Cinnamon Lava Lumps

These little sweets were a bit of an experiment. I was trying to make solid cinnamon drop type sweets, but came up with these ‘lava lumps’ instead. Yes, it was a bit of a happy accident truth be told.

I’m always very wary about boiling sugar to screaming hot temperatures. But I was brave, clipped on my sugar thermometer and clicked on the gas.

I used cinnamon flavour food oil, which I purchased online and added some red food colouring to get that Mount Vesuvius effect.

When I tried to cool the mix down in an ice bath, instead of going into a runny, thick syrup, the mix seized and went into crystals. I kept stirring and the crystals looked just liken hot lava rocks.

I let them cool and tried them – very delicious and very hot. Now, here is the recipe, but as these were an accident, I don’t know whether you could replicate these. If you like fiery little cinnamon hot drops however, then this might be worth a go.

Ingredients:

400 grams caster sugar

1 tablespoon golden syrup

150 ml water

½ teaspoon cinnamon oil (Lor-ann brand)

2 drops of red food colouring

Method:

Make an ice bath, by placing cold water ice cubes in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, mix together the sugar, syrup and water. Clip on a sugar thermometer and bring the mix to a boil. Don’t stir after it comes to the boil and continue to cook until it gets to 143C on the thermometer, which is soft-crack stage.

Immediately take the pan off of the heat and add the cinnamon oil and food colouring. Stir and place into the ice bath to stop the sugar cooking any further. Keep stirring and the mix will begin to crystallise into lumps. Place the lumps into a heat-proof bowl and allow them to cool fully.

It’s as straight-forward as that. I kept my lava lumps in a glass jar and also had some in a small paper ‘poke’, just like the sweetie mixtures I used to get when younger. Spicy and delicious!! The lumps are firm but crunchy, not tooth-breakingly so!

Please be very careful if attempting to make these – boiling sugar can be very, very dangerous!