Hard boiled candies

Hard boiled candy is one of the oldest industrialised confectionery products. Hard boiled candy is primarily made up of sugar. When the sugar is heated it melts and becomes a workable amorphous mass that can be pulled (aerated), rolled, and fashioned. As it cools, the syrup becomes thicker beginning to hold its shape. When the candy is completely cooled, the sugar crystals remain together and form the solid hard candy.

The raw materials used for making hard boiled candies are specifically chosen in order to produce the appropriate texture, taste, and appearance. Sweeteners are the primary ingredients, but recipes also include water, processing ingredients, colorants, and flavourings. Glucose syrup is also used to produce hard boiled candy (to around 50 % of the wet weight). It is a modified form of starch (hydrolysed), and like sugar it provides a sweet flavour. When mixed with sugar, it inhibits the natural tendency of sugar to crystallize. Crystallization would result in a grainy appearance and a brittle structure. Glucose syrup has the added effect of making the sugar concoction more opaque. Without the syrup and other ingredients, the candy would be transparent.

Hard boiled candy can also be made sugar free, or sugar reduced using of polyols and fibres.