National Hard Candy Day

Cinnamon or peppermint. Butterscotch or strawberry. Hard candy is delicious no matter what a person’s favorite flavor it is. Reminiscent of grandma, who would always carry hard candies in her purse or have a bowl full of them on the coffee table, National Hard Candy Day offers an enticing reason to celebrate!

History of National Hard Candy Day

Also sometimes known as “boiled sweets”, hard candy dates back as far as the Ancient Egyptians who would make their own version of candy which was made from honey that they would mix with various nuts as well as fruit. Of course, today’s hard candies are made almost exclusively from sugar.

Used since the 13th century, the English word ‘candy’ was likely derived from the Arabic word ‘qandi’ which literally translates to “made of sugar”. In the 14th century the candy industry grew in Europe when candy makers would boil sugar and combine it with nuts and fruits like their Ancient Egyptian predecessors.

By the 19th century, as sugar began to become more accessible, hard candy was becoming more popular in England as well as in North America. And, today, the candy industry is huge not only in North America and England, but all throughout the world.

With lots of different flavors and brands to choose from, whether it’s Brach’s traditional cinnamon discs or Jolly Rancher hard candies, this is the time to get on board with celebrating National Hard Candy Day!

How to Celebrate National Hard Candy Day

Have fun making a big deal out of National Hard Candy Day with some of these interesting ideas for celebrating:

Enjoy a Favorite Hard Candy

Celebrate National Hard Candy Day by heading to the store and picking up a bag or two of different flavors of hard candy. Taste a few different flavors and bring back some lovely memories of the various hard candies you enjoyed when you were younger!

Try Making Hard Candy

Candy making is not necessarily for people who are new in the kitchen, but making hard candy can be a fun and meaningful activity when it is done with friends or family members in honor of National Hard Candy Day.

The great news about making hard candy is that it doesn’t require a whole lot of ingredients. Typically it only requires corn syrup, white sugar, food coloring and flavored extract. And the most important piece of equipment is to make sure there is a working candy thermometer available!

Share Some Hard Candy with Others

Although eating hard candy is a treat, sharing it is even more delightful! So spend some time on National Hard Candy Day acting like a little elf or fairy and spreading the joy to those nearby. Fill some paper or cellophane bags with a delicious collection of hard candy and pass them out at the office to coworkers, share them with some classmates or drop some by the neighbor’s house. Whatever the relationship, it’s most likely to be even better when celebrating the day with hard candy!