My son, Tyler, and his wife, Lisa, made licorice and gave some to my husband and I. He knows how to win points and influence his mother who LOVES licorice. It was with great self-control that I ate less than 3 pieces a day. (Self-control? Just who am I kidding? I had none. Absolutely none. I pigged out every day.)
Such soft, chewy licorice! Here’s the recipe if you happen to be interested in making some. I recommend it.
When Lisa explained how to make it, she mentioned that her sister just sprayed the pan with Pam instead of lining the pan with buttered foil. Spraying the pan sounded so much easier. I sprayed my pan.
I used a powdered food coloring recommended at the local candy making supply store. Did the candy come out black? Nay. Sickly grey-green is more like it. Kinda the color of an old army ammo can. (I’ll just close my eyes before I put a piece in my mouth.)
Then the recipe said to put it in a cool place over night. The fridge is cool, isn’t it? In it went. When I got it out, it was as soft and chewy as the ice cap at the South Pole.
I broke a spatula trying to get the candy out of the pan. I used a crow bar instead.
You know the spray oil I used? I didn’t want the candy to stick to the pan, so I sprayed it. And sprayed it. And sprayed it. When I tried to get the candy out of the pan, oil gushed up all over the edges like the oil that Jed Clampet discovered on his land in the TV show the Beverly Hill Billies.
I tried to wipe off the oil with a paper towel. Paper fibers got stuck in the licorice.
I tried wiping off the oil with a damp dish towel. Lint got stuck in the licorice between the paper fibers.
When I was ready to cut the candy, I pulled out Craig’s chain saw. I broke the saw. It took me hours to cut and wrap the candy in waxed paper.
During the cutting and wrapping, I had eaten so many pieces in the process, I felt licorice oozing out of my pores with my sweat. Sigh.
I have some advice where I posted the recipe. If you’re interested in making this candy, you might want to read it. Experience is such a great teacher, isn’t it?
Still, all these posts about licorice make me wish I liked licorice. It sounds delicious.
Julianne, I’m thinking of writing about homemade caramels. Do you like caramels? The process is similar — but without the anise/licorice flavoring . . .
By the way, it was your Dad’s old army can that I thought about as I described the color of the licorice . . .