How to Bake Hard Candy Shot Glasses

I know a lot of people who shy away from making hard candy, and I understand why. First, there’s the boiling hot syrup that sticks to skin like napalm (been there, not fun!). And second, clean up isn’t exactly easy. Pots and pans with stuck-on hard candy will sometimes take hours to soak clean.

That’s why I love this little project so much. It’s a no-brainer: no candy thermometer, and no dangerously hot sugar syrup involved. All you need is a bag of hard candy discs and a silicone shot glass mold.

I got the idea for these candy shots a couple of weeks ago when Wilton sent me a box of products to test. Tucked inside, between mini loaf pans and sprinkles, I spotted an 8-cavity silicone shot glass mold. The packaging featured a shot glass made of Starlight mints, and I wondered if any hard candy could be used to bake shot glasses.

Since then, I’ve tried all kinds: butterscotch discs, cinnamon discs, and assorted fruit discs (pictured). They all worked beautifully. My favorite result was with the ones made with assorted fruit discs. They bake into a vibrant rainbow swirl – so fun!

To get started, you’ll need to buy the silicone mold. You can find it here, or wherever Wilton products are sold (like the baking aisle in the craft store). You’ll also need a big bag of assorted fruit-flavored discs. I used most of a 21 ounce bag (1 lb 5 oz) to make eight shot glasses.

In the pictures above, you can see how I layer the candies into the cavities evenly.

First, push 5 candies into the bottom of a cavity in this rainbow color order: red, orange, yellow, green, violet. It might be a tight fit to get all the candies in, but be bossy about it. It won’t hurt for the silicone mold to stretch a little. Push another 5 candies into the mold in rainbow order, staggering them so that a candy rests between two bottom pieces. Finally, place four candies of any color on top of the mold to create the bottom of the shot glass. It’s okay if the candies stick up over the top of the shot glass mold. They’ll melt down in the oven.

After baking, use a metal spoon to tamp down the melted candy. This will force out any air bubbles and make sure the candy has no gaps when unmolded.

Allow the candy to set at room temperature. After the candy is cooled, pop the shot glasses out from the bottom of the silicone mold, and twist the glass so the middle releases. Voilà! Instant candy shot glass.

Like any hard candy, these should be made on a non-humid day. Humidity can cause the candy to weep and become sticky. Anything you put inside the glasses will take on the flavor of the candy. In just minutes the whipped cream I filled the glasses with was permeated with fruity candy flavor.

Aside from the obvious adult use for the shot glasses, I could see this being fun project for kiddos too. Small hands can unwrap candies and help place them in the cavities. The transformation from hard candy discs to edible cups feels a little like magic, so it’s entertaining, too. I could see juice or orange soda being served in these with stripey straws for a Candyland-themed birthday.

Hard Candy Shot Glasses

[click for printable version]

Prep: 20 minutes, total time 1 hour with cooling

When shopping for mints to use in this recipe, be sure to choose hard candy discs. Avoid crumbly, soft peppermints. Butterscotch discs, and Starlight mints are a good choice for baking.

1 bag (21 oz.) hard candy discs

Wilton 8 cavity Round Shot Glass Silicone Mold

Unwrap candies. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Push 5 candies into the bottom of a shot glass cavity. It might be a tight fit to get all the candies in, but be bossy about it. It won’t hurt for the silicone mold to stretch a little. Push another 5 candies into the mold on top of the first layer, staggering them so that a candy rests between two bottom pieces. Finally, place four candies on top of the mold to create the bottom of the shot glass. It’s okay if the candies stick up over the top of the shot glass mold. They’ll melt down in the oven. Repeat the process with remaining candies.

Place the silicone mold onto a level baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. After baking, use a metal spoon to tamp down the melted candy (and try to make the bottom as even as possible). This will force out any air bubbles and make sure the candy has no gaps when unmolded.

Allow the candy to set at room temperature. After the candy is cooled, pop the shot glasses out from the bottom of the silicone mold, and twist the glass so the middle releases. Voilà! Instant candy shot glass.

Notes: It’s important that the candies bake long enough to become one solid mass. If you remove your glasses and they have holes or gaps in them, then return them to the silicone pan and bake them for 5 to 7 minutes longer.

Any liquid placed inside the glasses will take on the flavor of the candy. If, for some reason, you want to avoid this, you can coat the inside of the shot glasses with a layer of chocolate or melted candy.