(diy tutorial) valentine’s day heart lollipops

Grab an apron, we’re making Valentine’s Day lollipops today! This is probably one of the messiest and stickiest type of crafting a person can do, and I usually end up with some sort of burn from it (caution: this stuff gets HOT), but candy making is totally fun. For those of you who haven’t ran away yet, let’s get started! Scroll down to see the fun Valentine’s Day cards Pear Tree Greetings sent me to hand out to all of Logan’s little friends, along with our homemade heart shaped lollipops. Don’t forget to check out their free Valentine’s Day paper chain printable and kids Valentine’s Day photo tips (totally using some of these). Now to make some messes…

Ingredients (makes approximately 8 lollipops)

2 cups White Sugar
2/3 cup Light Corn Syrup (I used Karo brand)
3/4 cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Red Food Coloring
1 teaspoon Candy Flavoring
Large Pot
Candy Thermometer
Lollipop Molds
Lollipop Sticks
Cooking Spray
Glass or Ceramic Batter Bowl (with a handle and spout)

Directions

Step 1: Spray lollipop molds with cooking spray and add lollipop sticks to molds.

Step 2: In a large pot, add sugar, corn syrup and water. Mix over medium heat until the sugar devolves. Stop mixing and place candy thermometer into the pot, bringing the mixture to a boil.

Step 3: Add the red food coloring to the pot once the mixture reaches 260 degrees, do not stir. Once the mixture reaches 300 degrees, pour into a glass or ceramic batter bowl with a spout and handle. Mix in candy flavoring.

Step 4: Immediately pour into molds, taking caution not to overfill the molds (and not to burn yourself…this mixture is HOT).

Step 5: Allow lollipops to harden before popping them out of the molds. You can place in small baggies and tie with a piece of yarn or ribbon.

Step 6: Attach lollipops to one of Pear Tree Greeting’s Kids Valentine’s Day Cards before passing out to friends. How beyond cute are these football and baseball cards?! I love that they have slots especially for our homemade lollipops!

The fine print: This post is sponsored by Pear Tree Greetings, the opinions and text are all mine. Pear Tree Greetings has helped tens of thousands of customers celebrate life’s shareable moments with a collection of uniquely personal, high-quality greetings and stationery. Pear Tree Greetings offers a full line of Valentine’s Day photo cards, announcements, address labels, save-the-dates and dozens of other high-quality paper products, so you can seize every opportunity to connect with others. Custom greetings made simple, affordable, and absolutely keep-worthy.