How to Make Easy Crystal Clear Sugar Glass

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Sugar glass looks just like glass, except that you can eat it. Not only is it tasty to munch on, but you can also use it to decorate cakes and cupcakes. This article will show you how to make three different types of sugar glass. It will also give you a few ideas on how you can use it.

Ingredients

• 3½ cups (790 grams) white, granulated sugar
• 2 cups (475 milliliters) water
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) light corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

• 2 cups (450 grams) white, granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) water
• ½ cup (120 milliliters) light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon candy flavoring
• Green or blue food coloring (liquid or gel)
• Powdered/confectioner's sugar

1. 1

   Line a baking sheet with foil or spray with cooking spray. The baking sheet needs to have raised sides, or the melted sugar will slide off. If you don't have cooking spray, wrap the inside of the sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.

2. 

   2

   Pour the sugar, water, light corn syrup, and cream of tartar into a pot. Place the pot on the stove. You must use light corn syrup, or the glass will turn out too dark.

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3. 

   3

   Slowly bring the ingredients to a boil over medium heat while stirring them. ^[3] Don't use high heat. The sugar will boil too quickly if you do, and start to caramelize. Stir the ingredients often so that you don't scorch the bottom of the pot. As the mixture heats up, it'll go from a cloudy color to clear. When it boils, it will start to form foamy bubbles at top.

   • A silicone spatula will make clean up a lot easier than a wooden, plastic, or metal one.

4. 

   4

   Clip a candy thermometer to the inside wall of the pot. You can find one in a baking and cooking supply shop, an arts and crafts shop, or in the baking section of a super market. You will need this to get the temperature of your candy.

   • If your candy thermometer does not have a clip, tie it loosely to the handle of the pot with a piece of string.

5. 5

   Heat the candy to 300°F (148.89°C), then remove it from heat. The candy must reach 300°F (148.89°C). This is known as the "hard crack" phase.^[4] If you do not get the candy hot enough, it will not set properly. Your candy will end up sticky no matter how long you let it sit or cool.^[5] It will take about an hour for the candy to reach the right temperature.

   • The temperature will stop rising for a moment somewhere between 210 and 240°F (98.89 and 115.56°C). This is because the water is evaporating. Once the water has evaporated, the temperature will begin rising again.
   • Keep the temperature between 300 and 310°F (148.89 and 154.45°C). Do not allow it to reach 320°F (160°C) or your sugar glass will caramelize and turn brown.^[6]
   • If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the candy by dropping a tiny amount into a glass of cold water. The candy has reached the "hard crack" phase if it hardens into threads.^[7]

6. 

   6

   Slowly pour the hot candy into the baking sheet. This will minimize any bubbles. The candy will be thick, and spread slowly across the baking sheet.

7. 

   7

   Place the baking sheet onto an even surface and let the candy harden. This will help the candy spread out evenly so that the finished glass is smooth and not lumpy. Leave the candy to dry for about an hour.

   • Don't move the candy until the full hour has passed. It will be cool to the touch after 45 minutes, but it won't be hardened.

8. 

   8

   Remove the hardened candy from the baking sheet. If you used a cooking spray, flip the baking sheet upside down over a table. The candy should simply fall out. If you used tin foil or parchment paper, pop the candy out of the baking sheet. Then, peel the foil or paper off of the candy. If your candy does not come away easily, do this:

   • Take a knife and heat it up under hot water.
   • Cut along the edge where the glass meets the edge of the pan.
   • Use the knife to carefully loosen the candy from the baking sheet.
   • Flip the baking sheet over, then slowly lift the sheet away from the sugar glass that is resting on your hand.

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1. 

   1

   Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. The baking sheet needs to have raised sides, or the melted candy will slide off. If you can't find any cooking spray, wrap the inside of the sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.

   • Sugar sea glass is different from basic sugar glass. It is colored and frosted, just like real sea glass.

2. 

   2

   Combine the sugar, water, and light corn syrup in a pot. Place the pot on the stove, and stir everything together. Try to use a silicone spatula; it will make cleaning up easier.

3. 

   3

   Stir the ingredients together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Make sure to stir often, or the bottom of the pot may scorch. The mixture will be a little cloudy at first, but it will eventually turn clear.

4. 

   4

   Bring the candy to a boil over medium heat. Do not use high heat, or the candy will boil too quickly and caramelize. As the candy boils, it will create foam-like bubbles.

5. 

   5

   Clip a candy thermometer to the inside wall of the pot. You will need it to gauge the temperature of your candy. You can get one in a baking or cooking supply shop, an arts and crafts shop, or in the baking department of a well-stocked super market.

   • If your candy thermometer doesn't have a clip, tie it to the handle of the pot with a piece of string. This way, it won't fall into your candy.

6. 6

   Keep heating and stirring your candy until it reaches 300°F (148.89°C). This is very important. If you don't get your mixture hot enough, it won't harden properly. Your candy will be soft and sticky, no matter how long you let it sit, harden, or cool. It will take about an hour for it to reach this stage.

   • Do not let the temperature to reach 320°F (160°C) or your sugar glass will start to caramelize and turn brown.^[8]
   • If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop a small amount into a glass of cold water. If the candy hardens into threads, it has reached the "hard crack" phase.

7. 

   7

   Remove the pot from the stove and add in the food coloring and/or 1 teaspoon of candy flavoring. You will only need a few drops of food coloring. The more drops you add, the darker your sea glass will be. The color you use is up to you, but most sea glass is green or blue. You can also leave your sea glass clear; it will become more white once you add the powdered sugar. Use only one flavor and color per batch.

   • Consider matching your flavoring to the color. For example, you can use blueberry flavoring for blue sea glass, mint flavoring for green glass, and vanilla flavoring for white/clear glass.^[9]
   • You can buy the coloring and flavoring in the baking section of an arts and crafts store. You may also find them in a store that sells baking and cooking supplies.

8. 

   8

   Stir the mixture for about 2 minutes until everything is mixed together. The color should be even. There should not be any streaks or swirls. The candy will be translucent. This is normal. You will be making it cloudy in a later step.

9. 

   9

   Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and let it harden. Try to get the entire surface of the baking sheet covered. The candy will be thick and syrupy. It will take about an hour for it to harden.

10. 

    10

    Break the candy into pieces. Cover the candy with a towel or dish cloth. Then, use a hammer to shatter it into smaller pieces. Tap the candy in several places with the hammer.

11. 

    11

    Dust or rub some powdered sugar onto the candy. This will give it that frosted look that real sea glass has. You can also fill a plastic sandwich bag with some powdered sugar, add in a piece pieces of candy, and shake it.

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1. 1

   Use blue and clear glass for a winter themed party. Make some sugar sea glass, but do not coat the shards with powdered sugar. Leave them colored, but translucent.

2. 2

   Use red, orange, and yellow sugar glass shards to create flames on cupcakes and cakes. Make some sugar sea glass, but do not coat the shards with powdered sugar. Leave them translucent. Try making the yellow shards the largest, and the red shards the smallest. Coat a cake or cupcake with some buttercream frosting, and stick the shards into the frosting.

   • You will need to make a separate batch of candy for each color.

3. 3

   Serve sugar sea glass on some brown sugar and crushed graham crackers to mimic a beach. Crumble the crackers into a fine powder and mix it together with some brown sugar. Spread this on a shallow dish and top it with some sugar sea glass. You can also add some white chocolate sea shells.^[10]

   • If you can't find any graham crackers, any thin, cinnamon, honey, or ginger flavored cookies will do.

4. 4

   Use clear sugar glass and red gel frosting to top creepy cupcakes. Frost some cupcakes with white, buttercream frosting. Stick some clear, sugar glass shards into the frosting. Dribble some red gel/writing frosting over the top edges of the sugar glass.

   • This is perfect for a scary Halloween party.

5. 5

   Use sugar glass to make windows for a gingerbread house. Place your gingerbread house walls on a sheet of parchment paper. Pour the melted candy into the window holes. Wait at one hour for the candy to harden. Gently pry the walls off the parchment paper. The candy will be hardened inside the window holes.^[11]

   • Use icing to draw a frame around the window. You can also use icing to draw a # or + over the window to create a lattice.
   • To create a stained glass look: use icing to glue different colored shards of hardened sugar glass behind a window opening.
   • If your gingerbread house does not have window holes: put some square-shaped cookie cutters onto a sheet of parchment paper. Fill them with melted sugar glass. Wait one hour for the candy to harden, then pop it out of the cookie cutter. Use icing to glue the squares to a gingerbread house wall.^[12]

6. 6

   Create a stained glass effect on a cake. Make several batches of sugar glass, each in a different color. Smash them into shards with a hammer. Cover a cake with some buttercream icing, then stick the shards against the sides of the cake.

7. 7

   Give the shards away as party favors. Choose some clear cellophane bags that match the theme of your party. Fill each one with a few shards of sugar glass. Tie the bag off with a ribbon that matches the bag.

   • Clear white and clear blue sugar glass are perfect for a winter-themed party. You can also include tiny, sugar snowflake sprinkles in the bag as well.
   • Sugar sea glass is perfect for a beach-themed party. Try dropping some chocolate seashells into the bag as well.

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Add New Question

• Question

  What size baking sheet was used in the instructions?

  

  It appears to be an 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" pan. The larger the pan, the thinner the glass.

• Question

  Why did my glass turn out dark?

  

  Did you use light or dark corn syrup? Dark corn syrup will give you a darker color. The temperature might also have been too high. Cook your candy over medium heat, and don't let it get hotten than 320°F (160°C). The sugar may also have boiled too quickly and caramelized.

• Question

  Can I use sugar glass for movies?

  

  Yes, sugar glass is used as a breakaway glass in many movies and TV shows.

• Question

  Can I do a marble effect and add different colors? Will it affect the candy itself?

  

  Yes, you can create a marble effect by using food coloring. It will not affect the candy. Just place around two drops of coloring in the mold and swirl it.

• Question

  How long and where should I conserve it?

  

  Sugar glass lasts quite a while. You can freeze it and it will last for years, or short term to keep it from getting sticky, place the pieces in a plastic ware container with a piece of paper in between each, and put it in the fridge.

• Question

  Why did my candy turn out gooey?

  

  Your candy might not have gotten hot enough. It needs to reach 300°F (148.89°C) before you take it off the heat.

• Question

  Why did the temperature suddenly stop rising?

  

  If the temperature stopped rising around 210 and 240°F (98.89 and 115.56°C), this is normal. This is because the water is evaporating. Once the water evaporates, the temperature will start rising again. If the temperature was not around 210 and 240°F (98.89 and 115.56°C), check to see that the pot is centered on the burner and getting even heat.

• Question

  Can I reuse the candy that did not turn out right?

  

  You might be able to break it up into smaller pieces, and melting it in the oven on a baking sheet.

• Question

  Can I do a marble effect with the food coloring, so that there are swirls of color?

  

  Yes. All you do is add one or two drops of food coloring to the sugar mix after you place in mold and swirl.

• Question

  How can I make my candy turn clear again?

  

  Unfortunately, it is not possible to make candy turn clear once it caramelizes. The best thing for you to do is to eat it and start over.

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• If you can't find any candy flavoring, use regular extracts instead, such as vanilla, mint, or lemon. You may need to use more than 1 teaspoon however, as extracts have a less intense flavor.^[13]

• Keep the sugar glass stored in an air-tight container, or it will get sticky.

• If you want a thicker glass, use a smaller baking sheet. If you want a thinner glass, use a larger baking sheet.

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

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• Don't let the sugar glass sit in a moist area or direct sun. It will melt or get sticky.

• Sugar glass can have sharp edges. It is not recommended for very young children.

• Be careful while pouring out the mixture. It is very hot and can cause burns. Consider wearing gloves or oven mitts when pouring it out.

• Do not allow the temperature to reach 320°F (160°C). Keep the temperature between 300 and 310°F (148.89 and 154.45°C). If your sugar gets too hot, it will start to caramelize and turn brown.^[14]

• Do not put the candy thermometer into the pot before the mixture starts to boil. If you put it in too early, the sugar will form crystals on the thermometer and make it difficult to clean.^[15]

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Things You'll Need

• Measuring cup
• Cooking pot
• Spatula
• Cooking spray, parchment paper, or tinfoil
• Baking sheet
• Candy thermometer

About This Article

Article Summary X

To make sugar glass, start by bringing 3 1/2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of light corn syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to a boil in a pot over medium heat, stirring it continuously so it doesn't burn. Then, once the mixture reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit, take it off the heat and slowly pour it onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Next, leave the baking sheet on a flat surface and let the candy harden for 1 hour. Finally, after an hour, peel the hardened candy off the baking sheet. To learn how to make sugar sea glass, scroll down!

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