The Nostalgic Childhood Candy You Should Try Stirring Into Your Coffee

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Between French press, traditional drip, cold brew, and more, there are a number of ways to enjoy a classic "cup of Joe." Whether you're a regular morning coffee drinker or enjoy the occasional leisurely indulgence, you should keep several coffee hacks in mid for a better cup. One of these is the creative use of sweeteners. Given coffee's typically bitter taste, adding honey, sugar, or flavored syrups can help balance out its natural acidity and make for a more enjoyable sip. If you've been feeling nostalgic for your favorite childhood candy, try using a stick of rock candy as a stirrer for your next cup of coffee.

Rock candy is an especially good choice with a cup of hot coffee because it will easily melt in the warm liquid and you can control the level of sweetness by swirling it around as much as you wish. The stick also makes these candies a clever and convenient addition by acting as both stirrer and sweetener. It's also important to allow time for your coffee-used rock candy sticks to dry out in between uses.

Not only is rock candy delicious and fun, it's also an easy confection for beginner candy makers. If you'd prefer to go the store-bought route, try a packaged version such as Boone's Mill Rocksicles. On the flipside, you can also prepare a simple recipe at home that you can keep on hand to sweeten your coffee any time.

Try making a homemade lemon rock candy recipe, which can be used in coffee or even tea. To make a batch of rock candy, all you need are wooden skewers, sugar, and water along with mason jars and clothespins. It's also optional to add the food coloring or flavoring of your choice, particularly with extracts like hazelnut, chocolate, or caramel to give your next cup of coffee a hint or more of complementary flavor.

Rock candy will take at least a week to fully form when soaking in water in a mason jar, so the homemade route is not advisable if you want your sweets immediately. This can be a fun kitchen craft project that you can do in preparation for a party to include in a coffee bar or candy buffet.

For just-stirred rock candy, use a clothespin to prop up your stick in an empty jar to let it dry out between uses. Enjoy leftover rock candy on its own as a sweet treat, plop it into a cocktail glass as a garnish, or cut off the pieces of crystalized sugar to use as decoration for cakes and cupcakes. Using a rock candy stick in your coffee is a great way to revive an old childhood favorite in a more grown-up setting.