Candy Corn Day!
People have been enjoying candy corn for more than 100 years. In the 1880s, candy corn wasinvented by George Renninger, an employee of the Wunderlee Candy Company. The recipe hasn't changed very much since then, although now there are more machines to do the work of creating those festive white, orange and yellow sugary triangles. To celebrate National Candy Corn Day, here are five fun facts:
1. More than 35 million pounds of candy corn, or roughly 9 billion kernels, will be produced this year, according to the National Confectioners Association. 2. When candy corn was first introduced to the public, it was especially popular among farmersbecause of its agrarian appearance. 3. Curious about how candy corn is made? A behind-the-scenes video can be found here. 4. "Candy corn" is the top searched-for candy term on Google. 5. Want to celebrate National Candy Corn Day? Some Halloween-themed recipes , including peanut butter candy corn truffles, crispy treats featuring candy corn and howling candy corn cookie bark can be found here. If you're hosting a children's party this Halloween, here are instructions for a Candy Corn Dash Halloween Game that the kids will enjoy. Candy Corn Decor
Simple Decorative Uses for Candy Corn
- Place in decorative jars or potion bottles.
- Use extra candy corn to place in gel candle kits.
- Hide them around the house or use as trails for party games (make sure you find them all, or you'll have some uninvited creepy guests in a few weeks...)
- String to, or glue on garland.
- Stick through the top of straight, long wire to use in floral arrangements.
- Use as garnish in cocktails, on cupcakes, or cookies.
Candy Corn Wreath
For a Sweet Welcome to Your DoorItems needed:
- Foam wreath
- Bag of candy corn
- glue
- clear glitter
- trimmings
Glue candy corn in a single row on a foam wreath. Lightly glaze candy corn with thin layer of glue, and sprinkle clear glitter on top. Trim with black roses, lace, velvet, plastic spiders, spider webbing, etc. A small skull head always fits well placed on the inside circle of the wreath. :-)
Candy Corn Printables
Print, Color, and CraftCandy corn craft printables for Halloween. Perfect for festive Halloween decorations or as games for your Halloween party...
- Candy Corn Cutout
- Pin the face on the Candy Corn.
- Candy Corn Coloring Page
- 3 simple candy corn cutouts.
- Candy Corn and Witch Treat Boxes
- Printable treat box templates - candy corn and witch.
- Candy Corn Flipbook
- Counting candy corn flipbook printable for young children.
Candy Corn Treats
Yellow, Orange, White
Some of these recipes have a hint of real candy corn, but others are only colored to mimic a candy corn appeal. Fun and festive recipes for Halloween. Enjoy!
- Candy Corn Cookie Bark
- Oreo cookies, pretzels, candy corn, and white chocolate to pull together a cookie bark.
- Candy Corn Cupcakes
- Yellow and orange cupcakes with white frosting, plus a tutorial on how to easily frost cupcakes.
- Candy Corn Parfaits Recipe
- A Candy Corn Parfaits are made by layering vanilla ice cream with a layer of orange sherbet and a layer of lemon sorbet.
- Candy Corn Cookies
- Buttery candy corn colored sugar cookies.
- Colorful Critters
Ok, so there's only a few candy corn included in this kid-friendly Halloween treat idea. But these little monsters are just way to cute to pass up...
DIY Candy Corn
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/3 cup salted butter
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1/3 cup powdered milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- red and yellow food coloring
1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the sifted confectioners' sugar and powdered milk. Set to the side. - 2. In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and butter. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Once it reaches the boiling point, reduce heat to medium and continue stirring for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla extract and remove from heat.
- 3. Add the confectioners' sugar and powdered milk mixture to the wet ingredients; stir well until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated and smooth.
- 4. Let the dough cool until it is firm enough to handle, about 30 minutes to an hour (I just let it cool in the saucepan).
- 5. Divide the dough into three equal parts and set each third into a separate bowl. Add 2 to 3 drops of yellow food coloring to one dish, one drop of red and two drops of yellow to another dish, and leave the remaining dish uncolored. Knead the dough to which you have added food coloring until the color is even (you may want to use gloves to ensure that you don't stain yourself). If the dough is feeling very soft or sticky, you may want to chill the dough for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator before proceeding with the next steps.
- 6. On top of a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper, use your hands to roll each color of dough into a long, slender rope. You can roll it out to your desired thickness: for larger candies, make each rope thicker; for smaller candies, make each rope thinner.
- 7. Line the three ropes of dough together: white, orange, and yellow. To ensure that they will stick together, lay a piece of waxed paper on top and give them a very gentle rolling with a rolling pin. You just want to adhere them, not to flatten them.
- 8. Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into triangles. Keep a damp cloth nearby so that you can wipe off the knife if it begins to get a candy residue. This method will result in half a batch of traditionally colored candy corn and half a batch with yellow tips (it's OK—they taste the same). Let the finished kernels sit for an hour or two (do not stack them on top of one another as they will stick together!) to become firm.
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