Easter is coming. And with it, lots of candy. This Easter, bypass the candy aisle at the grocery store and challenge yourself to make your own candy–with tea. For tea lovers with a sweet tooth, these tea candy recipes are practically perfect in every way:
1) Matcha Rock Candy
To make this matcha candy, start by adding sugar to boiling water, then whisk in matcha. Pour this solution into a jar and cover with tin foil. Poke skewers through the tin foil down into the solution. Now comes the hard part: wait 7-10 days. Once a week’s come and gone, remove the skewers and turn them upside down to dry out overnight. Once the sun’s up, your beautiful, green, crystalized candy is ready to be licked.
2) Honey Tea Lollipops
This recipe from Chef Gale Gand and the Food Network calls for 8 tablespoons of brewed tea. Place lemon rinds and mint leaves in lollipop molds, then pour in a mixture of sugar, honey, glucose, and your choice of tea. Cool for 20 minutes and then remove for a special lollipop that delivers a winning bittersweet taste.
3) Earl Grey Lollipops
If Earl Grey is your jam, try these lollipops from The Food Poet. Start by boiling brewed earl grey tea with sugar and corn syrup. Pour the mixture into lollipop molds. Wait approximately 15 minutes for the liquid to cool, then remove and enjoy.
4) Salted Chai Caramels
This recipe from POPSUGAR calls for 3 tablespoons of loose-leaf chai tea. Begin by simmering the chai, heavy cream, and whole milk in a saucepan. Strain this mixture through a cheesecloth into a pot. There, add white sugar, dark brown sugar, salt, butter, corn syrup, and water. Whisk on medium-low heat until the butter and sugar have dissolved. Keep cooking for about 40 minutes until the temperature reaches 246 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour into a greased pan, cool, and then sprinkle with fleur de sel. Refrigerate, slice, and serve!
5) Thai Tea Fudge
This recipe from Thai cooking blog She Simmers calls for Thai tea, a cold drink commonly made in Thailand that often infuses strongly-brewed black tea with spices such as cardamom, tamarind, and star anise before sweetening it with sugar and condensed milk. This recipe uses Thai tea to add flavor and interest to white fudge. Start by melting whit chocolate and condensed milk, and then whisk in Thai tea and baking soda. Pour this mixture into a greased bowl for your first tea layer. Then prepare the second white chocolate layer: melt white chocolate and condensed milk, then whisk in baking soda, and pour on top of the tea layer. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, then cut and devour!
6) Brown Sugar Jasmine Tea Caramels
This recipe from The Kitchen Paper promises “a strong, but not overpowering, jasmine undertone to the caramel.” If you have 2 tablespoons of jasmine tea and 25 minutes to spare, then this is the recipe for you. Steep the jasmine tea in heated half and half for a few minutes. Drain the tea leaves and set aside. In another pan, whisk butter and brown sugar over heat, adding in corn syrup, salt, and the jasmine half and half you set aside. Simmer and cook until the mixture reaches 244 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove from heat, add vanilla extract, and pour into a pan. Allow the caramel to cool, and then cut up into bite-sized pieces to enjoy.
No Comments