What do you think?
Rate this book
Candy Is Magic: Real Ingredients, Modern Recipes [A Baking Book]
Winner of the 2018 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Cookbook Award for "Baking" categoryThis game-changing candy cookbook from the owner of Quin, a popular Portland-based candy company, offers more than 200 achievable recipes using real, natural ingredients for everything from flavor-packed fruit lollipops to light-as-air marshmallows.Chai Tea Lollipops, Honey and Sea Salt Marshmallows, Chocolate Pretzel Caramels, Cherry Cola Gumdrops—this is not your average candy, or your average candy book. Candy-maker extraordinaire Jami Curl breaks down candy making into its most precise and foolproof steps. No guess work, no expensive equipment, just the best possible ingredients and stop-you-in-your-tracks-brilliant flavor combinations. She begins with the foundations of candy; how to create delicious syrups, purees, and “magic dusts” that are the building blocks for making lollipops, caramels, marshmallows, and gummy candy. But even more ingeniously, these syrups, purees, and magic dusts can be used to make a myriad of other sweet confections such as Strawberry Cream Soda, Peanut Butter Hot Fudge, Marshmallow Brownies, and Popcorn Ice Cream. And what to do with all your homemade candy? Jami has your covered, with instructions for making candy garlands, tiny candy-filled pinatas, candy ornaments, and more—you are officially party ready. But this is just the tip of the deliciously sweet iceberg--packed with nearly 200 recipes, careful step-by-step instruction, tips for guaranteed success, and flavor guides to help you come up with own unique creations—Candy is Magic is a candy call to action!
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2017
89 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 6, 2017
*Thanks to netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review*
This is a very thorough book about making candy! It's quite amazing and goes through equipment, ingredients, and recipes. From lollipops to caramels, ice cream, marshmallows, gum drops, and even chews. Yum!
The pictures are mouthwatering and I highly recommend you don't read this while hungry! The recipes are made using real ingredients, including fruit.
My only cons were wishing for more pictures, and also US measurements. Otherwise, its perfect. 4****
This is a very thorough book about making candy! It's quite amazing and goes through equipment, ingredients, and recipes. From lollipops to caramels, ice cream, marshmallows, gum drops, and even chews. Yum!
The pictures are mouthwatering and I highly recommend you don't read this while hungry! The recipes are made using real ingredients, including fruit.
My only cons were wishing for more pictures, and also US measurements. Otherwise, its perfect. 4****
February 12, 2017
This was a wonderful little candy cookbook. It was full of delicious sounding recipes. Had some yummy photos and cool hand drawn graphics. We start off with an introduction by the author. Followed by chapters that include methods and techniques. What tools you will require (pots, scale, candy thermometer, candy mold (just to name a few). What ingredients you will need (sugar, crystal blockers, fat, and salt etc) and a little information about each one. Some flavor inspiration to get you started.
A chapter featuring recipes that act as the foundation for countless candies, desserts, drinks, and more (roasted fruit purées, infused creams, easy ice creams, syrups and reductions, magic dusts etc.) As well as chapters devoted to Lollipops, caramels, marshmallows, gumdrops, ice cream and more. Each different chapters begins with an introduction to the candy, the technique, the tools, and the setup, followed by several recipes and tips.
Some of the recipes featured...
-- STRAWBERRY LOLLIPOPS
-- COFFEE LOLLIPOPS
-- PINOT GRIS LOLLIPOPS
-- SEA SALT CARAMELS
-- POPCORN CARAMELS
-- EASY CARAMEL SAUCE
-- SMOKED CHAI TEA CARAMELS
-- PINEAPPLE-COCONUT DREAMS
-- WATERMELON-LIME DREAMS
-- CINNAMON MARSHMALLOWS
-- BLACKBERRY GUMDROPS
-- NUTMEG GUMDROPS
-- CHERRY COLA GUMDROPS
There are also some pretty cool little projects included as well...
-- HOT CHOCOLATE AND MARSHMALLOW KIT
-- S'MORES BAR
-- DARK CHOCOLATE BUNNY CAKE
If you are at all like me and have a HUGE sweet tooth then this book is a must-have for your collection.
March 7, 2017
I received this book as a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Candy is Magic could not have come into my life at a better time: the publisher approved me seven days prior to my participation in a homemade caramel making class at a local cooking school with six of my girl friends. I’ve never successfully made any candy before, so between this book and that class I was hoping to acquire a new skill.
The book starts off with a short introduction in which the author chronicles her discovery of candy as her passion and discusses her approach to candy. Her intent for the book is that it will both provide the vehicle for satisfying sugar cravings but also provide the canvas for experimentation.
After the Introduction, the book reviews methods, ingredients, tools and flavors required for candy making. I appreciated the author including such an educational foundational chapter in advance of the recipes because I felt like I had a better grasp of the overall concept of candy making before embarking upon the individual recipes. The very first section in this chapter was about “Understanding Candy,” which boiled down five simple principles. The first principle was to forget about your fear of cooking sugar and think of it like any other regular cooking process. Mind blown! My fear of cooking sugar is EXACTLY what has kept me from attempting to make caramel and other candy. The author breaks down the ingredients for candy making into four main components: sugar, crystal blockers, fat, and salt. The “Candy Flavor Idea Machine” was an interesting concept: candy flavor begins with a core flavor that is enhanced by a complementary flavor and perhaps and optional accent. The advice is to not go too whacky with the core flavor because people might not want to eat that whackiness again.
The recipes in the book are divided into six chapters: core ingredients, lollipops, caramels, chewy candies (“Dreams Come Chew”), marshmallows, and gumdrops. Immediately after the Table of Contents is a convenient Recipe List that is categorized by type of recipe so the reader very quickly gets to see the very impressive variety of different recipes and flavors that are offered in the book. Recipes range from the basics – Easy Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Vanilla Bean Marshmallows, Strawberry Lollipops, Sea Salt Caramels – to head scratching combinations – Popcorn Ice Cream, Chevre Caramel Sauce, Chocolate + Olive Oil + Sea Salt Lollipops, Aleppo Pepper + Raisin Caramels, Peach + Ginger + Black Pepper Gumdrops.
The recipes themselves are quirky. The recipe headnotes not only provide guidance about preparing the recipes, but also show the author’s personality through little comments and pert asides. In the majority of the recipes, all the ingredients (except fruit) are measured in grams, even liquids. The rationale for weighing liquids is that the actual density of the liquid, like a heavy cream, may vary from one brand to another, so weighing the liquid is the best route to a perfect product when dealing with something as precise as candy making. And these aren’t always round number grams either – these are numbers like 2 grams, 6 grams, 114 grams, 227 grams, and 454 grams. Oftentimes, the ingredients are recipes from the Core Ingredients chapter; these are clearly cross-referenced with page numbers. For example, two of the five lollipop methods rely on the core ingredients. Glucose syrup and granulated white cane sugar are the core of every candy recipe in the book; however, the other ingredients required are myriad. There was a lot more use of “natural flavoring” than I expected. The recipe steps are written in paragraph form, but with lots of description about how things should look and feel, and with plenty of good humor. For example, roasted blueberries are ready when they are “awash in their own dark, beautiful juice” and magic sugar crystals are made by “[p]retend[ing] that you’re almost polishing the sugar.” Several of the recipes are written to be extremely versatile, with an accompanying “flavor guide” that adapts the recipe to incorporate different flavors. For example, the flavor guide that accompanies the Strawberry Lollipops recipe provides instructions for substituting different roasted fruit purees and natural flavorings, and the flavor guide that accompanies the Cherry Dreams Come Chew recipe provides instructions for substituting different natural flavorings and colorings.
The lollipop chapter began with a terrific primer on working with hard candy that broke the process down into simple discrete steps and that described all the required tools. Having this section before the lollipop recipes allowed the recipes to be streamlined with references back to the master instructions for setting up a lollipop station and for pouring the lollipops. The caramel chapter began with a similar primer on caramel technique. Compared to the techniques that we learned at the cooking school, the caramel technique described in this book is remarkably similar: first caramelize the sugar without stirring at all, and then whisk in the additional ingredients to ensure the fat is completely emulsified into the sugar. Unlike caramel class at the cooking school, the recipes in the book rely on color of the cooked sugar mixture and cooking time rather than using the temperature of the mixture as a guide. The recipes in the Dreams Come Chew chapter referenced the set up, cutting, and wrapping instructions in the caramel chapter. The marshmallow chapter also begins with a review of the ingredients, equipment, and basic steps of marshmallow making. Finally, the gumdrops chapter begins with a discussion of the three basic steps of making gummy candies. There are even step-by-step instructions on how to make your own cornstarch molds for gummy candies.
I was surprised that this book is more than just candy. Throughout the book are fun “projects” using the candy and the core ingredients, like a hot chocolate bar, a candy garland, an “instabration”, and a tiny pinata. There are also “Make Magic” recipes that use the core ingredients or the candy to make non-candy items, such as hot chocolate (using magic chocolate dust) and the Skillet S’Mores (using both chocolate magic dust and vanilla bean marshmallows).
There were so many references throughout the recipes and projects to the Resources Guide at the end of the book that I was expecting something earth-shatteringly spectacular, or at least something that named brands and provided specific websites. I was disappointed. In the Ingredients section of the Resources Guide, sometimes the author named recommended brands, especially for chocolate, natural flavorings, glucose syrup, salt, tea, and vanilla bean powder. Very seldom did the author cite specific good online sources. More typical was a statement along the lines of “a quick online search for citric acid will bring up many options.” The Wrapping and Packaging Supplies section is similarly sparse on guidance for specific sources and heavy on recommended Internet searches. In fact, the only specific website in the entire Resources Guide is that for QUIN itself. The Equipment section of the Resources Guide cross-references the “Candy Making Tools” section at the beginning of the book. However, this section at the beginning of the book specifically points to the Resources Guide for recommendations on scales, what to look for in a candy thermometer, and for more information on a candy funnel. The gumdrops chapter specifically points to the Resource Guide for information on finding silicone molds. All of that information was missing from the Resources Guide.
The photography at the beginning of the book is very artistic and doesn’t necessarily depict a particular recipe. It is mostly gorgeous transparent hard candies. In the core recipes chapter, the photographs are still artistic, but have more of a relationship to the recipe. However, there is a particular instance where there is a full-page photograph of luscious peach slices next to a recipe for a roasted peach puree, and the recipe specifically says not to prepare the peaches as in the photograph. All of the fun projects in the book were accompanied by illustrations rather than by photographs.
After reading this book, I feel confident that I could successfully prepare caramels and other simple candies. Candies that require more complex techniques, specialized equipment or exotic ingredients are probably too far outside my comfort zone to be in the cards any time soon.
I have yet to prepare any of the recipes from this cookbook. When I do, I will update this review.
Candy is Magic could not have come into my life at a better time: the publisher approved me seven days prior to my participation in a homemade caramel making class at a local cooking school with six of my girl friends. I’ve never successfully made any candy before, so between this book and that class I was hoping to acquire a new skill.
The book starts off with a short introduction in which the author chronicles her discovery of candy as her passion and discusses her approach to candy. Her intent for the book is that it will both provide the vehicle for satisfying sugar cravings but also provide the canvas for experimentation.
After the Introduction, the book reviews methods, ingredients, tools and flavors required for candy making. I appreciated the author including such an educational foundational chapter in advance of the recipes because I felt like I had a better grasp of the overall concept of candy making before embarking upon the individual recipes. The very first section in this chapter was about “Understanding Candy,” which boiled down five simple principles. The first principle was to forget about your fear of cooking sugar and think of it like any other regular cooking process. Mind blown! My fear of cooking sugar is EXACTLY what has kept me from attempting to make caramel and other candy. The author breaks down the ingredients for candy making into four main components: sugar, crystal blockers, fat, and salt. The “Candy Flavor Idea Machine” was an interesting concept: candy flavor begins with a core flavor that is enhanced by a complementary flavor and perhaps and optional accent. The advice is to not go too whacky with the core flavor because people might not want to eat that whackiness again.
The recipes in the book are divided into six chapters: core ingredients, lollipops, caramels, chewy candies (“Dreams Come Chew”), marshmallows, and gumdrops. Immediately after the Table of Contents is a convenient Recipe List that is categorized by type of recipe so the reader very quickly gets to see the very impressive variety of different recipes and flavors that are offered in the book. Recipes range from the basics – Easy Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Vanilla Bean Marshmallows, Strawberry Lollipops, Sea Salt Caramels – to head scratching combinations – Popcorn Ice Cream, Chevre Caramel Sauce, Chocolate + Olive Oil + Sea Salt Lollipops, Aleppo Pepper + Raisin Caramels, Peach + Ginger + Black Pepper Gumdrops.
The recipes themselves are quirky. The recipe headnotes not only provide guidance about preparing the recipes, but also show the author’s personality through little comments and pert asides. In the majority of the recipes, all the ingredients (except fruit) are measured in grams, even liquids. The rationale for weighing liquids is that the actual density of the liquid, like a heavy cream, may vary from one brand to another, so weighing the liquid is the best route to a perfect product when dealing with something as precise as candy making. And these aren’t always round number grams either – these are numbers like 2 grams, 6 grams, 114 grams, 227 grams, and 454 grams. Oftentimes, the ingredients are recipes from the Core Ingredients chapter; these are clearly cross-referenced with page numbers. For example, two of the five lollipop methods rely on the core ingredients. Glucose syrup and granulated white cane sugar are the core of every candy recipe in the book; however, the other ingredients required are myriad. There was a lot more use of “natural flavoring” than I expected. The recipe steps are written in paragraph form, but with lots of description about how things should look and feel, and with plenty of good humor. For example, roasted blueberries are ready when they are “awash in their own dark, beautiful juice” and magic sugar crystals are made by “[p]retend[ing] that you’re almost polishing the sugar.” Several of the recipes are written to be extremely versatile, with an accompanying “flavor guide” that adapts the recipe to incorporate different flavors. For example, the flavor guide that accompanies the Strawberry Lollipops recipe provides instructions for substituting different roasted fruit purees and natural flavorings, and the flavor guide that accompanies the Cherry Dreams Come Chew recipe provides instructions for substituting different natural flavorings and colorings.
The lollipop chapter began with a terrific primer on working with hard candy that broke the process down into simple discrete steps and that described all the required tools. Having this section before the lollipop recipes allowed the recipes to be streamlined with references back to the master instructions for setting up a lollipop station and for pouring the lollipops. The caramel chapter began with a similar primer on caramel technique. Compared to the techniques that we learned at the cooking school, the caramel technique described in this book is remarkably similar: first caramelize the sugar without stirring at all, and then whisk in the additional ingredients to ensure the fat is completely emulsified into the sugar. Unlike caramel class at the cooking school, the recipes in the book rely on color of the cooked sugar mixture and cooking time rather than using the temperature of the mixture as a guide. The recipes in the Dreams Come Chew chapter referenced the set up, cutting, and wrapping instructions in the caramel chapter. The marshmallow chapter also begins with a review of the ingredients, equipment, and basic steps of marshmallow making. Finally, the gumdrops chapter begins with a discussion of the three basic steps of making gummy candies. There are even step-by-step instructions on how to make your own cornstarch molds for gummy candies.
I was surprised that this book is more than just candy. Throughout the book are fun “projects” using the candy and the core ingredients, like a hot chocolate bar, a candy garland, an “instabration”, and a tiny pinata. There are also “Make Magic” recipes that use the core ingredients or the candy to make non-candy items, such as hot chocolate (using magic chocolate dust) and the Skillet S’Mores (using both chocolate magic dust and vanilla bean marshmallows).
There were so many references throughout the recipes and projects to the Resources Guide at the end of the book that I was expecting something earth-shatteringly spectacular, or at least something that named brands and provided specific websites. I was disappointed. In the Ingredients section of the Resources Guide, sometimes the author named recommended brands, especially for chocolate, natural flavorings, glucose syrup, salt, tea, and vanilla bean powder. Very seldom did the author cite specific good online sources. More typical was a statement along the lines of “a quick online search for citric acid will bring up many options.” The Wrapping and Packaging Supplies section is similarly sparse on guidance for specific sources and heavy on recommended Internet searches. In fact, the only specific website in the entire Resources Guide is that for QUIN itself. The Equipment section of the Resources Guide cross-references the “Candy Making Tools” section at the beginning of the book. However, this section at the beginning of the book specifically points to the Resources Guide for recommendations on scales, what to look for in a candy thermometer, and for more information on a candy funnel. The gumdrops chapter specifically points to the Resource Guide for information on finding silicone molds. All of that information was missing from the Resources Guide.
The photography at the beginning of the book is very artistic and doesn’t necessarily depict a particular recipe. It is mostly gorgeous transparent hard candies. In the core recipes chapter, the photographs are still artistic, but have more of a relationship to the recipe. However, there is a particular instance where there is a full-page photograph of luscious peach slices next to a recipe for a roasted peach puree, and the recipe specifically says not to prepare the peaches as in the photograph. All of the fun projects in the book were accompanied by illustrations rather than by photographs.
After reading this book, I feel confident that I could successfully prepare caramels and other simple candies. Candies that require more complex techniques, specialized equipment or exotic ingredients are probably too far outside my comfort zone to be in the cards any time soon.
I have yet to prepare any of the recipes from this cookbook. When I do, I will update this review.
July 20, 2017
Drool. Seriously. This book is absolutely gorgeous and I swear can turn any non-candy lover into a candy fiend (a term I proudly carry). The photos are brilliant, the design fantastic, and the content is amazing. I love the fact that the author's #1 suggestion is to "Forget about your fear of cooking sugar" (I just eat it). I've never made candy, and I stay away from baking because of the whole sciency-aspect of it, but "Candy Is Magic" is a book that's really changed my opinion. I still don't think it's easy, but the recipes have me continuously trying. Jami's combinations are awesome - Roasted Apricot with Coconut and Brown Sugar, Popcorn Cream, Honey Vanilla Lollipops, gah. I could go on. I think it's a great reference book, as well as a great gift book.
November 22, 2016
From Netgalley for a review:
Wow, this book has really changed the way I look at candy crafting. I have dabbled in candy making, but mostly stick to baking for my love of sweets because all other books I previously read made it seem like candy making is just a giant pain that should be left for the super passionate professionals. This book makes it seem like I could actually create candy, simply, and with ingredients that I like! Great instructions, beautiful photos, and of course drool worthy recipes. I greatly enjoyed this read.
Wow, this book has really changed the way I look at candy crafting. I have dabbled in candy making, but mostly stick to baking for my love of sweets because all other books I previously read made it seem like candy making is just a giant pain that should be left for the super passionate professionals. This book makes it seem like I could actually create candy, simply, and with ingredients that I like! Great instructions, beautiful photos, and of course drool worthy recipes. I greatly enjoyed this read.
November 2, 2017
As a cook who has never made candy, I'm so glad this is the first & only candy book I own. The directions are clear and the recipes are science. The candy recipes are the ones that I want to make and eat and do not include anything that is unneeded.
October 25, 2016
I received this digital copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
Many people steer clear of candy making. It's too hot, too sticky or too messy is what you often hear. then there's the fear of burning yourself and dealing with super hot dangerous sugar. If you are or ever have been interested in making candy, this book is for you. Great instruction, pictures and tools needed will help guide you through the art of candy making. Great title for those looking for a fun Christmas gift.
Many people steer clear of candy making. It's too hot, too sticky or too messy is what you often hear. then there's the fear of burning yourself and dealing with super hot dangerous sugar. If you are or ever have been interested in making candy, this book is for you. Great instruction, pictures and tools needed will help guide you through the art of candy making. Great title for those looking for a fun Christmas gift.
March 1, 2017
I've tried a lot of candy cookbooks and this is the first to take the subject seriously. There is some serious technique in here and some experiments, packaging ideas, and advanced flavor combination creation ideas. Also, it is gorgeous. I'm about to have some very lucky friends.
May 17, 2017
I'm not going to make any of this stuff because I'm lazy and already don't eat enough vegetables but the pictures are amazing!
October 31, 2017
I liked the vibrant pictures and fresh, naturally derived ingredients in the recipes. The introduction and the portion about the technical side of candy were informative as well. I like that it gives a short introduction to each recipe. That said, the Resources Guide in the back is kind of a joke. It is referenced throughout the text as the place to find out where to find special ingredients, and for most of them, it literally tells you to do an internet search to find a place that sells it. There are a few recommemded brands, but even then you're just told "search for 'felchlin chocolate' or 'valrhona chocolate'" (actual quotation).
With the number of time this book mentions getting over one's fear of candy making, it kind of implies that this book is for beginners. However, I would only recommend this book to those who are at least somewhat experienced and want to take their candy making to the next level or to beginners who are serious about starting this hobby. The recipes themselves do require some investment besides the normal candy thermometer. First, you will need a kitchen scale because almost all ingredients amounts are by weight (grams), regardless of whether it calls for 400 grams or 2 grams of something. Secondly, you will likely need a pricey kitchen scale because from what I understand from bread baking by weight, most kitchen scales intended for home use are simply not accurate in measuring very small amounts that most sane recipes would just have you measure in teaspoons or tablespoons. I understand the importance of accuracy in measuring ingredients (as I mentioned, I do a lot of bread baking), but every recipe book intended for the home cook that I've ever seen provide measurements in weight (not very many) always provides them in volume as well. I really don't understand why volume measurements were not provided. It makes sense to have all measurements in grams in a commercial setting, such as the candy shop the author owns, because you're typically using a scaled up version of the recipe, it makes for very consistent results, and it is faster to simply dump ingredients into a bowl, zero-out/tare the weight, and then add the next ingredient. However, this is not how most home cooks are used to working, and most people I know do not own a kitchen scale (especially those who would be afraid of candy making).
Lastly, every candy recipe uses glucose syrup instead of the usual corn syrup as the "crystal blocker." As explained in the Resources Guide, it is only really found at specialty stores or online ("A good way to search for glucose syrup is by using the phrase 'buy glucose syrup'." You don't say?). And from my quick Amazon search of "glucose syrup," you can buy it for $1-2 per ounce (with most containers being 0.5-2.2 lbs), whereas the more typical corn syrup is widely available in grocery stores across the US and much less of an investment for the beginner (less than $0.50 per ounce). The author states that she prefers to use the glucose syrup because it's much more reliable in a commercial setting—which, as I said before, is not all that applicable to the beginner. If the author wanted to include glucose syrup in the recipes because it's superior, she could have at least included some notes on how to use corn syrup or some other common items as a substitute.
All in all, the book reads like the author just took her normal recipes from her shop and just scaled them down for use in the book without any adaptations or regard for the typical home cook. This wouldn't be a problem if the book was aiming for an experienced audience, but it's clear from the text that it's meant for beginners. I would only recommend this to those who are serious about candy making.
With the number of time this book mentions getting over one's fear of candy making, it kind of implies that this book is for beginners. However, I would only recommend this book to those who are at least somewhat experienced and want to take their candy making to the next level or to beginners who are serious about starting this hobby. The recipes themselves do require some investment besides the normal candy thermometer. First, you will need a kitchen scale because almost all ingredients amounts are by weight (grams), regardless of whether it calls for 400 grams or 2 grams of something. Secondly, you will likely need a pricey kitchen scale because from what I understand from bread baking by weight, most kitchen scales intended for home use are simply not accurate in measuring very small amounts that most sane recipes would just have you measure in teaspoons or tablespoons. I understand the importance of accuracy in measuring ingredients (as I mentioned, I do a lot of bread baking), but every recipe book intended for the home cook that I've ever seen provide measurements in weight (not very many) always provides them in volume as well. I really don't understand why volume measurements were not provided. It makes sense to have all measurements in grams in a commercial setting, such as the candy shop the author owns, because you're typically using a scaled up version of the recipe, it makes for very consistent results, and it is faster to simply dump ingredients into a bowl, zero-out/tare the weight, and then add the next ingredient. However, this is not how most home cooks are used to working, and most people I know do not own a kitchen scale (especially those who would be afraid of candy making).
Lastly, every candy recipe uses glucose syrup instead of the usual corn syrup as the "crystal blocker." As explained in the Resources Guide, it is only really found at specialty stores or online ("A good way to search for glucose syrup is by using the phrase 'buy glucose syrup'." You don't say?). And from my quick Amazon search of "glucose syrup," you can buy it for $1-2 per ounce (with most containers being 0.5-2.2 lbs), whereas the more typical corn syrup is widely available in grocery stores across the US and much less of an investment for the beginner (less than $0.50 per ounce). The author states that she prefers to use the glucose syrup because it's much more reliable in a commercial setting—which, as I said before, is not all that applicable to the beginner. If the author wanted to include glucose syrup in the recipes because it's superior, she could have at least included some notes on how to use corn syrup or some other common items as a substitute.
All in all, the book reads like the author just took her normal recipes from her shop and just scaled them down for use in the book without any adaptations or regard for the typical home cook. This wouldn't be a problem if the book was aiming for an experienced audience, but it's clear from the text that it's meant for beginners. I would only recommend this to those who are serious about candy making.
April 4, 2025
Jami Curl’s Candy is Magic is undeniably a beautiful book filled with enticing recipes that promise extraordinary results. For the adventurous home cook with a well-stocked pantry and a penchant for precision, this book is a delightful treasure trove. Curl’s passion for candy making is evident on every page, and her techniques are undoubtedly impressive. The book is visually stunning, and Curl’s enthusiasm is infectious. While I appreciate the detailed explanations and creative flavor combinations, I found myself wishing for a slightly more accessible approach. The reliance on specialty ingredients (glucose and silver leaf sheet gelatin are the standouts) and precise measurements can be intimidating for the average home cook. I'm presuming she's just fractionated her commercial scale recipes, rather than converting to things a home cook can do easily, like buy granulated Knox gelatin at the grocery store, measure out a teaspoon of vanilla extract, or buy corn syrup at the grocery store instead of ordering glucose syrup online. It’s clear that Curl is a skilled confectioner, but some recipes feel more suited to a professional kitchen than a home environment. While the book is beautifully designed, adding visual guides for some of the more complex techniques would be incredibly helpful. EQUIPTMENT: This book does need a couple gadgets if you don't already have them such as a thermometer and a scale. The author does recommend some cady specific pots/pans but they are easy substituted with 9x13s and baking sheets.
March 14, 2017
Candy Is Magic by Jami Curl is a very thorough book about making candy! It's quite amazing and goes through equipment, ingredients, and recipes. From lollipops to caramels, ice cream, marshmallows, gum drops, and even chews. The pictures are mouthwatering and I highly recommend you don't read this while hungry! The recipes are made using real ingredients, including fruit.
The book reviews methods, ingredients, tools and flavors required for candy making. I appreciated the author including such an educational foundational chapter in advance of the recipes. The author breaks down the ingredients for candy making into four main components: sugar, crystal blockers, fat, and salt.
The recipes in the book are divided into six chapters: core ingredients, lollipops, caramels, chewy candies, marshmallows, and gumdrops. Immediately after the Table of Contents is a convenient Recipe List that is categorized by type of recipe so the reader very quickly gets to see the variety of different recipes and flavors that are offered.
The lollipop chapter began with a terrific primer on working with hard candy that broke the process down into simple steps and that described all the required tools. Having this section before the lollipop recipes allowed the recipes to be streamlined with references back to the master instructions for setting up a lollipop station and for pouring the lollipops. The caramel chapter began with a similar primer on caramel technique. The recipes in the Dreams Come Chew chapter referenced the set up, cutting, and wrapping instructions in the caramel chapter. The marshmallow chapter also begins with a review of the ingredients, equipment, and basic steps of marshmallow making. Finally, the gumdrops chapter begins with a discussion of the three basic steps of making gummy candies.
The photography at the beginning of the book is very artistic and doesn’t necessarily depict a particular recipe. It is mostly gorgeous transparent hard candies. In the core recipes chapter, the photographs are still artistic, but have more of a relationship to the recipe. However, there is a particular instance where there is a full-page photograph of luscious peach slices next to a recipe for a roasted peach puree, and the recipe specifically says not to prepare the peaches as in the photograph. All of the fun projects in the book were accompanied by illustrations rather than by photographs.
I received an advanced reader's copy from Ten Speed Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The book reviews methods, ingredients, tools and flavors required for candy making. I appreciated the author including such an educational foundational chapter in advance of the recipes. The author breaks down the ingredients for candy making into four main components: sugar, crystal blockers, fat, and salt.
The recipes in the book are divided into six chapters: core ingredients, lollipops, caramels, chewy candies, marshmallows, and gumdrops. Immediately after the Table of Contents is a convenient Recipe List that is categorized by type of recipe so the reader very quickly gets to see the variety of different recipes and flavors that are offered.
The lollipop chapter began with a terrific primer on working with hard candy that broke the process down into simple steps and that described all the required tools. Having this section before the lollipop recipes allowed the recipes to be streamlined with references back to the master instructions for setting up a lollipop station and for pouring the lollipops. The caramel chapter began with a similar primer on caramel technique. The recipes in the Dreams Come Chew chapter referenced the set up, cutting, and wrapping instructions in the caramel chapter. The marshmallow chapter also begins with a review of the ingredients, equipment, and basic steps of marshmallow making. Finally, the gumdrops chapter begins with a discussion of the three basic steps of making gummy candies.
The photography at the beginning of the book is very artistic and doesn’t necessarily depict a particular recipe. It is mostly gorgeous transparent hard candies. In the core recipes chapter, the photographs are still artistic, but have more of a relationship to the recipe. However, there is a particular instance where there is a full-page photograph of luscious peach slices next to a recipe for a roasted peach puree, and the recipe specifically says not to prepare the peaches as in the photograph. All of the fun projects in the book were accompanied by illustrations rather than by photographs.
I received an advanced reader's copy from Ten Speed Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2017
Candy Is Magic, Real Ingredients - Modern Recipes, Jami Curl
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: food and wine, cooking.
I love my kindle but there are some books, non fiction mostly, that I feel are better in print and this is one of them.
I read it on my kindle fire, at least there I can appreciate the stunning colour photos. and drool at the wonderful confects created.
When my kids were young I used to make toffee, mainly for toffee apples and millionaire's shortbread, something they all loved. ( And probably with a million calories in, though very delicious...)
Of course I burned it a few times, soon learned that soaking burned pans lifted off the burnt sugar in time, but the results of my experiments were always a bit hit and miss.
I didn’t have kitchen scales or a thermometer, used to use the cold water cracking method of timing, which isn’t accurate...somehow having several bad batches put me off and I stopped.
Reading this book though gives me the enthusiasm to restart, make some for Xmas gifts and birthdays, and just for fun.
The recipes are clearly set out and very well devised, so that the amateur cook can follow using the recommended tools.
There isn’t a need to buy too much, scales and thermometer seem to be the basic must haves, with other things recommended but not essential. The recipes don’t have 101 hard-to-find ingredients. That is so off putting when something you want to make has ingredients you just can’t find, or have to buy a huge pack to get the few grams needed for a few lollies or toffees.
The combinations used for flavouring sound delicious, and will also spur the reader on to their own ideas.
The sky really is the limit when it comes to flavours, some you’ll like and some will get a pass...but all will be perfect if you follow the easy steps laid out here.
I want to get back into toffee making, know now why my attempts at fudge went wrong, and the lollipops, those clear ones with little seeds etc in for decoration, I really want to try those. Maybe some candy canes for the tree at xmas too. I love all things glitter and metallic so I thought I could add some edible gold leaf or some gold dust to the clear lollies and have a bit of edible glitz for xmas.
Stars: Five, an inspiring book, to create sweets to satisfy cravings without filling your body with preservatives and artificial flavours.
ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: food and wine, cooking.
I love my kindle but there are some books, non fiction mostly, that I feel are better in print and this is one of them.
I read it on my kindle fire, at least there I can appreciate the stunning colour photos. and drool at the wonderful confects created.
When my kids were young I used to make toffee, mainly for toffee apples and millionaire's shortbread, something they all loved. ( And probably with a million calories in, though very delicious...)
Of course I burned it a few times, soon learned that soaking burned pans lifted off the burnt sugar in time, but the results of my experiments were always a bit hit and miss.
I didn’t have kitchen scales or a thermometer, used to use the cold water cracking method of timing, which isn’t accurate...somehow having several bad batches put me off and I stopped.
Reading this book though gives me the enthusiasm to restart, make some for Xmas gifts and birthdays, and just for fun.
The recipes are clearly set out and very well devised, so that the amateur cook can follow using the recommended tools.
There isn’t a need to buy too much, scales and thermometer seem to be the basic must haves, with other things recommended but not essential. The recipes don’t have 101 hard-to-find ingredients. That is so off putting when something you want to make has ingredients you just can’t find, or have to buy a huge pack to get the few grams needed for a few lollies or toffees.
The combinations used for flavouring sound delicious, and will also spur the reader on to their own ideas.
The sky really is the limit when it comes to flavours, some you’ll like and some will get a pass...but all will be perfect if you follow the easy steps laid out here.
I want to get back into toffee making, know now why my attempts at fudge went wrong, and the lollipops, those clear ones with little seeds etc in for decoration, I really want to try those. Maybe some candy canes for the tree at xmas too. I love all things glitter and metallic so I thought I could add some edible gold leaf or some gold dust to the clear lollies and have a bit of edible glitz for xmas.
Stars: Five, an inspiring book, to create sweets to satisfy cravings without filling your body with preservatives and artificial flavours.
ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers
January 1, 2017
The beginning of the book is rather technical, but I guess when you are making candy there are some basics for each kind.
Recipes had metric measurements if selling in US will need to change.
Flavor was stressed throughout. It is one of the most important components in candy.
Popcorn Carmel – sounds good; not sure I’m ready for carmel with pepper though.
Marshmallows – honey & sea salt sounds like an interesting combo (hey I’ll eat almost anything with sea salt)
Fig & Coffee Gumdrops – not sure about – the flavors may be a little overwhelming.
Pinot Noir Cotton Candy – wine and sugar – can you think of a better combination?
*I received a copy of Candy is Magic from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Recipes had metric measurements if selling in US will need to change.
Flavor was stressed throughout. It is one of the most important components in candy.
Popcorn Carmel – sounds good; not sure I’m ready for carmel with pepper though.
Marshmallows – honey & sea salt sounds like an interesting combo (hey I’ll eat almost anything with sea salt)
Fig & Coffee Gumdrops – not sure about – the flavors may be a little overwhelming.
Pinot Noir Cotton Candy – wine and sugar – can you think of a better combination?
*I received a copy of Candy is Magic from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
March 14, 2024
I have a new found respect for the candy maker after reading this book. I never realized the amount of work that goes into making candy. From caramels to lollipop, to fruit puree to popcorn this book has a lot of variety and information. I especially like the gumdrop candy section as I really like gumdrops. I never thought of some of the flavors included. If you like to make things from scratch this is a good book to add to your cookbook collection. Pictures add to the books appeal as they look so good you want to try them all.
June 8, 2018
Reading this cookbook made me realize that I am NOT a candy maker and much prefer baking and chocolate, the best being both combined. That said, I found the book ok, hence the two-star rating. The recipes seem clear and the photographs are abundant but I found the design of the book very distracting and clownish, with a garish color palette, extreme close-ups, and childlike illustrations - no subtlety, here! A very poor Resources Guide mostly directs you to Google things...
May 7, 2021
Sweet rewards made with all-natural ingredients make Candy Is Magic shine. With Jami Curl's clear, easy-to-follow instructions, you'll be making lickable lollypops, chewy caramels, pillowy marshmallows, and fruity gumdrops to the delight of your family and friends. And believe me, if you offer up treats like these, you'll soon have more friends than you know what to do with!
David Lebovitz (My Paris Kitchen)
David Lebovitz (My Paris Kitchen)
June 13, 2022
Clear, easy to follow recipes for a few basic candies-- Marshmallows, gumdrops, lollipops, cotton candy, caramels, etc but with a few very cool and interesting flavour variations. Really great book to have on your shelf.
October 1, 2017
I love new takes on recipes especially when there is a recipe for sprinkles!!!
November 15, 2017
A good and fun cookbook of a often overlooked dessert.
August 1, 2022
some amazing interesting ideas
roasted fruit purees, basic candy instructions
popcorn icecream, sniffle slayer lolipops
some great ones to come back to
roasted fruit purees, basic candy instructions
popcorn icecream, sniffle slayer lolipops
some great ones to come back to
January 31, 2025
Great book written by an amazing author
I enjoyed reading the book and following through the simplified recipe.
Everything is well explained. You just want to read the next page.
I enjoyed reading the book and following through the simplified recipe.
Everything is well explained. You just want to read the next page.
March 19, 2017
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Such an enjoyable, well put together book, covering all aspects of candy making. The author's enthusiasm for candy just bubbles away throughout the whole thing. Using fresh ingredients, especially fruit, lollipops to magic dust, caramels to cotton candy, everything is here for you to create your own sweet treats.
Such an enjoyable, well put together book, covering all aspects of candy making. The author's enthusiasm for candy just bubbles away throughout the whole thing. Using fresh ingredients, especially fruit, lollipops to magic dust, caramels to cotton candy, everything is here for you to create your own sweet treats.
December 15, 2016
Title: Candy is Magic
Author: Jami Curl
Illustrations By: Maggie Kirkland
Photography By: Michelle Ott
Published: 3-14-2017
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Pages: 312
Genre: Cooking, Food and Wine
Sub Genre: Cookbooks, Candy
ISBN: 13-978-0399578397
ASIN: B01HA4LEYE
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating: 4 3/4 Stars
.
I received a copy of Candy is Magic from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Candy is not something I usually make. Although I have made caramels, Fudge and once even lollipops. Don't laugh, but until I was in my teens I thought marshmellows grew on bushes. After all my mother wouldn't lie to me, right? I chose to review this book mainly because I wanted to try and make some candies for Christmas gifts for my family and friends. One of the first I tried was the marshmellow to make moon pies with. Since I don't like marshmellows I knew I would not be tempted to eat them. My test run was recieved with rave reviews and requests for more.
Next came gum drops, another item I am not overly fond of, but after making the blackberry, lemonade and citrus gumdropsthat quickly changed. I had to make a second batch of the lemonade gumdrops. For a take away gift for those coming over for Christmas Dinner and a special gift for my neighbors I make the Hot Chocolate with Marshmellow Kits. I can not wait to pass those out because they turned out so well. These recipes are so easy to follow and with the help of illustrations and photographs they were so easy to make.
If you are wanting to make gifts for others or just to indulge your own sweet tooth then this is a must have for your cookbook collection. With over 200 recipes there is bound to be more than a few to tempt you. My rating is 4.75 out of 5 stars only because I was hoping there would be more chocolate bar recipes.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Candy-Magic-In...
Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/candy...
GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
Author: Jami Curl
Illustrations By: Maggie Kirkland
Photography By: Michelle Ott
Published: 3-14-2017
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Pages: 312
Genre: Cooking, Food and Wine
Sub Genre: Cookbooks, Candy
ISBN: 13-978-0399578397
ASIN: B01HA4LEYE
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating: 4 3/4 Stars
.
I received a copy of Candy is Magic from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Candy is not something I usually make. Although I have made caramels, Fudge and once even lollipops. Don't laugh, but until I was in my teens I thought marshmellows grew on bushes. After all my mother wouldn't lie to me, right? I chose to review this book mainly because I wanted to try and make some candies for Christmas gifts for my family and friends. One of the first I tried was the marshmellow to make moon pies with. Since I don't like marshmellows I knew I would not be tempted to eat them. My test run was recieved with rave reviews and requests for more.
Next came gum drops, another item I am not overly fond of, but after making the blackberry, lemonade and citrus gumdropsthat quickly changed. I had to make a second batch of the lemonade gumdrops. For a take away gift for those coming over for Christmas Dinner and a special gift for my neighbors I make the Hot Chocolate with Marshmellow Kits. I can not wait to pass those out because they turned out so well. These recipes are so easy to follow and with the help of illustrations and photographs they were so easy to make.
If you are wanting to make gifts for others or just to indulge your own sweet tooth then this is a must have for your cookbook collection. With over 200 recipes there is bound to be more than a few to tempt you. My rating is 4.75 out of 5 stars only because I was hoping there would be more chocolate bar recipes.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Candy-Magic-In...
Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/candy...
GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
March 28, 2017
I never thought I would be bored by a book about sweets but, sadly, I was. This wasn’t the cookbook I was expecting. Instead, the first quarter is a comprehensive technical explanation of the methodology and equipment needed for candy making, and then there are a series of recipes for infusions and flavoured sugars before we get to any real recipes. Even then, these all seem to be very similar variations on a theme, covering lollipops, marshmallow, gum drops and caramels. The same flavours are repeated for each type of sweet. I really would have liked a bit more variation and something a bit more "out there."
Maybe there weren’t enough photos. I found the hand drawings a bit amateurish. The rabbit cake was certainly underwhelming. I know I didn’t need several pages devoted to making cinnamon sugar or how to put together cocoa powder and sugar to make a hot chocolate mix.
***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***
Maybe there weren’t enough photos. I found the hand drawings a bit amateurish. The rabbit cake was certainly underwhelming. I know I didn’t need several pages devoted to making cinnamon sugar or how to put together cocoa powder and sugar to make a hot chocolate mix.
***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***
April 12, 2017
I would like to thank Ten Speed Press for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for an open and honest review.
Holy Cow! Now I am a dyed in the wool sweet tooth and chocoholic – despite my whole foods and healthy foods life. And so I simply had to get a chance to read and review ‘Candy is Magic’ – and the book lived up to its title!
What an amazingly thorough and comprehensive book on how to not just make candy in its various sorts and sizes, but it covered all the essential basics about how to prep and create the flavour backgrounds and other ingredients needed to make the divine looking titbits shown within its pages.
Now did any of that make sense? I hope so, but I do almost feel like I’ve gotten a sugar rush just from reading ‘Candy is Magic’ and seriously have no regrets! There was a lot of moaning and groaning and “oh my god I can make that?!” exclamations made as I worked my way through.
I also feel that this book has given me an even greater respect for our chocolate and confectionary artisans. I honestly feel they don’t get enough credit for the time, dedication and creativity that goes into making proper, from scratch confectionary delights. I mean, I am not someone who will never buy cheap sweets over quality sweets… but there are some out there who go a bit silly when being asked to pay a couple of bucks for one item. If they bothered to read such books as ‘Candy is Magic’ I would like to hope they would realise why that one piece costs so much and that they savour every delicious mouthful! I know I do when I get to visit my favourite artisan chocolatiers and confectioners. ;-)
Though saying all that, I do wonder if I am cut out for this level of confectionary making as, quite honestly, there is a lot of dedication and creativity needed and I do wonder if my skills are ready to be stretched that far. Heck, I’m still mastering a toffee glaze compote and raw chocolate… I might not be ready for the hard core candy making as shown in this amazing book.
Okay, as it’s a non-fiction book, time for my formatting feedback… It’s a Ten Speed Press book so, yeah, nothing to fault! Their images, their page layouts, their overall formatting – easy on the eye, easy to follow, sublime. Can you tell this is something I have come to expect from anything produced by Ten Speed Press? ;-)
Would I recommend this book to others?
Well, I would… though I really don’t know anyone at the skill or dedication level who would want to take this sort of confectionary work on. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it is an amazing book and the recipes are something people of various skill levels could do… I just don’t know if I know anyone this dedicated to candy. Fruit leather, raw chocolate and refined sugar free treats is more the sort of thing my peers are into and so it is a book I would recommend as it teaches you how to make your own natural and yummy treats… but I honestly don’t know how many of my friends would then race out and buy it.
Would I buy this book for myself?
I would… but I would then feel guilty as I don’t know when I would have the time and space in my chunky old avocado green 1980’s kitchen to have a go at making some of the things. I mean, if I am going to serve candy/confectionary to friends and family I would honestly much rather serve things like the recipes within ‘Candy is Magic’… but whether I would actually use it often enough to justify owning it? That I can’t answer.
Maybe if it was an e-Book I could hide it on my tablet for those rainy days when I want to melt sugar and have some fun. ;-)
In summary: An amazing, comprehensive and totally inspiring cook book that truly lives up to its title.
Holy Cow! Now I am a dyed in the wool sweet tooth and chocoholic – despite my whole foods and healthy foods life. And so I simply had to get a chance to read and review ‘Candy is Magic’ – and the book lived up to its title!
What an amazingly thorough and comprehensive book on how to not just make candy in its various sorts and sizes, but it covered all the essential basics about how to prep and create the flavour backgrounds and other ingredients needed to make the divine looking titbits shown within its pages.
Now did any of that make sense? I hope so, but I do almost feel like I’ve gotten a sugar rush just from reading ‘Candy is Magic’ and seriously have no regrets! There was a lot of moaning and groaning and “oh my god I can make that?!” exclamations made as I worked my way through.
I also feel that this book has given me an even greater respect for our chocolate and confectionary artisans. I honestly feel they don’t get enough credit for the time, dedication and creativity that goes into making proper, from scratch confectionary delights. I mean, I am not someone who will never buy cheap sweets over quality sweets… but there are some out there who go a bit silly when being asked to pay a couple of bucks for one item. If they bothered to read such books as ‘Candy is Magic’ I would like to hope they would realise why that one piece costs so much and that they savour every delicious mouthful! I know I do when I get to visit my favourite artisan chocolatiers and confectioners. ;-)
Though saying all that, I do wonder if I am cut out for this level of confectionary making as, quite honestly, there is a lot of dedication and creativity needed and I do wonder if my skills are ready to be stretched that far. Heck, I’m still mastering a toffee glaze compote and raw chocolate… I might not be ready for the hard core candy making as shown in this amazing book.
Okay, as it’s a non-fiction book, time for my formatting feedback… It’s a Ten Speed Press book so, yeah, nothing to fault! Their images, their page layouts, their overall formatting – easy on the eye, easy to follow, sublime. Can you tell this is something I have come to expect from anything produced by Ten Speed Press? ;-)
Would I recommend this book to others?
Well, I would… though I really don’t know anyone at the skill or dedication level who would want to take this sort of confectionary work on. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it is an amazing book and the recipes are something people of various skill levels could do… I just don’t know if I know anyone this dedicated to candy. Fruit leather, raw chocolate and refined sugar free treats is more the sort of thing my peers are into and so it is a book I would recommend as it teaches you how to make your own natural and yummy treats… but I honestly don’t know how many of my friends would then race out and buy it.
Would I buy this book for myself?
I would… but I would then feel guilty as I don’t know when I would have the time and space in my chunky old avocado green 1980’s kitchen to have a go at making some of the things. I mean, if I am going to serve candy/confectionary to friends and family I would honestly much rather serve things like the recipes within ‘Candy is Magic’… but whether I would actually use it often enough to justify owning it? That I can’t answer.
Maybe if it was an e-Book I could hide it on my tablet for those rainy days when I want to melt sugar and have some fun. ;-)
In summary: An amazing, comprehensive and totally inspiring cook book that truly lives up to its title.
October 31, 2017
I loved reading about the author's food journey. I love her creative approach to flavors. I love all her helpful and knowledgeable tips. I love that she shows how to do this. What I don't particularly love is hard candy, which this is primarily about. And here is where to go if you just want to sample her wares: http://www.quincandy.com/ .
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews