In the Soviet Union there was everything - both good and not so good. This is a fact you cannot argue with. But what could not be taken away from a simple person was ingenuity.
A simple human savvy that helped to live and survive. It was this ingenuity that struck fascists in the distant 41 years, it was she who brought into awe the majority of guests from abroad. Moreover, it was a national feature. To make something out of nothing is practically the superpower of the Soviet people.
Cooking savvy
You can talk a lot about the minuses of that time, but the fact that savvy manifested itself in everything is an indicator in itself. Even in an area such as cooking, people managed to find innovative solutions in those difficult conditions. Another confirmation of this is lollipops. Their recipe is simple to the point of banality, but this does not prevent them from being one of their favorite children's treats. Moreover, not only in the USSR, children loved caramel cockerels and bunnies. Even now, all the polls look at the colorful cockerels, which are sold in markets by women of unknown nationality. Naturally, few mothers will risk buying a treat from one of these ladies. But it does not matter. Even at home, you can make a big lollipop and please the children. However, not only children love sweets. Therefore, even adults will be happy to die lollipops. We will disclose their recipe below. So let's get started.
Lollipops: recipe
First, add sugar to the pan. It’s better, of course, to take plain white. It is cheaper and the color of its degree of readiness is much easier to determine. So, pour sugar into a saucepan with water. About 300 g of sugar is recommended for 300 ml of water.
This proportion is considered optimal. Do not forget to add vinegar, exactly 1 tablespoon. If suddenly there is no vinegar, then you can add 0.1 g of citric acid. Although, as a rule, it is easier to find vinegar at home. To taste, you can add any edible essence to caramel, for example,
peppermint oil or honey. It is better not to get involved in dyes, since they are far from harmless, and they will also interfere with determining the degree of caramel readiness. Next, put a saucepan with all the ingredients on a slow-slow fire. This is necessary, since sugar should not start to burn. Ideally, the sweet mass will begin to "swim", but not burn.
Keep the mass on fire for about 10 minutes, carefully following the color of our future caramel. In this regard, it is similar to milk: one has only to turn away, as she immediately strives to burn. Therefore, never leave the stove during cooking. However, moving away from the stove during cooking is not recommended at all. But in the case of caramel, this is especially true. Her melting point is much lower, which means that in just a couple of minutes the mixture will already “float” and an eye and an eye will be needed behind it.
How to make homemade lollipops? The recipe has nuances
Why is burning sugar so dangerous? The fact is that because of it, caramel will have a bitter taste, and the delicacy will be absolutely spoiled. Ideally, you should get a light brown mixture. After that, you can turn off the gas and pour it into molds. In order to easily remove the caramel, it is recommended to lubricate the molds with sunflower oil.
Creamy here, most likely, will not work, like margarine. And sweets will easily go out of shape, but they will acquire a characteristic aftertaste that can ruin the whole impression of the dessert. There is another option. If there are no special molds, then simple spoons are suitable, in which you still pour liquid caramel. Things that you must not forget are sticks. Yes, we oiled the molds for convenience. But it’s even more convenient to eat lollipops. The recipe, as you see, is nowhere simpler. Of course, as elsewhere, there are nuances in making caramel. For example, if you use special curly molds, then you most likely will need an assistant. One and fill the caramel in the form, and insert sticks is very inconvenient. Therefore, you can connect to the preparation of sweets and children. Kids will be interested to see how such a tasty and beautiful delicacy is born before their eyes as, for example, a round lollipop. At the same time, be careful not to burn the child.
Caramel in the cooking process becomes very hot. Therefore, as was said above, a child can be allowed into the kitchen only at the final stage of making sweets.
How to make lollipops according to the royal recipe?
As the name implies, this recipe, although based on the previous one, differs from it by its sophistication of taste and unusual culinary solution. So what is the peculiarity of these candies? Firstly, here we use not only caramel, but also spices. So, in the cooking process, you can and even need to add cinnamon and vanillin. The main thing is not to overdo it. Excess vanilla will give the caramel bitterness, not a light, refined aroma. As for cinnamon, it can be put in practically unlimited quantities. But in ground form. It's just that her sticks, placed in a caramel mixture, will not give either aroma or a beautiful color. But such caramel is also called royal because of the difficulty in cooking. The fact is that because of cinnamon, the color of the caramel will change, and it will become more difficult to track whether it burns or not. Of course, you can add spices at the very end, before pouring the mixture into molds.
But this is not recommended, since then cinnamon will simply be on the surface of the candy, and not evenly distributed over the caramel. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this, but then you will not feel all the charm of cinnamon in caramel. So, here is the recipe itself: 400 g of water, 150 g of sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon, cardamom to taste.
Caramel "East"
This recipe is considered one of the oldest. The fact is that the composition of this caramel includes a variety of ingredients. Nevertheless, two types of eastern caramel are distinguished. During the preparation of the first type, seeds, sesame, and nuts are added to the molten mass. In other words, the resulting product will be somewhat reminiscent of the roasting. The only difference is that the number of seeds and nuts is less. Nuances in the preparation of this delicacy are also available.
Nuances and recommendations
So, it is recommended to add only chopped nuts, seeds. Sesame and poppy can be strewed in its original form. And if you decide to also add flaxseeds, then you will make the treat not only tasty, but also very useful. These homemade lollipops will conquer everyone - both adults and children. So, the recipe: 300 g of water, 100 g of sugar (cane can also be used here), crushed nuts, seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds. The last ingredients are added to taste, because you can experiment with a different number of nuts, etc.
Vitamin Lollipops
Despite their undoubted benefit, these candies do not differ in special taste. Even a large lollipop will not be for your child, most likely, a long-awaited surprise. But it will help you restore the balance of trace elements in the body. So, what are their features and uniqueness? Everything is simple. For cooking, you will need flax seeds, various fiber, ground ginger. If you still want to combine the benefits and taste, add more honey to sugar. So, the cooking process is almost identical. The only difference is that here we add fiber and flax seeds to caramel.
What fiber is best to take?
Of course, the most delicious is buckwheat fiber, although it will kill the taste of sugar. You just get buckwheat candy. Therefore, it is better to combine it with the fiber of other cereals. Flax seeds are not only very useful. They, among other things, will amuse the child when they slide and burst in the mouth.