Making Candy for Science

Once we were through with making bread for science, the kids began making candy.

Like making bread, making candy is also a science. Just melting chocolate involves measuring temperature and a precise heating and cooling cycle. If proper tempering isn't done, chocolate can burn or end up with unsightly white streaks. I liken it to the science of metallurgy where metals are combined, heated and cooled to precise temperatures in order to achieve desired characteristics.

Although there are several science candy making kits on the market, we chose to put together our own. Unfortunately many reviews of such kits stated there really wasn't much inside the boxes. Therefore, we purchased the Candy Making book by Autumn Carpenter and found our own supplies. While there are several websites available for purchasing supplies, we discovered a local candy supply store. We paid the store a visit and left with a big box full of supplies.

Beginning with simply dipping treats into chocolate and making clusters, we learned about candy coatings, flavorings, peppermint crunch and more. The kids made a few friends giving away candy and were thrilled to have so many treats around the house.