How to Make Crystal Candy

Tie one end of the string to the center of the pencil and the other end to a paper clip. The paper clip will be a heavy object that pulls the rope straight down so it doesn’t touch the side of the cup. The rope should be about 2/3 of the height of the cup, you shouldn’t take it too long for the paper clip to touch the bottom of the cup. At this length, crystal candies will form easily. ^[13] If the string touches the bottom or is too close to the bottom or touches the side of the cup, the crystal candies will be small or unsightly.

• Use rope made from natural fibers such as twine or cotton rope. Fishing twine or nylon rope are too smooth and difficult for the line to cling to to form. ^[14]
• You can also use a round piece of metal or a nail to secure the string, or use some crystal candy to help it shape up faster. ^[15]
• The pencil should be long enough to fit neatly over the rim of the cup and not fall off. You can also use a knife, skewer, or ice cream stick. Knives or ice cream sticks may be more stable because they rest on top of the cup and won’t roll.

Dip the string in a glass of sugar water solution, then pull the string out and place on parchment paper to dry. Straighten the rope because the rope will stiffen when the sugar dries. As the water evaporates, you’ll see some crystal sugar clinging to the rope. This is the crystallization germ that helps crystal candy to form faster. ^[16]

• Make sure the rope is completely dry before proceeding to the next step, and be careful not to let the crystal nuclei fall out as you continue to add the rope to the solution. ^[17]
• You can skip this step or speed it up by wetting the rope and rolling it over the white sand (just make sure the string is completely dry before putting it in the cup and the sugar doesn’t fall off). creating crystallization sprouts will make crystal candies form faster and increase the chances of success in making crystal candies. ^[18]

Place the string in the sugar water solution with the pencil over the top of the cup. The rope should be hung straight down and not touching the bottom or sides of the cup. ^[19] Use tissue to cover solution. You should not cover the mouth of the cup with material such as plastic wrap, as evaporation is an important part of this process.

• As the water evaporates, the remaining solution will absorb more and more sugar, and the water has to push the sugar out. The sugar molecules will stick to the string and form crystal candy. ^[20]
• Use masking tape to hold the pencil in place so it doesn’t roll or move while you wait for the candy to freeze. ^[21]

Place the cup in a safe and untouchable place. For large crystals, you should choose a shady place because the water evaporates slowly, giving the crystal candy more time to form. ^[22]

• If you want to shorten the candy forming time and don’t care about the size, leave the cup in a sunny place so that the water evaporates faster. ^[23]
• The shaking will affect the candy formation. Leave the cup on the floor (where there is no traffic) and away from music and noise from the radio or television. ^[24]

Wait a week for the crystal candy to form. Do not touch or knock on the cup to interfere with the formation of the candy and cause some of the candy to fall out. After a week, you will see a large patch of crystal candy wrapped around the rope. ^[25]

Carefully remove the string from the sugar solution and place on parchment paper to dry. Use scissors to cut off the end of the paper clip on the string.

• If crystal candy sticks to the cup, run hot water on the outside of the bottom of the cup. This will reduce the stickiness of the sugar so you can easily pull the string out without damaging the candy. ^[26]

Wet skewers or ice cream sticks with water and roll over white granulated sugar. The white granulated sugar will crystallize so that the melted sugar can stick to it and form a crystal candy. ^[27] Crystallization sprouts make crystal candies easier to form and shortens candy making time because the crystallized sugar has a point to stick to.

• Let the skewers dry completely before moving on to the next step. If the sugar doesn’t stick to the stick, it will fall into the cup and the sugar will crystallize at the bottom of the cup instead of on the skewer. ^[28]

Hold the skewer in the center of the cup so that it does not touch the sides and bottom of the cup. If the skewer touches the cup, it will prevent candy from forming or the stick will stick to the bottom and sides of the cup. ^[29]

• Hold the skewers about 2.5cm from the bottom of the cup. ^[30]

Clip the other end of the skewer with a clothespin and let the clip lie horizontally over the rim of the cup. The skewer should be clamped in the center of the clothespin, as close to the spring as possible. ^[31] You can use a large clothespin if the mouth of the cup is large.

• Your skewers need to be held in place with clamps and still in the center of the cup.
• Cover the cup with a paper towel. You can tear a small hole so the skewer can go through the paper.

Put the cup in a safe place, not easily touched. Music, sounds from the TV, or other activities can cause vibrations that interfere with crystal formation or cause the candy to fall out. For the best candy to form, keep the cup in a cool or room temperature location, away from noise and footsteps. ^[32]

Wait 1 to 2 weeks for the crystal candy to form. Try not to touch or knock on the cup as this will cause the crystal candy to fall off the stick. ^[33] When you’re satisfied with the amount of crystal candy (or when it seems like it can’t continue to grow larger) carefully remove the skewers and place them on parchment paper to dry.

• If there is a hard patch on the surface of the sugar water solution, you can gently break it with a knife, avoiding the area close to the crystal candy skewer. ^[34]
• If crystal candy sticks to the cup, run hot water on the outside of the bottom of the cup. This will reduce the stickiness of the sugar so you can remove the candy without breaking it. ^[35]