Horehound Candy Recipes

Steps:

• Wash horehound leaves and put in saucepan. Add water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, mashing occasionally with fork. Remove from heat; cover and let cool (needs to stand at least 1/2 hour to infuse.
• While infusion in cooling, butter a 9x13 pan.
• Drain horehound leaves into measuring cup (I use a coffee filter to strain it). Be sure to squeeze all the liquid from the leaves. Make sure you have at least 1 cup of liquid. Discard leaves.
• Pour liquid into a 4 quart saucepan. Add brown sugar and syrup. Bring to a boil and cook to 300 degrees on a candy thermometer (hard crack stage).
• Pour into prepared pan and let cool. Just before it sets up, score into squares with a knife to make it easier to break apart. When cool and set, break into pieces and store in airtight container.
• Note: The infusion (liquid from the leaves) can be frozen to use later.

Steps:

• Black strap molasses is recommended.
• Let 1 cup horehound tea steep for about 3 minutes, or to taste. ( Made into tea with 1 cup boiling water). Do this with a regular coffee pot.
• In a saucepan with the sides buttered, add 1 cup horehound tea, 2 cups of sugar and 3 tablespoons butter + molasses.
• Bring to a boil with medium heat and continue to boil until temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 260-270 degrees. (This is really important because if it goes higher than this, the rolling and twisting becomes unmanageable. Gets hard to fast.).
• Pour into a buttered pan and let set until cool enough to handle.
• Pull candy with buttered hands, twisting into ropes 4-5 inches long. Snip into pieces with kitchen shears.
• When cut, place all the pieces in a plastic container with sugar and shake for coating.
• NOTES: to prevent unnecessary crystalization, never stir the pot or scrape the pan.

Steps:

• Boil the horehound leaves in the 2 cups water for 10 minutes; discard leaves.
• Add twice as much honey as the remaining liquid and stir the mixture smooth.
• Then blend 2 cups of sugar with 1/8 tsp.
• of cream of tartar in a saucepan, and add the honey-horehound mixture.
• Stir over medium heat until sugar melts.
• Then lower flame and continue stirring till a dollop of the candy forms a hard ball when dropped in cold water.
• At that point, pour syrup into buttered baking dish and cut into small squares as candy begins to harden.
• Finally, roll in confectioners sugar and then granulated sugar and store in airtight containers.

Steps:

• Simmer the dried horehound leaves in the quart of water for approximately 30 minutes.
• Cover and let steep for 20 minutes.
• Strain the liquid and discard the leaves.
• Add sugar, syrup, and butter.
• Cook mixture until it reaches hard crack stage (300 degrees F).
• Pour into a greased pan and let cool.
• Cut into small drop-like pieces.

Steps:

• Pour the rye into a large wide-mouthed jar. Drop in the cinnamon and horehound candy. Place the cloves and dried citrus peel into a metal tea ball or in a tightly tied cheesecloth packet, then add to jar. Place the dried horehound in a separate tea ball or packet and add to jar. Pour in the cherry syrup, and close the jar. Remove the dried horehound after four hours. Continue to steep for at least two days, and up to a month. Taste periodically, and remove the cloves and citrus peels when the flavor is to your liking. The mixture can be topped off with additional whiskey as it develops.
• Combine 2 ounces of the mixture with 2 ounces very hot water in a heat-proof glass and stir gently. Twist lemon peel over and drop in.