Making Homemade Suckers in the Microwave

I was at a dance competition a year or two ago when a woman pulled out a large bag of suckers and was handing them to her friends sitting around her. 

We got to talking as I have made them for years. 

She told me that she makes them in the microwave. I told her I had never seen or heard of that. 

She told me how she does it and here it is. 

Homemade Suckers in Microwave

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2/3 cup corn syrup
coloring
flavoring

Mix in a microwavable glass bowl.  Pyrex works great. Cook for 22 minutes in microwave. Don't stop or stir.

I have a very high powered microwave so we stuck ours on for 18 minutes since I didn't know what power of microwave she had. Ours were PERFECT at 18 minutes. My microwave is 1000 watts so figure out how much yours is and adjust the time accordingly or just take it out at 18 minutes, drop some into cold water and if you hear a "crack" sound, its done. Be careful as the glass bowl with be HOT! Use an oven mitt. (I made a few more batches and added two minutes and it turned into divinity and was chewy so I think I will stick with 18 or even try 17 as one of the girls said they thought the first batch was sticky. It only got worse with more time.)

She also said she uses cooking spray to grease the molds rather than grease or butter. So, we now spray them and then dab them with a paper towel to take off the excess and it works so much quicker. 

She also told me she makes her own "Tootsie Roll" filling for the round sucker molds using powdered milk and cocoa.

You can get a white softer nugat type filling at baking supply stores and you can make the suckers Opaque so they aren't see through using the Wilton product in the "candy making" section at WalMart or a baking supply store. It isn't cheap however so we have stuck with the clear single colored suckers. 

Even though she gave me this recipe years ago, we have never tried it until today. Princess Five had a friend over and it was her birthday. She wanted to make suckers for her birthday so we did. It was FABULOUS making them in the microwave. It was quick and easy and much less chance of burning. 

The mold on the right is a tiny candy mold like life savers. It makes a baggie full. I want to try making my own cough drops using that mold and using eucolyptus and wintergreen flavor or something similar as I don't like the "cough drop" smell with only eucolyptus so if I add a mint flavor as well, it will be like a breath mint and cough drop in one.