How to make cotton candy at home

1

Toast the flour in the oven or skillet for a couple of minutes and reserve. It will be the base to work the homemade cotton candy.

2

In a saucepan and with the fire off, pour the rest of the ingredients. Follow this order: sugar, water, corn syrup, and vinegar. Mix with a wooden spoon just to integrate the ingredients well. Then heat the casserole over medium heat without stirring at any time. In this case, bubbles would form and the caramel would crystallize, losing the consistency of cotton.

3

Keep an eye on the temperature constantly. This preparation is very precise and you cannot go overboard with the heat.

4

Run a wet brush along the edges. Do this only if you see the sugar crystallize on the sides. Remember that making cotton candy at home involves handling the candy with great care, as burns of this type are dangerous.

5

Wait until the caramel reaches about 133 ° C. It is very important that you check it with a thermometer, since without it it would be very difficult to get the temperature right. Right at that moment, remove the casserole from the heat.

6

Let the preparation rest for a few minutes. The caramel needs to be lowered to 100 ° C before continuing to brew.

7

When you have reached the ideal temperature, empty the candy in a plastic mold. Do it slowly and without splashing, this way you avoid bubbles or you could burn yourself. Do not use glass containers, otherwise it will be difficult for you to unmold the caramel.

8

Let it sit at room temperature for a few hours. The longer the caramel rests, the better it will compact afterwards.

9

Once time has passed, unmold the caramel. Flip the container upside down by pressing your thumbs on the bottom until it pops out.

10

With the help of a spoon or other covered, pierce the candy in the center until a diameter of about half a centimeter is achieved. You have to stick with a donut-like shape.

eleven

Here are two ways to proceed to handle the caramel:

• Heat the caramel in the microwave: it is not the most advisable, but it is the fastest. With 2-4 seconds it will be enough for the caramel to acquire a higher temperature, with which you can manipulate it more easily.
• Work directly with your hands: This option will take you longer, but it is also the most traditional. When handling the caramel to prepare the cotton candy, the heat of your hands will raise the temperature and will progressively facilitate the work.

12

To start handling the caramel, impregnate the piece with a little cornstarch, so you can handle it better.

13

With your hands, apply pressure to the edges of the donut-shaped piece until forming a thin ring.

14

When the piece has acquired elasticity due to the increase in temperature, droll the hoop into a figure eight and fold it over itself.

fifteen

Before continuing with the elaboration, add the toasted flour to the work surface. From this moment, go impregnating the preparation with flour as you work. Don’t forget the cornstarch either, which helps maintain the elasticity of the dough.

16

Spread the candy ring on your work surface. Press the edges of the piece to expand its size. Be careful and pay attention not to strain it too much, as it can break.

17

Next, repeat the procedure: fold the piece into a figure eight again and fold it back on itself. You must repeat this step up to 14 times to get the 16,284 candy strips you need. If all goes well, you will get strips of caramel as fine as silk.

18

The recipe for cotton candy at home needs between 3 and 4 hours of rest before being consumed. Keep in mind that the texture takes time to acquire its final shape. It will go from being an elastic candy to being totally brittle.

19

Your ready homemade cotton candy without machine! You can serve it directly for consumption or use it as a decoration for cakes or other desserts.

twenty

Next, we show you how to prepare cotton candy at home with a comb. With this method you will get a very similar result, although the final texture is somewhat different. Do not miss it!

1. Line the table or counter with parchment paper. You need a surface that is as wide as possible, that is comfortable for you to work with. Put several pieces of paper, long enough, next to each other.
2. Prepare the caramel. The procedure is identical to that used to make Asian-style cotton candy at home.
3. If you want to add flavor and color. Apply the essence and coloring just after removing the caramel from the heat, and stir until they are completely integrated.
4. Protect yourself well before starting work. Hot caramel burns are among the most severe in the kitchen, so don’t skimp on precautions: wear gloves, an apron, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt.
5. Have a new comb handy. Buy a comb or comb exclusively for making cotton candy at home. Choose it with many teeth, so the sugar strands will be thinner.
6. Dip the comb in the caramel. When you take it out, let it drain a little.
7. Use a sweeping motion with the comb. On top of the paper-lined table, run the comb from side to side in quick movements. Make several movements until the comb runs out of caramel.
8. Pick up the extended strands. You can roll them on a skewer without tips or use them directly to decorate desserts. You’ll love it!

twenty-one

If you go to prepare cotton candy at home with machine, do not miss the following tricks to get a wonderful result:

• Cut off the ends of the skewer sticks. Try not to leave chips and reserve.
• Run the machine for 3-4 minutes before using it. The idea is to let it heat up before adding the sugar. Something similar to preheating the oven.
• Substitute caramel for sugar. It is worth using candies of any type or color. Of course, in each batch use 3 of the same class. So you get a delicious treat!
• Pass the skewer through the internal sides of the machine. Do it as if you were stirring a preparation. At the same time, between your fingers, rotate the toothpick constantly.
• Repeat for two more layers. Do not add many more layers, as it is very compact and loses the cotton texture.

Now that you know how to prepare cotton candy at home, you may want to prepare one of these other recipes:

If you want to read more articles similar to How to make cotton candy at home, we recommend that you enter our Recipes category.

Advice

• The original oriental recipe uses 25 grams of maltose instead of 30 grams of invert sugar.
• The invert sugar and vinegar serve to prevent the caramel from crystallizing.
• If you don’t have syrup or use honey
• If you don’t have cornstarch, you can also use cassava starch, rice flour, etc.
• If you don’t have vinegar, use the juice of ½ lemon