Honey Lollipops

I was recently searching online for great content and ideas to share with all of you when I came across this great idea from Laura, over at Oakland Avenue Blog. She has a little boy and likes to give him honey when he is feeling under the weather but was looking for a way he would enjoy taking it as a toddler.  She decided to make them into lollipops and I must admit, they look super yummy. 

(Photo courtesy of Oakland Avenue Blog)
Ingredients:
- 1/2  to 1 Cup Honey - she used 1 cup and made about 20 lollipops

- Lollipop Sticks - from you local craft store

- Silpat Mat or Parchment Paper

- A Candy Thermometer - helpful, but not necessary.
Process:
Pour honey in a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. If you have a candy thermometer, use it to tell you when the honey reaches about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It'll take about 10 minutes. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test the honey by dropping a bit of it into a cup of ice water. If it hardens (like candy) it's ready. If not, keep on boiling. *Keep a super close eye on your honey. It will seem like nothing's happening for a while, then it will increase in temperature very quickly. It's better to test often and too soon, than to miss the mark and burn a batch.

When the honey reaches 300 degrees, remove it from the burner.

Pour small circles on the silpat mat or a piece of parchment paper. After pouring five or so circles, stop and put the lollipop sticks in each circle of honey. Give the sticks a little twist to be sure they're really stuck in there. Continue creating small honey circles on the mat, stopping every few minutes to put in the sticks. *When you first pour the honey, it's very thin and difficult to get a good circle (second row below), but as you continue on, the honey thickens and is much easier to pour (the darkest ones on the mat). Feel free to go back over

your first few to help round them out and make them a bit thicker.

Allow them to cool and harden on the counter completely at room temperature, about a half hour.

To store, wrap them with a bit of plastic wrap and secure them with string or a twist tie. It'll keep them from sticking together when you store them, but will peel off easily when you're ready to enjoy them.

Enjoy!