Mint Lollipops

ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 3 cups packed mint leaves (peppermint or spearmint)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint or spearmint extract Equipment: a candy thermometer, 24 lollipop sticks, cellophane wrappers (optional)

directions

Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets.

Bring water to a boil in a 1 quart heavy saucepan, then stir in mint and remove from heat. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes, then puree in a blender, about 1 minute (use caution when blending hot liquids). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with 2 layers of paper towel into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids (you should have at least 2/3 cup liquid).

Have an ice bath ready.

Heat sugar, corn syrup, and 2/3 cup mint liquid in cleaned saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium heat, without stirring, washing any sugar crystals down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water and skimming any foam from surface. Put thermometer into syrup and boil until it registers 300 degrees (hard-crack stage), then stir in mint extract. Immediately dip bottom of pan in ice bath to stop cooking.

Pour a 2 inch pool of syrup onto 1 of the baking sheets and quickly put a lollipop stick in it. Continue making lollipops, spacing pools of syrup 2 inches apart. (If syrup becomes too thick to pour, heat to thin it.) Let lollipops cool and harden, about 15 minutes, then gently loosen with a thin metal spatula. If desired, individually wrap lollipops in cellophane wrappers.

Cook's notes:

To make raspberry lollipops, substitute 1 1/4 cups raspberries (3/4 cup) for mint leaves, use only 2/3 cup water, and omit mint extract.

Lollipops keep, individually wrapped in cellophane, 2 weeks.