Sea Glass Candy

So, here's a tutorial for something I loooove to make. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. I initially picked it out for our nautical themed Bid Day Dinner, but made it several times after because it tasted so good.

This is a link to the recipe that I used, and I followed it very closely:
http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/diy-wedding-favors-make-your-own-sea-glass-candy/

The only thing I didn't follow was to sprinkle it in the confectioner's sugar after it's all said and done. In hindsight, this would've helped keep the candy from sticking together.

Both times I made it, I used vanilla flavoring because that's all I had, and lo and behold...it came out tasting like cotton candy. This was a great surprise to me, and my sisters and I enjoyed it greatly. The first batch looked like this:

This was a few drops each of blue and green food coloring.

And the next time, I put sprinkles in it! I just put them into my hand, spread them evenly across, and then tapped them in with the back of a spoon (gently). This was done right after I poured it in the pan and it achieved a smooth state.

To break it into pieces, I have this adorable tiny hammer (pictured top right of the sprinkles photo) that I used. But I assume you could use any hard object; a vase, a coffee cup, a brick, or even a very large hammer at a gentler tap.
Note: Big hammers are for adults. When using your big hammer, do not place it on the top of a door frame and forget about it. Candy will not be the only thing it crushes. I know this from experience.

  Hammer safety is extremely important, guys.

Anyway, this candy is delicious. As in the recipe, you can use any color or flavor you want. You do have to stir the sugary goodness really fast once you put the food coloring in. If it hardens on your pot, just throw the pot in the sink and let hot water run over the area. The hot water will dissolve the sugar and make it a lot easier to clean up. The cookie sheet probably won't have any stuck on it when you're done, mine didn't. Another word to the wise, watch the candy thermometer well. Once it reaches close to the right point it can climb past hard tack really quickly, which makes the candy extremely hard to deal with.
All in all, this is a super easy intro to candy making. It really doesn't need any prowess other than the ability to mix, boil, and pour quickly. If you need something to give out as gifts, or to bring to an event, I highly recommend it. It's relatively cheap for the amount of enjoyment you get out of it.

 Make it your own and enjoy!