1 Ingredient Licorice Wands, Version 1
Try this 1 Ingredient Licorice Wands, Version 1 recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this 1 Ingredient Licorice Wands, Version 1 recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 wand (0g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Cut the licorice to the length you want your wands to be.
- Take clean kitchen scissors and cut from one corner on a diagonal to the other corner, so you're left with two long triangle like licorice pieces.
- Prep a baking tray with a silicone sheet or baking paper and preheat oven to 160C.
- Place one cut licorice piece on a plate and microwave on low power for 20 seconds to soften.
- Twist the licorice piece until you have a wand shape, and lay on the baking tray, using heavy oven safe pieces to hold each end down (I used stainless steel cutlery).
- Repeat until you have a tray full of wands, then place in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. If any pieces have come undone, they can quickly be retwisted, but use candy making gloves when handling as it's hot sugar you're now working with.
- Set aside and let cool.
Why won't the confection hold its shape after twisting?
Confectionery structural integrity depends heavily on temperature management and precise moisture content. Heating the material in a microwave on low power for 20 seconds softens the crystalline sugar matrix just enough to allow physical manipulation without liquefying the entire structure. If the material remains rigid, internal resistance will cause the twisted wand to unfurl before the baking phase sets the new form.
How does thermal setting alter the final texture?
Baking at 160C drives off residual moisture and caramelizes surface sugars, shifting the candy from a pliable state to a brittle, glassy finish. Stainless steel cutlery placed on the ends acts as heavy weights to counteract the natural elasticity of the cooling sugar strands. Working quickly while wearing candy-making gloves is essential because molten sugar retains extreme heat and causes severe burns upon contact.
Can this process be adapted for larger batches?
Scaling the yield requires staggering the microwave softening steps, since individual pieces cool rapidly and lose their malleability within seconds of removal. Processing more than two long triangle pieces simultaneously leads to uneven softening across the batch.
