, be sure the candies have cooled completely before you put them in a jar.
Hope that helps! Let me know how the next batch goes.
-Phillip
Also be careful to calibrate your candy thermometer to your elevation of its different from where your thermometer was manufactured. If they made your thermometer at sea level in San Fransisco, but you live in Denver where the boiling point of water is 10-12° lower, ensure accuracy by measuring the boiling temp of plain boiling water at your altitude, mark it, and do the math from there!
Good point!
oh thank you for that altitude note. I live in Denver, never would’ve thought of that pt.
Can I use regular food coloring if I don’t have gel?
It should be ok. The gel is just a different base solution that I found to incorporate more easily. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.
Do you need to spray the silicone mat with cooking spray/oil before placing the sugar liquid on it?
Nope! Just dump it right on. Just be careful with what you use to mix it. Nothing sharp that will cut the silicone.
If I were to use real lemon juice instead of the citric acid/lemon extract combination, what would the measurement be for that?
Real lemon juice may not have the concentrated kick that extract allows for. A few people have said that they have planned to try juice, but I’m not sure what they results were. I would give it a go with a lemon or two worth. My concern would be the addition of too much liquid to the sugar changing the texture. Excluding the citric acid would leave you with a much different flavor. If you want the tartness, you’ll need it. Good without still, I’m sure. Let me know how it goes!
I actually just made some a couple of minutes ago. I just replaced the water with the lemon juice 1:1 with the rest of the recipe the same and they taste just like the old-school lemon drops. I’ll admit, that I haven’t waited for them to cool completely so the final texture might be a little different, but they’re still pretty good. Lemon candies are the best!
That’s great! So glad they turned out well. Save a few for me 🙂
I just made these last night, and oh my goodness, they are amazing! Just like I remember as a kid. I decided to chance it and add the color/flavor/acid to the pot after turning off the heat and cooling half a minute, and it turned out fine. Thank you so much for the recipe! I foresee so many variations…
So glad to hear it! I would love to try some different variations in the future. So far, I’ve only done a few expected ones. Let me know if you find anything fun. Enjoy!
Thank you for responding. I was asking about adding flavorings etc. after cooking candy then pour into pan. I’m going to try making it this way and I’ll let you know if it’s a yea or nea, might take me awhile before I make it.
I don’t see why you couldn’t do that. As long as it has been removed from the heat. Let me know how it goes!
I make a cinnamon hard candy using cinnamon oil. I add the coloring and cinnamon oil to the pot before pouring in pan. Why don’t you add lemon extract, citric acid, and coloring to the pot before you pour into pan?
Good question! I’m not sure if you are asking why I don’t add it before cooking or just after cooking in the pot…
If you mean before cooking the sugar, I don’t add it because citric acid can break down with the intense heat that cooking sugar requires.
If you mean directly after in the pan, I avoid that because disturbing the sugar too much at that high of temperature risks crystallization (broken candy!).
Although, I think it would be just as safe to remove from the heat and mix in the coloring and flavor elements after the mixture is no longer heating, I’ve become accustom to mixing it in after pouring on my mat to shape and work the sugar. I am always worried that disturbing the sugar too much in a hot pan will cause crystallization and result in candy failure.
Good things to think about! Thanks 🙂
I am desperate to try this! Do you use cane sugar or beet sugar? The only white sugar I can find round these parts is beet sugar and I can never get it to work when it’s a water mix – it just crystallizes horribly.
So glad you want to try them! They’re pretty addictive. I used regular white granulated (cane) sugar, and sadly have not played around at all with beet sugar. I’ve heard of people having issues making candy with it before, and some have had success with adjusting the recipe for your altitude, in case that may be your issue. For every 1000 ft above sea level you may be, subtract 2 degrees from the desired sugar temperature. That would be my best bet to try.
Good luck– Let me know how it goes!
-Phillip
Ok, candy making is not my forte, but growing up, I was always the oddball who ate all the lemon flavored candies that everyone else left behind. Homemade lemon candy sounds amazing! I am pretty sure I don’t have a candy thermometer anymore, so as soon as I get a new one, I will definitely be attempting these. They’d definitely make a great gift idea as well!
A candy thermometer is definitely a must, especially if you are a bit uneasy. Just watch it closely and have everything ready before you start. Mise en place! I put mine in a little mason jar. They look great! Let me know how it goes!
These look awesome! I’m feeling confident I can make these and actually eat them when I’m finished, can’t wait to try, I wonder could I use other flavor like, orange, or lime? I’m pinning right now 🙂
Thanks, Christina! We had a lot of fun making them. Just watch that temperature closely. I have some raspberry extract around that I want to try next. I think they will probably be great in just about any flavor. Let us know how it goes!
-Phillip
Beautiful photos. I’ve been intimidated by the thought of making hard candy but I think I can handle this.
Thanks! It certainly takes some focus. The sugar tends to linger around 250 and then jump up quickly. For me, it’s sorta like crêpes… I always destroy the first one!
Be sure and let me know how they turn out.
-Phillip @ SouthernFATTY
Had to make these last night when I saw this. Burned the first batch, undercooked the second, then figured out that my thermometer didn’t measure accurately unless it had at least an inch submerged and nailed it the third time around. Playing with floompy sugar is so much fun! the taste isn’t quite lemon drops – a little too acidic, not bright enough. The extract I have is the neilson-massey; what do you use?
Glad you tried them out! If you look closely through the article you’ll find where I managed to burn a batch (or two…) as well. Joys of sugar-work, I guess! Mine ended up being slightly acidic, but not overly-so. I used Bell (the canning/jar company) brand citric acid and actually just Kroger brand “pure lemon” extract. Maybe the cheaper stuff gave it a more commercial candy-like taste… The NM extract may be a bit more mild than what I used. Often times more expensive brands have a more ‘true’ flavor as compared to the generics. Maybe just add a bit more of what you have (1.5 t, maybe?) and cut the citric acid a bit? Hope you can get them to how you like them! These seemed to be a big hit around home and work.
Thanks for sharing! It’s great to hear some feedback!
-Phillip
Any tips for when the drops don’t form into balls. Mine was very very sticky until cooled, and even then flattened rather than stay shaped. I used fresh lemon, not Sure if it was too much lemon, or a problem with the temperature?
Fresh lemon shouldn’t cause too many problems… You may just not get all that much of a citrus or tartness because it wouldn’t be condensed. Either way, I would first wonder about the temperature. Did you use a thermometer? That is critical to candy making like this recipe. It sounds to me like you made it to the soft ball phase (around 235 F) in the sugar cooking. You want to get it to a blazing 300 F to make sure it will stay hard when cooled.
You can actually test this by dropping a tiny bit of the heating sugar into water to cool it quickly and then see how it feels (with your fingers after taking the piece from the water) before removing all of it from the heat. Give that a go or maybe move your thermometer to a different side of the pan. I’ve had that as an issue before.
Lemme know if that helps!
I suspect it was the temperature then. I did use a thermometer, but I had trouble getting a reliable reading as there wasn’t much mixture in the bottom of the pan and when I got a reading it had shot up, but perhaps wasn’t accurate. Will try a smaller pan next time! Thanks for the quick response.
So if you used fresh lemon, did you use lemon juice and how did you know how much to use?
I used lemon extract. I’m not sure fresh lemon juice would give enough flavor. You could try, though. Maybe put 1-2 lemons worth in the sugar so it cooks out most of the water and concentrates. Let me know how it goes!
Cheers!
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