With Lunar New Year right around the corner, Bake Good shared with us this delicious recipe for Dragon’s Beard Candy. Often compared to cotton candy, the popular “challenge” on social media is to get the treat to one million strands for the perfect consistency and silky-smooth strands. The rhythmic stretching of the candy is mesmerizing to watch as DIY candy makers multiply the strands up to one million, a task done by dipping the loop into corn starch after each pull to ensure the candy doesn’t stick to itself — an essential step in separating the strands.
Dragon’s Beard Candy
Servings: 8-10
Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- ¼ cup Crown Lily White Corn Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 3 to 4 drops pink food coloring gel
- 2 ½ cups of Fleischmann’s Corn Starch
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and heat on medium-high. The mixture needs to heat slowly for about 20-25 minutes until it reaches 267-268°F, so monitor your heat to adjust as needed
2. Once it reaches temperature, immediately remove the saucepan from heat and allow to cool to at least 212°F. Transfer to plastic deli container to cool until it turns into a firm disk, or puck-shape
3. Place corn starch on the baking tray or in the large bowl
4. Release the candy by pressing around the plastic container. Use your thumbs to create a hole in the centre of the candy puck
5. Coat generously in corn starch and begin forming a donut shape, rotating the disc, and using your hands to stretch it, making sure all sides are even, taking care not to pull too hard
6. Once the ring is between approximately 12 inches in diameter, twist into a figure 8 shape, fold back on itself and continue stretching and making a uniform ring. Be sure to constantly dust with corn starch to prevent sticking by resting the area you’re not working on in the corn starch-prepped tray.
7. Continue the process for somewhere between 10-12 loops/ folds
To serve: Using a pair of chopsticks, wrap the dragon beard candy around to create small bushels, snip to size with an oiled scissors and serve to enjoy!
Note: Best served immediately. Dragon’s Beard candy has a very short shelf life. It is highly sensitive to moisture and tends to melt when exposed to higher temperatures, notably during warm weather.
