I’m a fan of red wine in desserts (you know this, right?), and I’ve seen lots of boozy lollipop recipes, but none containing red wine. I did a good bit of searching online, and even in my personal stash of candy cookbooks -nada. I became obsessed with the idea of a red wine pop, and my mission soon became clear: get in the SB test kitchen and fill this terrible void in the confectionery world!
It took a few tries. First, I used the liquid/sugar ratio for a standard pop, but the flavor was lacking. I increased the red wine, only to find the candy wouldn’t set properly. I knew better, but I did it anyway.
A while later the correct synapse fired in my brain, and the answer was simple: make a red wine reduction. This gave the lollipops big-time flavor and a beautiful color.
I dressed up the lollies with gold luster dust, and the technique could not be easier! Brush luster dust over the dry lollipop surface and dip it in a glass of room temperature water; shake off the excess then lay it flat on a piece of parchment paper. The gold dust will separate a little while the lollies lay flat. Leave them to dry overnight.
See? Easy! And perfect to hand out for Valentine’s day.
Extra tidbits:
- After much deliberation, it looks like I will be attending Blissdom this year! I can’t wait to meet some of my favorite people!
- Last week while making Chicken Marsala, I accidentally coated our chicken in powdered sugar instead of flour. I blame my husband and his efforts to organize my pantry with unlabeled containers. (We both choked down about two bites. Perhaps I should just stick to making dessert.)
- I am still loving my special purpose camera, but my poor dogs may go blind from the flash. I can’t help that they are so photogenic.
NOTE! This recipe has proved to be difficult for some. Please read all the comments before attempting this recipe.
Port Wine Lollipops
Yield: About 12 lollipops [click for printable recipe]
Note: You will need hard candy lollipop molds or a silicone mat. If those are not readily available, parchment-lined cookie sheets will also work.
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp Port wine
3 tablespoons corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
12 Lollipop sticks
Gold luster dust *optional
- Bring red wine to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer wine until reduced to 1/3 cup, this should take about 20-25 minutes. Remove from stove-top and let cool completely.
- In a medium saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and wine reduction. Stir until combined. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a heat-proof spatula until all sugar granules have dissolved. Boil until candy temperature registers 298-310 degrees on a candy thermometer.
- Remove from heat and fill greased lollipop molds with the hot candy. Place lollipop sticks in the stick crevices and rotate until the stick is coated in the hot candy. Alternatively, you may also drop the hot candy from a spoon onto a silicone mat or parchment paper, making two to three-inch disks and leaving room to place -and rotate- the lollipop sticks.
- Allow the lollipops to harden completely. These are best if you wait a day to consume them, as this gives the red wine flavor plenty of time to develop.
- Embellish with luster dust if desired and store between sheets of parchment in an airtight container
Edit 2/7/12, TIPS: Many of you are having trouble with the candy burning. I just made these again to make sure I didn’t make a mistake or leave something important out. Mine came out perfectly, again. I suggest boiling the candy to 298 degrees instead of 310 degrees (the candy will keep cooking a little after it is removed from the heat source). The candy will caramelize just slightly, but it should not be – or taste– burnt. I use a digital thermometer, as it is easier to read. Also, don’t use a large pan in which to boil the candy, or it will certainly burn. If candy continues to burn, it could be your pan – you may try adding a couple of tablespoons of water or wine from the bottle to the reduction/sugar/corn syrup/salt mixture.
The photo of the lollipop over the wine glass is absolute magic! I love it.
What a clever thing you are!
yeah, I was excited to see a post from you. These are ever so lovely! What a super idea…I'm sad I just left the store without the luster stuff…I almost…almost…bought some.
I gotta get me a lollipop mold, just for this treat. I wonder if you can do the same thing with lime and tequila?
heather: blissdom first off sounds like my kind of gig! oh I've never heard of this before! i want to go, but such short notice, money, etc….. please email me when you get a chance, would love to hear more. i know you're busy but when you can chicklet. xoxo
love that color red; wouldn't that make a fabulous pair of shoes?
yes! these look amazing and I LOVE red wine too. so pretty and classy too 😉
I found this recipe via Pinterest. What a fantastic idea for Valentine's Day treats!
Those are very pretty! I wish I was a drinker and could actually try them!
These are so lovely. I have lolly molds and luster dust just waiting to be used!
Beautiful lollipops! So pretty and surely divine. I love the idea.
Cheers,
Rosa
Love it!!! Now, how many lollipops do you have to consume to catch a buzz? 😉
These are freaking brilliant! Ughhh I want one so bad right now!!
What a fun recipe!
You had me at wine!
I don't suppose you've seen Bernard's lolly on Black Books?
Oh my stars, this is a fantastic idea! I am just now finding your blog and I love it. You are going on my list of favorites sidebar. Hope you're having a great weekend.
XO,
Hannah
http://www.hannahandbryan.blogspot.com
these are so creative! i love the deep red color!
So cute! My husband LOVES red wine. He'll like this :0
This is genius, I'll definitely be giving these a try!
Absolutely yum!
Laurafornerphotography.blogspot.com
Inspired! I'm making these for my next dinner party.
I love wine. And lollipops!
I confess that I have a Blo-Pop or Tootsie-Pop lollipop many times per week, HCFS and all. Must replace that with wine and try yours.
Blissdom. How fun!!
I haven't had a lollipop in a long time, but this is amazing!
it is… i have no words!! really special! thanx for share! hugs from spain!
I think you may have just started a new trend in lollipops. These look wonderful and your photographs are superb.
These are so adorable! Love that camera…
What a great idea! These would be such fum as a party favor.
Wow! These are amazing!! So creative and i'm sure delicious! Can't wait to give these a go : )
Another brilliant idea. I love red wine in an form. The gold dusting on these is just magical and that Chicken marsala story is hilarious.
OMG these look amazing!
http://woodstockwardrobe.com/
Wow, this is great!
I'm not a big red wine fan, but these are so adorable, I'd love to have one! And that luster dust is gorgeous, Heather.
Best,
Gloria
P.S. My heart goes out to you that you used powered sugar instead of flour and couldn't eat the chicken!
Awesome! I'm assuming that you used PAM to spray the molds with? I'm a Reisling and Muscado girl, so I'm hoping this works with them too! Thanks for sharing!
Rita-Greer,SC
You are a GENIUS! My wine loving friends will want to try these…
~ Carmen
Good call on the red wine reduction!!!! These sound very intriguing!
Port is one of my favorite liqueurs. I would go lolly if someone handed me a wine soaked lollipop!
this is amazing! the lollipops look so gorgeous with their gold coat. and i'm sure the flavor is superb! so perfect, heather! xoxo
What a grand idea!! I would never think to make red wine popsicles.
http://www.lifeofamodernhousewife.com
Yay! Grown-up candy!
What a brilliant idea! Never would have thought of this. Like you said, a nice treat for Valentine's Day too!
Fabulous!! LOVE, LOVE your ideas and the photos!
Whoa good idea! Way to be.
This is such a fabulous idea for Valentine's Day and I love that you did all the hard work for us to figure out how to make it work! Loving your display of them in the silver plate tray and that gorgeous shot over the glass of wine. xo ~Lili
That is awesome! Great post!
http://www.cancerinthecity.com
Wow. Amazing! Glad you figured out how to make these and make them tasty!
they look so pretty and sound delicious! Love the photography too!
Absolutely beautiful! I want to make for my wedding… how early can I make them?
THANKS!
You never cease to amaze me with the beautiful pictures of the things you make! I love the idea for red wine lollipops, but your pictures are so amazing. They really make your food, I would want to eat a bag of these!!!
Hello Heather~I've just strolled in for my first visit…I've enjoyed taking a peek at your past posts. You've got so many amazing confections. Your blog is so beautifully inviting.
We share similar taste for so many of the same food elements. I'm so excited give a try in making these lollipops.
I look forward to coming by your charming blog again.
Come by for a visit. Your company would be nice.
Sweet wishes,
Sara
These are fab! Seeing the pics made me fear that super-complicated sugar craft was involved, but this seems do-able!
Ooh the possibilities! A whole array of cocktail lollies springs to mind – thank you for this now I know I will be dreaming of making lollies for the next week! Love the photography as your lighting and composition really draws the reader in – I however must practise more!