3-Ingredient Melting Lemon Candy Recipe
This 3-Ingredient Lemon Candy recipe creates delicious, melt-in-your-mouth lemon drops that are tangy, sweet, and perfect for candy lovers. Made with granulated sugar, water, and natural lemon oil, these homemade lemon candies are flavored with a hint of cream of tartar and optional citric acid for extra tartness. Coated in confectioner’s sugar, they offer a delightful texture and a vibrant yellow color enhanced by gel food coloring. With just a handful of ingredients and simple stovetop cooking, you can whip up 60 servings of classic lemon candy that can be stored for weeks.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 60 servings
- Category: Candy
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 200 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon citric acid (optional)
- 70 grams confectioner’s sugar (1/2 cup), for coating
Wet Ingredients
- 110 milliliters water (1/2 cup)
- 1 teaspoon natural lemon oil
- 2-3 drops yellow gel food coloring, or as desired
Other
- Vegetable oil or nonstick spray, for coating kitchen scissors
Instructions
- Prepare workspace: Cover your countertop or work surface with a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking and make handling the hot candy easier.
- Prepare tools: Spray kitchen shears with vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray to avoid candy sticking to the scissors when cutting.
- Set confectioners sugar aside: Place the confectioners sugar into a large bowl, which will be used to coat the finished candy pieces.
- Combine sugar mixture: In a medium saucepan, mix granulated sugar, water, and cream of tartar. Cook over medium heat while stirring occasionally until the sugar fully dissolves.
- Monitor temperature: Once dissolved, stop stirring and insert a candy thermometer. Heat the mixture without stirring, brushing down the sides with a wet pastry brush to avoid crystallization, until it reaches 300°F (149°C), which takes about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and flavor: Take the saucepan off the stove, then stir in lemon oil, yellow food coloring, and optional citric acid thoroughly.
- Pour hot syrup: Carefully pour the hot sugar mixture onto the prepared silicone mat. Wearing cotton gloves topped with rubber gloves (to protect from heat), begin working the candy.
- Rest and fold: Let the sugar syrup rest on the mat, frequently folding the mat over itself. This helps the sugar form a mass instead of remaining runny.
- Check readiness: The sugar is ready to pull when it forms a ball that holds shape, is hot and pliable, but no longer gooey or runny.
- Pull the candy: Using gloved hands, fold the sugar over itself 4-5 times until it thickens and develops white streaks, then pull it into a short, thick tube.
- Form ropes and cut: Stretch a section of the tube into a 1/2-inch diameter rope and cut with oiled scissors into 3/4-inch pieces.
- Work in sections: Pull in 12-inch increments to prevent sugar from cooling and becoming brittle, keeping the rest of the sugar as a large mass until ready to pull.
- Coat candies: Toss cut lemon drop pieces in the bowl of confectioners sugar to coat evenly.
- Store properly: Place candies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to six weeks.
Notes
- Use a candy thermometer to ensure the sugar reaches the precise hard crack stage (300°F / 149°C) for the perfect candy texture.
- Coating kitchen scissors with oil prevents candy from sticking and allows smooth cutting.
- Wearing gloves is crucial when handling hot sugar to avoid burns.
- Folding and pulling the sugar mixture incorporates air creating the characteristic opaque white streaks and texture of lemon drops.
- If you don’t have natural lemon oil, lemon extract can be used but the flavor intensity may vary.
- Citric acid is optional but adds a sharper tang, enhancing the lemon flavor.
- Work quickly to pull and cut before the sugar cools, as it becomes brittle when cold.
