A style of candy that seems to mysteriously appear just around the holiday season is ribbon candy. This type of candy is made by taking warm sugar and forming it into strips.

These strips are then folded back and forth while they’re still warm to make a ribboned stick of candy after it hardens. Ribbon candy is often made with citrus or mint extracts and colored with festive colors and with a glossy sheen.

They are the type of candy that grandmas all over the U.S. place into candy bowls and leave out on their coffee tables for their grandkids to enjoy. It’s also the type of candy that’s celebrated every year on December 21st with the holiday Ribbon Candy Day.

The History of Ribbon Candy Day

One thing that we know is that Ribbon Candy Day was invented in 1998 by Judy Pancoast of New Hampshire. She created this holiday on the date of her father’s birthday. She decided to create this holiday because her father would ask for ribbon candy for his birthday every year. This was a great way for her to honor her father, as well as the candy that he so dearly loved.

Our Holiday Ribbon Candy Recipe

The following recipe is only a list of the things needed to make the candy. For the full process of folding the candy, please consult a video on the subject.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of sugar.
• 1 cup light corn syrup.
• ¼ cup water.
• Cooking spray.
• ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract.
• 4 drops of red food coloring.
• 4 drops of green food coloring.
• 4 cookie sheets.
• Large saucepan.
• Candy thermometer.
• Bench scraper.
• Plastic gloves.

Instructions:

• Gather together all of your supplies.
• Coat cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
• Warm the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Combine corn syrup, sugar, and water in a large saucepan.
• Bring the saucepan to a boil over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Insert a candy thermometer into the mixture and continue to cook until the soft-crack stage (285 degrees Fahrenheit).
• When the temperature has been reached, remove it from the heat and stir in the peppermint extract.
• Pour a third of the mixture onto a coated cookie sheet and place it in the oven to keep warm.
• Pour the second third onto the second sheet. Place in the oven. Sprinkle with green food coloring.
• Add red food coloring to the remaining third of the candy.
• The exact process of folding the candy is complex, so be sure to watch a video on the subject from the Internet.

Observing Ribbon Candy Day

Hmm, let’s see. How can Ribbon Candy Day be observed? How about purchasing some ribbon candy, or even making your own? That’s how we’re going to observe this holiday. We’re going to make some of our own ribbon candy using the recipe that we included above. Feel free to do the same and use the hashtag #RibbonCandyDay to spread the word about this holiday.