National Lollipop Day is observed in the United States on July 20 every year. The day is observed to celebrate the delightful and sweet treat, loved everywhere. Today, lollipops are available in different shapes, sizes, colours and flavours across countries. Every place has its own favourite flavoured candy and it's dear to its people. As we celebrate National Lollipop Day 2020, we bring to you the easy and quick recipes to make perfect candies at home. It is said that lollipop has come a long way, going back to prehistoric times, when people would preserve nuts and berries in honey and eat it. Following which also confectioneries continued to be made in sugar syrup. National Jelly Bean Day 2020: From Different Flavours to Jelly Beans Sent Into Space, Here Are 7 Interesting Facts About These Tasty Candies.

And as sugar became a daily commodity, the consumption of lollipops was popularised in 16th century Europe. George Smith who created the first modern variant of lollypop in 1908, trademarked the name in 1931, which he claims came from his favourite racing horse, Lolly Pops. Meanwhile, we bring to you a simple recipe to make lollipop at home. To make these candies you need half a cup of light corn syrup, one cup of sugar, 1/4 the cup water, one and a half teaspoons extract of your choice (vanilla, mint, cinnamon, coconut, etc.) Food colouring is optional and you can add it as your likes or dislikes. To make this you need lollipop moulds, nonstick cooking spray, lollipop sticks and one cup of sugar.

  • Spray the lollipop mould lightly with nonstick cooking spray and wipe out the inside with a paper towel leaving a thin layer of oil in it.

  • Insert the lollipop sticks into the moulds.

  • Mix sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

  • Once the sugar dissolves, brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.

  • Allow the mixture to boil, without stirring, until candy reaches 300 F, you can use a candy thermometer for it.

  • Then remove the saucepan from heat and let it sit until the bubbling stops completely. Stir in the extract of your choice, and the food colouring.

  • Pour it into the moulds and once it cools down completely and becomes hard, you can remove it.

How to Make Candy at Home:

As Sugar attracts water, weather can affect candy making, especially humidity can play the spoilsport. So, avoid making it at monsoon, or make you have a perfect set temperature manually. We hope your lollipops turns out to be perfect ones. Meanwhile, we wish you all a Happy National Lollipop Day!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 16, 2020 06:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).