Cinnamon Rock Candy + Video
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Cinnamon Rock Candy is exactly what you need for the festive holidays this year! This old-fashioned rock candy recipe is so easy to make and made with classic sweet flavors of cinnamon and sugar! Everyone will want to have a piece of this crunchy cinnamon candy!
Cinnamon Candy
Ahh, cinnamon rock candy is such a joy to eat whenever you’re in the mood for old-fashioned candy. Made with real cinnamon oil, this crack candy recipe is one of the best out there! Looking for something to serve during the holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or the Fourth of July? This old-fashioned recipe surely will please anyone who tries it! Once you taste this hard rock candy, you will immediately be sent back to childhood when you first experienced the magic of cinnamon candy.
This homemade candy has been around for years! I like to break the candy into little pieces and put it in cute jars and bags to exchange it during cooking or gift exchanges. This cinnamon candy makes the perfect hostess gift, a token of love for your friends and loved ones!
Make sure to keep the kids out of the kitchen with this recipe because cooking candy means cooking with very hot mixtures. It’s better to be safe than sorry! Allow the children to join the fun when the candy is ready to be dusted with sweet powdered sugar.
Looking for more old-fashioned and fun candy recipes? Find something you like with 30-Holiday Candy Recipes. There is something for everyone!
Why This Cinnamon Hard Candy is the Best
- Easy: Hard rock candy may seem intimidating, but it is really quite easy! With simple ingredients and very easy steps, this recipe does not require too much effort. Just some monitoring!
- Delicious: The perfect combination of sweet and spicy are enveloped in this cinnamon candy. You’ll definitely be going back more!
- Sweet: Just like candy should be, this hard rock candy is made with two different types of sugars plus corn syrup to ensure there is plenty of sweetness to go around.
Ingredients
Butter: You’ll need some butter or oil to grease the parchment paper and a sheet pan.
Water: Just a little bit of purified water is used to make sure everything gets evenly mixed together!
Sugar: White granulated sugar is what I use for the candy to make sure it gets nice and hard. Such a classic ingredient!
Corn Syrup: Using corn syrup in candy recipes is popular and commonly used because it is an inverted sugar that allows the mixture to form into a smooth hard texture.
Food Coloring: Red food coloring can be found at most grocery stores in the baking aisle. The more food coloring, the redder the candy is!
Cinnamon Oil: The key ingredient of this cinnamon hard candy, cinnamon oil is bold in flavor and gives this candy its spice. Adding less or more to fit your palate is perfectly okay! Find this in the baking aisle or near the extracts.
Powdered Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar for finishing the candy off with a hint of extra sweetness!
How to Make Cinnamon Candy
This cinnamon hard rock candy recipe will be ready before you know it! Have some fun in the kitchen this year and make some yummy sweet candy!
Note: Be sure to keep a bowl of cool water near you while preparing the candy in case any of the hot mixture gets on your skin.
Butter the Pan – First Step
First, butter the bottom and the sides of a 15-inch x 10-inch x 1-inch rimmed metal sheet pan. Next, line the sheet pan with parchment paper, and butter the paper all of the way to the edges so the candy does not seep under it and stick.
Do not substitute wax paper! Wax paper cannot withstand the heat of the candy!
Combine Candy Ingredients – Second Step
Next, in a deep pan, combine the water, sugar, corn syrup, and food coloring. Mix the mixture over medium-high heat until the sugar starts to dissolve.
Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Make sure it does not touch the bottom of the pan to get an accurate temperature.
Continue to Boil
Continue to boil the cinnamon sugar mixture until it reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit (hard rock stage). This will take about 20 minutes. Watch itclosely!
If the mixture starts to boil too close to the edges of the pan, remove it from the heat and stir until the bubbles disappear. Return the mixture to heat.
Note: It’s better for the candy to be slightly over 300°F rather than under!
Step Three – Pour into Pan
Once the temperature reaches 300°F, remove it from the heat and stir in the cinnamon oil while working quickly. You want to make sure the candy doesn’t harden while you stir the oil in.
Make sure to keep your face away from the mixture while stirring, and work in a well-ventilated area as the cinnamon oil is very strong! Turn on a fan or open the windows!
Immediately, pour the cinnamon mixture into the prepared pan and cool for at least four hours.
Dust with Sugar – Fourth Step
Next, sprinkle powdered sugar over the cooled candy. Add more or less sugar if you’d like!
Remove Paper – Fifth Step
Next, flip the candy over onto a large cutting board or cookie sheet and remove the parchment paper. Return the candy back to the pan.
Break into Pieces – Sixth Step
With the tip of a sharp knife, break the candy into bite-sized pieces. Dust with more powdered sugar and store the candy in an airtight container.
Enjoy this hard rock candy any time of the year when you have a sweet tooth for sweet and spicy!
Love this Christmas Cinnamon Candy Recipe? Pin it!
Whenever you’re looking for an easy homemade candy recipe, be sure to save this old-fashioned recipe to your Pinterest board for later!
Tips
- Practice caution while preparing this recipe because the candy mixture gets very hot!
- I heavily recommend using parchment paper to make it easy to transfer the candy out of the pan.
- For extra spicy cinnamon hard candy, use two teaspoons of cinnamon oil.
- Sometimes the humidity levels can affect the results of hard candy so keep that in mind while making this recipe!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this candy with other types of sweet and savory snacks that are great for whenever you need something delicious and flavorful! Whenever you’re baking holiday desserts, and holiday candy recipes add this candy to the mix!
Other Recipes You Will Love
- Never Fail Fudge
- Chocolate Peppermint Stirring Spoons
- Strawberry Pie
- Eggnog Fudge
- Three Ingredient Peanut Clusters
- Bittersweet Chocolate Bourbon Balls
- Candy Bar Fudge
- Rocky Road Brownies
- Oreo Truffles
Let’s whip up some old fashioned cinnamon candy! 
Cinnamon Rock Candy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon candy oil if you prefer it extra spicy, use 2 teaspoons
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Butter the bottom and the sides of a 15-inch x 10-inch x 1-inch rimmed metal sheet pan. Then line with parchment paper, and butter the parchment paper all the way to the edges to prevent the candy from seeping underneath and sticking.
- Over medium-high heat, in a large deep pan mix water, sugar, corn syrup, and food coloring until the sugar begins to dissolve. Use a candy thermometer attached to the side of the pan to get an accurate temperature. (take care not to let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan)
- Boil until the sugar mixture reaches 300 degrees (hard crack stage) This should take about 20 minutes. Make sure to watch it closely. If the mixture begins to boil too close to the edge of the pan, remove it from the heat, give it a stir, and when the bubbles calm down, return it to the heat.
- Once the mixture reaches 300 degrees (or a little over) remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon oil, working quickly. Try to keep your face away from the hot mixture as it is strong, Make sure to work in a well-ventilated area. Pour the candy into the prepared sheet pan immediately. Then allow it to cool for 4 hours.
- After 4 hours dust the top of the candy with powdered sugar. Next, flip candy over onto a cutting board or another cookie sheet, and remove parchment paper. Return candy back to the original cookie sheet, and use the tip of a sharp knife to break the candy into bite-size pieces.
- Dust with more powdered sugar and store in an airtight container.
I really didn’t know how simple making this rock candy was. Love the cinnamon flavor to it!
I cant wait to try this cinnamon candy this Christmas! Looks like such a yummy treat!
wow – such a fun candy – i did a trial run and its so good – making more for the holidays!
I make a basket of holiday candy/cookies for my friends and family every year, and I can’t wait to add this cinnamon candy to my basket!! It looks so easy delicious and festive too!
I love giving the gift of candy and treats for the holidays and am excited to add this to my list! Looking forward to give this a try this year; looks too good to pass up, indeed!
I made a trial run with this recipe since the kids were over here this weekend, and it was a hit! I will definitely be making this again for Christmas. Thanks for such an easy and yummy recipe.
I LOVE this idea for making this for Christmas. What a fun new tradition to start with the kiddos.
Question…you first butter the entire pan then put the parchment paper in the pan. Do you butter the top of the parchment paper as well? Thank you. ?
yes. You butter the pan then lay parchment over the top, and butter the parchment, too! 🙂
I am always intimidated when I need to use a candy thermometer but you make it seem so easy. This will make a great holiday hostess gift!
WOW! Love this candy! Need to get the cinnamon oil and try this beautiful and yummy candy. I could use this in many desserts.
Going to try this today! Just wondering though, have you ever tried making this with a different flavoring? I see there’s different flavor oils and im not a big cinnamon fan so was thinking of trying any of the other flavors that sounded good.
Yes! The same method will work with different oils. Change up the color and the flavor to your liking! 🙂
I can’t find cinnamon oil in my grocery store. Wondering if can I use doTERRA cinnamon oil
I personally have never used that brand – but when I looked at it, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work? It says it “very potent” so maybe keep that in mind, and use a little less until you know just how potent it is?
you should be able to find it in the pharmacy of your local grocery store
Can this candy be poured into silicone molds instead of onto parchment paper, to create cute candy shapes?
I have never tried it? I would think it would work though! Check on LorAnn Oil website and I bet they have some tips on making hard candy in molds. 🙂
After discovering that Hersheys is no longer making Cinnamon Jolly Ranchers, I went looking for homemade recipes. I tried yours today and am so happy to report it was so easy. The candy is delicious. My addiction to cinnamon hard candy continues! Thanks for posting.
I am so happy you love it!!
What brand is the cinnamon candy oil? Can I use peppermint extract instead?
I always buy LorAnn candy oils. You cannot use extract in place of oil. Peppermint oil and peppermint extract are two very different ingredients.Peppermint oil is the pure essential oil that comes from the peppermint leaf itself. Peppermint extract is a mixture of peppermint essential oils and alcohol. If you can’t find them at your supermarket, you should be able to buy them online or at places like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. You can use other candy oils in place of the cinnamon to make other flavors.