100% Food Storage - last real grocery trip was November, 2023; today is March 26, 2024.
Prior to working our way through some of this food storage, we were a low-carb, keto family - so while I did store non keto and low carb items for 'just in case' I wasn't storing a lot since I knew we would have to rotate and use them, but we don't normally eat them. Even if we like them... like flour for breads, sugar, and... Skittles.
While my husband and most of the universe likes chocolate, I do not. I don't crave most candy or even sugar or desserts, but Skittles... I do love them. And I DID store some. But they were used over the past 4 months as The Littles love Skittles and they are a special treat they enjoy as well.
I've been craving them big time this week.
Being well stocked, I knew I had the ingredients.
Basically just 'taffy' but flavored with some citric acid as well as whatever flavors you wish.
Basically just 'taffy' but flavored with some citric acid as well as whatever flavors you wish.
Since I keep a well stocked pantry, I have citric acid. I also have LorAnn flavors like cherry and grape oil extracts. I have organic orange extracts and raspberry and strawberry emulsion. I had a couple packs of cherry and grape Kool-Aid. I also have some 'True Lime' flavor packets. Lemon extract? I've got that too. Freeze dried strawberries and raspberries? Yep - I can pulverize those as well.
In the end the taffy was made.
Divided into 2 parts.
One flavored like red Skittles (I used a whole mixture of things to do so - and just kept taste testing). Mostly strawberry and raspberry emulsion flavoring along with black cherry Kool-Aid and bit of cherry oil flavoring from Wilton.
The other was colored white and I used orange extract.
(The final orange color and bright red would be after they were coated with a hard shell candy glaze.)
In the end the taffy was made.
Divided into 2 parts.
One flavored like red Skittles (I used a whole mixture of things to do so - and just kept taste testing). Mostly strawberry and raspberry emulsion flavoring along with black cherry Kool-Aid and bit of cherry oil flavoring from Wilton.
The other was colored white and I used orange extract.
(The final orange color and bright red would be after they were coated with a hard shell candy glaze.)
The hardest and most mind-numbingly boring part was making the tiny dots to become Skittles.
To make the little candies, let them dry and then I have to make the hard candy shell.
After awhile I just decided it was really like Air Heads tangy taffy (or a really tangy Laffy Taffy) if I left it in larger pieces so right now on the counter we have both.
I also realized I cooked the red version about 2 minutes longer than the white version, as I was adding flavorings while they were in the saucepans. The red is just a tiny bit more firm - and the white a little too soft. But when I tasted them together I realized I had a huge 'hit' of taste on my hands so now I've mixed most of them together anyway as the flavor is incredible.
It started raining and storming yesterday - STILL raining and the humidity level is so high the little Skittle dots aren't getting hard yet anyway... so I'm in no hurry to finish and coat them with the hard candy shell yet anyway.
To make the little candies, let them dry and then I have to make the hard candy shell.
After awhile I just decided it was really like Air Heads tangy taffy (or a really tangy Laffy Taffy) if I left it in larger pieces so right now on the counter we have both.
I also realized I cooked the red version about 2 minutes longer than the white version, as I was adding flavorings while they were in the saucepans. The red is just a tiny bit more firm - and the white a little too soft. But when I tasted them together I realized I had a huge 'hit' of taste on my hands so now I've mixed most of them together anyway as the flavor is incredible.
It started raining and storming yesterday - STILL raining and the humidity level is so high the little Skittle dots aren't getting hard yet anyway... so I'm in no hurry to finish and coat them with the hard candy shell yet anyway.
Considering everyone loves them and keeps grabbing some of the taffy every time they walk through the kitchen, I'm pretty sure if I leave it all out sitting there for a couple days until the sunshine warms things up and the humidity level goes down, it will be mostly gone and I won't have to keep making tiny little homemade Skittles after all. :)
