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Learn how to make blue “crystal meth” rock candy inspired by Breaking Bad. It’s easier than you think, and the results look AND taste delicious. Perfect for costumes and viewing parties!
💙 How to make blue rock candy
This rock candy recipe is inspired by the television show Breaking Bad. As any viewer knows, the plot revolves around the blue-tinged crystal meth created by chemistry teacher Walter White and his student-turned-partner Jesse Pinkman. The meth is so pure, so potent, that it changes the entire southwestern drug trade and, eventually, the very lives of its creators.
As a fan of both sugar and television, imagine my delight when I found out that the “meth” used in the show is actually rock candy. Too perfect! So way back in 2012, at the height of Breaking Bad mania, I decided to create my own rock candy recipe, modeled after the Breaking Bad drug, for a viewing party with friends. Since it was first posted a decade ago, hundreds of people have made it for parties and Halloween costumes. Here is just a small sampling of the readers who have made it, loved it, and sent in pictures:
Although Breaking Bad is now off the air, this recipe remains a popular one, so it seemed overdue for an update. I’ve revised the post and recipe to make it more thorough, detailed, and helpful for YOU, my budding little Heisenbergs!
How to rock your candy-making
Rock candy is not difficult to make, and even beginning candy makers can do it successfully on their first try. Here are a few things you can do to ensure success:
- Read the recipe before beginning. This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised! Once the candy hits a certain temperature things move very fast, and you want to be prepared to act right away, not be stuck reading the next step.
- Use a candy thermometer. More on this below, but it is the #1 tool that will guarantee you success.
- Read the Tips & Troubleshooting sections right before the recipe. Overwhelmingly, when people have trouble with this recipe, it is caused by a few very common mistakes, and knowing what these are in advance will help you avoid them.
🧾 What You’ll Need
Ingredients & Equipment
Here’s what you need to know as you gather your candy-making supplies. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Corn syrup: Light corn syrup helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing. If you are not able to easily find it, golden syrup or glucose syrup is a good substitute. Note that golden syrup has a yellow tinge and is likely to turn your finished candy greenish-blue.
- Granulated sugar: Not all sugar is created equal. Some granulated sugar is made from cane sugar, and some comes from beets. My strong preference is to use 100% cane sugar — in my experience, this gives more reliable, consistent results. If your sugar package does not specify, chances are that it is beet sugar or a mix of both.
- Clear flavoring extract: If getting a blue color, like on the show, is important to you, you’ll want to be sure you’re using clear flavoring extract. Brown extracts like vanilla will give your candy a yellowish tinge. See the Flavoring section below for a list of clear flavoring suggestions.
- Blue gel food coloring: I always make my candy with Americolor Sky Blue gel coloring, and feel confident recommending this brand and color. Liquid food coloring (ie, the type found in most grocery stores) might not produce the color results you’re after.
- Candy thermometer Not optional! A candy thermometer is the #1 tool you will need to make perfect rock candy. You can buy an inexpensive one from the grocery store (like this model). If you will be making candy regularly, it’s worth it to invest in a nicer thermometer. I have and love the ChefAlarm, because it alerts me when I’m nearing my finished temperature.
📋 How to Make Rock Candy
Here’s an overview of how to make this blue rock candy, and full instructions are included in the recipe card down below.
Make the sugar syrup
- Combine water, light corn syrup, and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Stir until the sugar is moistened and dissolves.
- Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush – this will remove any stray sugar crystals. Sugar crystals in the pan can cause your whole batch to crystallize.
- Once it comes to a boil, insert a candy thermometer. From this point on, do not stir the candy.
Cook and add coloring
- Cook the candy until it reaches 290 F on the thermometer. It should be a light yellowish color.
- Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Let it sit for a minute, until the rapid bubbling stops, then add flavoring extract and blue gel food coloring.
- Stir well until the color is evenly distributed.
Pour and cool
- Pour the hot candy out onto a baking sheet covered with foil. You can spread it into a thinner layer with the spatula if you’d like.
- Let the candy cool completely at room temperature, until it is set and hard.
- Use a knife or kitchen mallet to smash it up into smaller pieces.
- This candy is easiest to eat in large pieces, so some people prefer to leave it in big chunks. If you want to be more accurate to the show, you can crush it up into smaller chunks.
- For optimal awesomeness, I recommend serving this in small baggies at a Breaking Bad viewing party.
😋 Flavoring Recommendations
Clear flavoring is a must if you want your candy to stay clear and blue. You can always use clear vanilla, which is often available at cake and candy supply stores, and some larger grocery stores. It is imitation vanilla, so the flavor isn’t as great as real vanilla extract, but if you want vanilla candy, it’s your best bet.
My personal favorite is fruit flavors, since it seems like such a natural choice for hard candy. Here’s a partial list of clear candy flavorings. I like LorAnn because I think the quality, consistency, and flavors are great, but you can of course use any clear flavoring or extract brand that you like. Many of the larger LorAnn bottles are tinted so you can’t tell the color inside, but most of the 1-dram bottles are clear, so you can either view them online to check the color, or order them as an experiment before committing to a larger bottle.
💡 Tips
Safely working with hot sugar
Hot sugar can be extremely dangerous — the temperature gets very high (290° F in this recipe!) and because it is a thick and sticky substance, if you accidentally get some on your skin, it doesn’t rinse off quickly, which can lead to serious burns.
Because of this, this is not a good recipe to make with smaller children. It’s also a good idea to have a bowl of ice water handy while the sugar syrup is cooking, so if you’re accidentally burned, you can immediately dunk your hand and stop further burning. And as always, be alert, deliberate, and careful with your movements in the kitchen.
Testing your candy thermometer
It’s important to regularly test your candy thermometer for accuracy. Testing is especially important if you live at a higher altitude, but even at sea level, thermometers can become inaccurate over time. Having an accurate thermometer is essential to successful candy-making.
To test your thermometer, bring a pot of water to a boil, insert the candy thermometer for a minute, and then take a reading. At sea level, water boils at 212° F. If your thermometer doesn’t show 212°, calculate what the difference is. For example, if your thermometer reads 208° in boiling water, you know that you have a difference of -4 degrees in your thermometer. Going forward, you should subtract 4 degrees from any temperature written so that yours is accurate. In this example, if something needs to be cooked to 300° F, you only need to cook it to 296° F on your thermometer to get the right result.
The secret to easy candy removal
This isn’t a necessity like a candy thermometer, but it is a tip that can make your life a little easier! When making hard candy, I like to cover my baking sheets with non-stick foil. Hard candy can be sticky and difficult to remove from regular foil, but non-stick foil is magic, and the candy peels right off!
Other alternatives are to use a silicone baking mat, or spray regular or heavy-duty foil with nonstick cooking spray before beginning.
💡 Troubleshooting
Here are some common questions/difficulties people have had with this recipe, and my suggestions for how to prevent them.
🍬 More Candies You’ll Love
Now that you’re a candy-making expert, put those skills to good use and try one of our other popular candy recipes!
DIY Candy Shot Glasses
Easy Homemade Lollipops
Breaking Bad Blue Rock Candy
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water, (4 fl oz)
- 8.25 oz light corn syrup, (3/4 cup)
- 14 oz granulated sugar, (2 cups)
- 2 tsp clear flavoring extract
- blue gel food coloring – sky blue, I used Americolor brand
- Candy thermometer
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray, or use non-stick foil.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and granulated sugar. Place the pan over medium-high heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Once it comes to a simmer, brush down the sides with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Insert a candy thermometer.
- Continue to cook the candy without stirring until it reads 290 degrees Fahrenheit (143 C) on the thermometer. Watch the temperature carefully–a lower temperature might produce sticky candy, while a higher temperature runs the risk of producing green candy!
- Once at 290, take the pan off the heat and let it sit for a few moments, until rapid bubbles stop breaking on the surface. Add the flavoring and a drop or two of food coloring, and stir everything together.
- Pour the candy onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it into a thin layer. Let it set completely at room temperature.
- Once set, break it into small pieces. For the complete Breaking Bad experience, place the pieces in a large zip-top bag and smash them with a rolling pin until they are crushed, and place in small baggies to serve.
- Store the candy in an airtight container at room temperature.
Video
MEASURING TIPS
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Click here to learn more about baking measurements and conversion.Nutrition
About Elizabeth LaBau
I’m Elizabeth, but you can call me SugarHero! I’m a former pastry chef turned blogger, cookbook author, and baking instructor, and I consider myself sugar’s #1 fan. Learn more from my About page, or connect with me on social media:
awesome! i’m obsessed w the show and made a menu of what to eat for the premiere:
http://theactorsdiet.com/2012/07/07/breaking-bad-premiere-menu/
That menu is awesome! I added a link in the post to your page ’cause I think it’s so fun.
thanks dear – i linked back to your recipe too and will share it on my Facebook too!!!
Respected Elizabeth…….em confuse when i read a word of (recipe)…..you are talking about the recipe of drugs?
Am I the only one on the Internet that is kind of shocked by this blatant glorification of a very real and very dangerous drug? SMH
Nope! You can see some comments above by people who share your perspective. In my opinion, this is a novelty item for adult fans of a certain television show. Obviously I would never market or sell it to children, but I personally don’t find anything wrong with making a batch and serving it to friends at a Breaking Bad party. Others may disagree, and I welcome (polite) discussion about it.
I’d like to pass on a comment with regard to the time factor involved with reaching the correct temperature (285F)before removing it from the heat. This was my first batch and the temp. reached 250 on my 3 different thermometers which I tested beforehand! I got worried. I increased the flame a bit (I had been conservative on the Med./High setting since I didn’t want to ruin it. But at Med. setting on the stove, it wouldn’t raise the temp. Finally I got brave and raised the flame to Med./High and with “patience” and the belief that it was going to work, it finally started to climb to the 285 goal! But the key word here is PATIENCE. I would like to advise you that after it starts to boil, it took us about 15 min. to reach the desired temp. So if you’re cautious like us and have to raise the flame gradually, don’t expect it to shoot up to the 285 in a flash. It WILL get there.
Also to those who oppose this type of “fun” – *get a life*! If you were a fan of the show, you should be tolerant enough to understand that art sometimes requires an open mind and elevating it to the level of humor is a sign of advanced intellect. Broaden your scope.
totally agree… when you personally have been affected by this, there is no humour. I am shocked too
What can I use instead of corn syrup? They use it here in fake maple syrup and it makes me sick.
Hi Glenn, Glucose is the best store-bought substitute for corn syrup, so if you can find glucose you can substitute that. Golden syrup would probably also work well, although I haven’t tried it with golden syrup so I can’t say for sure. You can also make your own corn syrup substitute out of granulated sugar! It adds an extra step to this recipe, but it’s probably worth it if you have a regular need for corn syrup, since it will keep for several months. Here’s one recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/pantry-staples-diy-cane-sugar-131934
Great recipe! Quick question – What is flavoring extract and where do I get it?
Thanks!
Hi Carly! By “flavoring extract” I just meant any flavor you might use in baking or candy making: vanilla extract, mint extract, coconut, etc. If you don’t have some already, a good variety can usually be found in the baking aisle of a supermarket near the spices. I like to make hard candy with fruity flavors (berry, lemon, etc) but any extract should work.
If you find flavoring OILS used for candy, those are a lot more concentrated so only use about a quarter of the recommended amount if you’re using an oil instead of an extract.
I was just wondering how long does it usually take to harden after pouring the candy on the baking sheet? I want to make this before the premiere, time is counting down, and was hoping I could have some in time! Thanks for this recipe, a truly awesome idea!
Hi Luke! I would estimate about 30 minutes to cool down. Cooking the candy on my electric stove takes about 15 minutes, then 30-40 minutes to harden, and a little more time after that to bash it up into pieces–I’d put the recipe start to finish at about an hour, give or take depending on your stove and the temperature of your kitchen. Good luck, and let me know how it turns out!
if the candy didn’t harden, what would the likely reason be? i ended up with a gooey gel like pan of blue magic.
(the only thing i didnt do strictly to the instructions: i dont have a thermometer. so my best guess is too hot, or not hot enough.)
Hi Matt,
You’re right–the culprit is not cooking the candy enough. Basically you need to cook it to a high enough temperature so that enough water evaporates to leave the candy hard and brittle. If it’s not cooked long enough, it retains too much liquid and never sets.
A candy thermometer is the easiest fix for this problem (many grocery stores sell them in the baking aisle for around $5) but if you ever wanted to try it again without a thermometer, you can do the “cold water test.” As you’re cooking the candy, periodically drop a spoonful of the candy into a bowl of ice water. Let it sit a few seconds, then feel it with your hands. As it cooks it will progress from being a jelly-like substance, to a soft ball, then to a hard ball. Finally, when it crackles and turns into hard shards immediately upon being poured into the water, that’s when it’s ready.
This method works, but it’s a little more complicated, which is why I always recommend a thermometer instead. 🙂
nailed it the second time around.. thanks for the cold water test tip.
First time I’ve ever made candy.. Mine cracked but turns chewy in the mouth. Thinking this post will help me with this. This is definitely a nice touch to my Halloween costume.
Reminds me of being in school and making blue crystals with copper sulfate. I took some home in my pocket, year seven and accidently put in a bare unwrapped chocolate bar in the same pocket before eating with some blue crystals in the same mouthfull. I had worried about what it did to my body and brain since
Mine turned out green! Why? I used one drop, like you said. I used regular food coloring, as I had no “gel” coloring. Think that’s why?
Hi Mike,
I think the problem is the food coloring. Regular liquid food coloring isn’t as strong as gel coloring. When the candy is cooked to a high temperature it starts to take on a light amber color. This yellowish color, when combined with just a drop of (weaker) blue food coloring, could make the candy green instead of blue. If you were to make it again, I’d either use more liquid coloring, or switch to gel coloring.
Is there a specific shade of blue gel you use? I picked up royal blue and one drop turned it green so I put in a couple more and it ended up too dark.
Hi Nic,
I used one drop of Americolor Sky Blue gel food coloring, the kind you squeeze out from the bottle. I honestly would have thought royal blue would have worked as well. So sorry that the color didn’t turn out–hopefully the candy still tasted okay!
Ah yes, I have the same brand and there was Sky Blue coloring there as well but i went with the Royal. I will pick up the other color tomorrow and give it another go because my whole family loves the candy anyway! Great recipe!
How fitting! Sky blue is the name of Walt and Jesse’s meth. Thanks a lot for this recipe!
I hadn’t even realized! Obviously it’s a sign. 🙂 Thanks Matt!
My son is a huge BBad fan and he came across this recipe and has made it a few times now and it’s great!
Couple things: The NEON blue McCormick liquid food coloring is the exact right shade, if you can get that – we used that & lemon flavoring for the first batch. The second time we tried Tropical Punch KoolAid in lieu of the color/flavor but! note: just cuz the KoolAid pack is blue doesnt mean the powder is (it made a purpley red candy) And this last batch, made for the final we used a packet of Duncan Hines Frosting Creations in the Cotton Candy flavor instead of the coloring/flavoring ingredients – it’s the PERFECT color, and has a very nice candy taste – the best batch yet we thought!
Just some tips we thought we’d share for anyone else wanting to give the recipe a try. Thanks Elizabeth, for posting the recipe – I guess it’s kinda weird to let my teenager cook candy “meth” – but I was just happy he was motivated to get in the kitchen and make a recipe, period! 🙂
Hi Gem,
Thanks for all the tips! It’s great to know about the food coloring–I think McCormick’s is probably easier to find than Americolor, so that’s useful for other people…and the Frosting Creations idea is genius!
I’m laughing at the thought of you encouraging your son to cook meth–at least you know what he’s up to, right? 🙂
When using the Duncan Hines frosting… is it for the same size batch as the posted recipe, and how much do you use? Thanks! 🙂
Samantha,
I haven’t tried it, but my guess would be that it was for the same sized batch. Don’t know about the quantity–you might try adding half the packet and if the color isn’t strong enough, adding the rest? Please post back if you try it!
Thanks for the recipe. I made the mistake of using unbleached sugar so it came out green-brown. Also, I think this amount might work well in a 10″ x 15″ pyrex dish since I doubled it and my product was too thick.
I have a few questions because I know incredibly little about cooking or baking etc.
#1 What size baking sheet should I use for this recipe?
#2 How much hard candy does the recipe make?
#3 Do I have to worry about colors from the flavoring extract or does that all come in the same color?
Hi Keith,
Any large baking sheet will work–I used a half-sheet (about 13×18) but it doesn’t matter too much, because you don’t need to spread the candy all the way out to the edges–just get it nice and thin. You could even do it on a heat-proof countertop, but I like a baking sheet because air can circulate underneath to cool it down quickly, plus you can move the candy as it sets if you need to.
This recipe makes a little over a pound of hard candy. I’m not sure what volume that is (it really depends on how much you smash it up!) but I would say it’s enough for a dozen small baggies, easily.
Almost all flavoring extracts are clear, or so light as to not make a difference. Some, like vanilla, chocolate, or maple, are a dark brown color, but most of the fruity ones I’ve encountered are clear.
Also, I’ve amended the recipe above with a note about the coloring–some folks are having trouble with their candy turning green, so if you’re very concerned about getting the perfect blue color, please read it!
I’ve tried to make this twice now and everytime it comes out green. Is it going green because the mixture turns yellow while its cooking and when I add the blue colouring, it makes green (blue+yellow=green)?
Hi Chris,
One problem might be overcooking–the more you cook, the closer to caramel it gets, and the yellow color might be turning it green. Also, What type of food coloring are you using? From comments other people have made, it seems like food coloring is inconsistent, and some coloring does produce a green color when mixed with the slightly yellow candy.
I used Americolor Sky Blue gel coloring to get mine blue. Another commenter had good success with the NEON blue McCormick liquid food coloring. She also tried a package of Duncan Hines Frosting Creations in Cotton Candy, instead of using additional coloring or flavoring, and said that worked well.
My product looks great but is very sticky, any idea how to un-sticky them?
Hey! Thank you for the recipie! I tried this the first time to day and it looks like i got a more green like color. Do I use wrong kind of coloring? Or is it may be because the syrup I used is to dark?
And I just don’t understand how you can get it to 300 degrees! Any tips?
Hi! Did you read the note at the end of the recipe about the coloring? Some food coloring does turn the candy green instead of blue. I recommend reading the note above, and trying to track down Americolor Sky Blue gel coloring if getting a light blue color is important!
Also, I’m not sure what you mean by get it to 300 degrees? This is measured in Fahrenheit, and 300 F is a pretty typical temperature for making hard candies. The sugar syrup should be nearly colorless or a light gold color at 300. Sugar starts to caramelize and get darker as you get above 300, but it shouldn’t be burnt or brown at 300 F. When making caramel sauce I take sugar to 340-350, so 300 isn’t unusual. Are you using a different scale? Or have you checked your thermometer? Here’s one way to check your candy thermometer to make sure it’s working properly:
http://candy.about.com/od/candybasics/ht/How-To-Test-Your-Candy-Thermometer.htm
Can’t wait to try this. I just shaved my head and I’m going as Walter White for Halloween. This will make the perfect accessory!
That is an awesome costume idea! I hope you have the Heisenberg fedora too?
I already had a shaved head and Gotee and went last year as Walter. I bought blue rock candy from a candy store and put into 1 ounce baggies. Wore a blue hazmat suit and a Respirator. My friends loved the costume so much they want me to revise it for this year. I am upgrading to the Yellow Hazmat suit and I am going to make my own Blue Sky this time. Thanks for the tips…. Going to take picks with me in the Suit and a sheet of Blue Sky in my hands 🙂
Is the flavoring necessary? I feel like most rock candy is just sugary flavor and I have no idea how it’ll taste with the flavoring.
Nope, totally not necessary–you can skip it and you’ll have a plain candy that just tastes like basic sugar. I just add it since most folks I know prefer a little flavor.
I spoke to Elizabeth a few times about this recipe, and it worked out great for my needs. I also got a really good color from Adeco brand Electric Blue food coloring. I used 6 drops for this recipe and it came out as a nice sharp blue when cooking at 285, but perhaps a bit deeper than the color they use for the show, so next time I’ll try 5 drops. That plus a half dram of LorAnn Key Lime flavor oil makes for a good time.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Frank! So glad it worked for you, and I have you to thank for the revised temperature recommendation. Let me know how the Halloween costume goes!
hmm i’ve tried to make this twice now and its not hardening even after several hours any advice on what I should do?
Hi Joaquin,
If it’s not hardening that means the candy wasn’t cooked enough. Did you use a candy thermometer, and get it up to 285 degrees Fahrenheit? At this temperature it should start hardening within a minute or two, and be completely hard after 30 minutes or so. If you did use a thermometer, it’s a good idea to test it to make sure it’s accurate. Here’s how:
http://candy.about.com/od/candybasics/ht/How-To-Test-Your-Candy-Thermometer.htm
Hi can you re-boil the candy that didn’t set?
Hi Gloria, You can try, but it’s not a fool-proof process. Reboiling it means the possibility of re-introducing sugar crystals into the candy, so it increases your chances of having a grainy or a gritty candy. It also means that the candy will probably have some green color tones, since cooking it a second time will most likely cause the sugar syrup to develop more of a yellowish tinge. All that being said, there’s no harm in trying, and you don’t have much to lose other than the time it takes to re-boil it!
I followed Elizabeth’s recipe as far as measurements for sugar, water, and corn syrup goes, and I just kinda winged it with the LorAnn flavor oil (I think 3-4 drops came out from my dram of key lime flavoring). I kept doing a crack test in a cup of cool water, by scooping some of the sugar mixture out of the pan, and dropping it into the cup. This in turn cools it down and you can test it for whether it’s pliable like taffy, or if it snaps like it should. I did this and as soon as my candy thermometer hit 285 degrees, I turned off the flame and poured it in a tray and it reached hard crack. I think the last crack test I did was at around 282-283 degrees as is, so there’s one way to test how it’s hardening, just keep dripping some in a cup of cool water so you can touch it, and see if it snaps when you bend it at room temperature.
We used the Duncan Hines frosting creations and it worked perfectly. Thanks so much for your tips. Looking forward to Breaking Bad on Halloween!
Awesome, Hope, thanks for the coloring feedback! So glad it worked out–happy BB Halloween to you. 🙂
How much of the frosting creations did you use?
I haven’t tried it with the frosting creations, I believe the people who did tried it used the entire packet, and omitted any other flavoring or coloring.
Excellent instructions; thanks!! A group of us are doing some BB characters for Halloween. I tried crystalizing rock candy on a string. Failed. Bought a candy thermometer & followed instructions exactly. Made 3 batches & looks exactly like your photos!
For food coloring, I used the Target store brand (1 drop) and it worked fine, doesn’t look green.
Great to know! I’ll add it to the list of recommended colors. 🙂
But officer, I swear it’s only rock candy! It’s not crystal meth!
Tell it to the judge, punk. Now shut-up and get in the car.
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe.
Now what about cleaning? I have a pot and thermometer (not mine) caked with candy!
Great question! It’s really simple. Fill your pot with water and put the thermometer in. Bring the water to a boil–it will dissolve all the sugar, then you can just pour the water out and give it a little once-over with some soap.
Thanks so much for the recipe! My brother and I made this tonight for his Halloween costume. It is starting to harden, but it has been about 2 hours and it isn’t hard enough to crack it. Do you know if there is a way to fix this, or do we have to start from scratch?
Hi Rachel,
Bummer! If it hasn’t set yet it’s not going to–it should start setting almost as soon as you pour it out, and be completely set by the time it’s room temperature. Did you use a thermometer?
There’s not really a great fix. Since the candy won’t work the way it is, you can try melting it and re-cooking it. It might not work (it could crystallize, or the color could be too dark) but you won’t be out any extra ingredients, just a little of your time. To re-melt it, place it in a pot with 1/2 cup of water over medium to medium-high heat. Stir frequently while the candy melts, and once it’s melted and boiling, proceed with the recipe as before. I really recommend using a thermometer and checking it before you begin for accuracy. If you don’t have one, Frank gave an alternate method of checking the candy’s temperature in this comment, using just cold water:
https://www.sugarhero.com/2012/07/blue-crystal-meth-rock-candy-for-breaking-bad/#comment-40036
Good luck!
I did use a thermometer, but I think I must have read it wrong…oops! Thanks for your help. I was able to salvage it and re-do it, but as you predicted, the color was off. I think we are going to start over to get the perfect blue color. Thanks again for this post and your quick reply! Great idea!!
Okay, my fingers are crossed–hope it works out the second time around!
Turned out beautifully. Thanks for the recipe. It would be an awesome addition to my two “Breaking Bad” men and their costumes.
I’m so glad! I’m starting a reader submissions section of this post, with pictures of meth candy people have emailed me, so if you have the desire, send me a picture and I’ll put it on the blog. (elizabeth at sugarhero.com) Hope your guys have an awesome Halloween!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I just made it an hour ago and it’s perfect! I followed your instructions except that I could only get McCormick’s Assorted Food Colorings, one of which was blue (liquid). The candy thermometer stayed at 250 degrees for the longest time and I worried that it wasn’t registering hot enough because the sugar mixture was shallow enough the thermometer wasn’t in very deep. I decided to do the ice water test as well and that was definitely a great back-up. As soon as it cracked in the bowl of cold water, I checked the thermometer which in seconds had gone from 260 to 300 degrees. I pulled the pan off the heat immediately and it turned out great. I tried 4 drops of the liquid food coloring and when I stirred it, I decided to put in one more drop (total of 5). That was the perfect amount. The other thing I did was prepare two foil pans both of which I used as I had enough candy syrup and it was setting so fast I couldn’t fill out one entire pan; I just held the second one at a tilt and poured the balance onto that. The color is beautiful and it smashed up perfectly. I’m in Florida and it’s still hot and humid here, so I’m praying it stays separate and doesn’t clump up by the time of the party tomorrow night, but I think it’ll be okay. One thing…it didn’t make a lot, so I’m going to make another batch after dinner as I want to have little baggies of a “teenth” each for a bunch of friends. That, with my Heisenberg t-shirt, fedora, and dark glasses will be the perfect finishing touch to my costume. I couldn’t be happier!
How exactly do you use the frosting creations. I actually have that on hand and am having a hard time finding the color. I have the wilton sky blue…is it similar?
Hi Jessa,
You can stir in the packet of frosting creations after the candy is fully cooked and removed from the heat. I haven’t tried it with the Wilton sky blue but my hunch would be that it would work just fine.
Never mind. Bit the bullet and gave it a try. It works pretty good, but it is hard to get it all to dissolve. It ended up with several spots of dark bits of coloring/flavoring from the frosting creations. Once I crushed it you couldn’t see them so all is well. Thanks!
Hey Elizabeth!
My “meth” has crystalised when I’ve poured it into the tin after cooking. I cooked it to exactly 140c. Please help X
Hi Amy,
There could be a couple different reasons for the crystallization. Did you use corn syrup or did you substitute something else? The corn syrup really helps prevent crystallization. Did you brush down the sides of the pan with a wet brush to remove any stray sugar crystals? The other question is, once the candy started boiling, did you stir it at all? Stirring cooking sugar causes sugar crystals to form and once that process starts, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a grainy candy. It has less to do with the temperature you cooked it to and more to do with how it was handled during the cooking. Unfortunately, once your candy has crystallized, there’s not much that can be done to fix it. So sorry to hear it didn’t work out!
1. Make a batch
2. Bring it to school
3. Start handing it out in class
4. ???
5. Profit
what? I think this is neat, but overall a stupid idea. Maybe it’s because i’m a teen, or maybe it’s because this is a sensitive subject for me, but taking something like meth and making it into something so lighthearted and desensitizing as candy… seems really messed up to me. Kind of like making candies resembling rape or something. I get that it’s supposed to be Breaking Bad themed and relate to the show, but eeehh… had to input that thought. Ya’ll are adults though. Just don’t give it to kids lol…
No, I agree with you entirely, and I’m an ‘adult’. I know people whose lives have been affected by and, in some cases, destroyed by methamphetamine usage. It’s not something to take lightly and I think making ‘meth’ candy undermines the seriousness of the situation, particularly as most of the people making this candy will be middle-class earners who have had no experience with this drug outside of Breaking Bad. It’s akin to rape jokes and cultural appropriation, and it’s in bad taste, if not downright offensive to those who have lost loved ones to methamphetamine usage. I don’t care that it’s supposed to be an ‘in-joke’ with people that watch the show, it’s still inappropriate.
Hi. I’ve made a many times. I always have problems at the same place, mixing in the oil. It immediately boils off into really intense steam and what’s left fails to stir into the syrup. I always wind up with the oil coating the outside of the candy instead of being mixed through. Any suggestions?
P.S. Never have your face in the steam from the oil, especially if it’s cinnamon.
Hi Dag,
Do you let it sit for a few moments once you take it off the heat, to let the bubbles die down? I find that that helps with the suffocating-oil-in-face syndrome. As to the oil not mixing in, I admit I haven’t had this problem before. What type of oil are you using? I know that LorAnn makes some oils that are specially formulated for use in chocolate, could that be the problem? Maybe try switching to a flavoring extract instead of an oil and see if that helps.
Hi there, I found this page via imgur lol. My fiance is a fan of Breaking Bad and I was hoping to add this to a bunch of themed gifts for xmas.
However, I live in Canada and I’m not sure I’d be able to get some of the same ingredients (ie food colouring etc) Do you have any suggestions for the canucks like me out there?
Hi Katherine, Fun gift idea! I think you’ll be okay with regular food coloring you find in stores. I’ve heard from multiple readers who’ve tried it and used the typical liquid food coloring you can find in many supermarkets. I recommend the specific Americolor shade because I *know* it will work, but from the experiences of others, I think you’ll be fine as long as you don’t overcook the candy and let it take on a caramel color. Were there other ingredients you won’t be able to find? If corn syrup is a problem, you can use glucose as a good substitute if that’s available to you, or make your own corn syrup from sugar, using a recipe like this one:
http://www.thekitchn.com/pantry-staples-diy-cane-sugar-131934
Please let me know if you have more questions. Good luck!
I think you may want to reconsider the name–I was offended that you chose the name Crystal Meth Rock Candy–very ill-chosen name. I would suggest you find a different name than “Crystal Meth,” really bad connotation.
Carol, Did you read the post? Are you familiar with the television show Breaking Bad? I think perhaps you’ve missed the point. This is a recipe for fans of a television show–an in-joke of sorts, for entertainment purposes only. I’m sorry if it offended you, and I understand that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ll be keeping the name unchanged.
Thanks for the recipe, seeing as we can’t take the easy way out and buy blue raspberry rock candy in England!
I’ve just cooked my first batch of product – the colour is spot on (Dr Oetker blue food colouring, available in UK supermarkets) but Heisenberg would not be impressed with my “meth” being opaque. It set well and cracked nicely, btw.
I didn’t use corn syrup (not sure if that’s available here), just adjusted the amount of sugar instead. Pretty please could you suggest what I could try to stop my next batch being opaque?
I absolutely love Breaking Bad – I even went to Albuquerque in summer 2011 during a roadtrip! I had a chicken burrito at Twisters (a.k.a. Los Pollos Hermanos), pilgrimaged to the REAL White House and savoured the atmosphere in the parking lot at the Crossroads Motel. I’ll be back in ABQ next summer too.
Thanks again…
Hi fellow Liz! So fun to meet a fellow BB enthusiast–the road trip sounds amazing!
If your candy is opaque, my guess is that it crystallized. Did it break cleanly and have a smooth, shiny surface, or was it a bit more crumbly and rough or coarse? One of the main jobs of corn syrup is to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Sugar crystallizes suuuuper easily, so it’s necessary to have some sort of ingredient that stops this process. If you don’t have corn syrup, you can try adding an acid, like lemon juice, to the sugar mixture. One teaspoon should probably do the trick, and the small amount means you likely won’t taste it in the final product. Cream of tartar is another acid that works well for preventing crystals.
Hope this helps–let me know how it goes! And please do send a picture of the final product.
Thanks for the tip! It was slightly coarse, although I wouldn’t say it was crumbly. I’m just going to do small batches until I perfect my technique. I’ll try to send a photo of my first batch after sending this.
We can buy glucose syrup here, but a lemon would be cheaper! I’ll add it to my shopping list as I’ll try cooking another batch later in the week to (hopefully) get the blue glass effect. I need to increase the purity of my product for my methcakes. 😉
All this sounds a tad dodgy, so a little message to the DEA & Hank – “Please don’t kick down my door in a dawn raid, it’s only sugar!”
Thanks again…
I think this name is very offensive and inappropriate, even if it is a reference to a tv show.
Do you serve this to children using this name??
Only when they get a mad case of the munchies!
As this recipe/post is directed to Breaking Bad fans, an ADULT show, I doubt anyone would feel the need to give this to kids and call it crystal meth. It would simply be ‘blue candy’. I think that should be fairly obvious.
Personally, I’m a massive fan of the show and I cant wait to give this recipe a try!
tried it last night (17th), perfect! can I use parchment paper next time? i feel as if you don’t need the pam. and if you know how to make the “meth” as pop rocks that’d be so awesome.
Hi Laura,
So glad it worked! I wouldn’t recommend parchment. It might work (haven’t tried it with this exact recipe) but I’ve had bad experiences with other hard candy recipes where the parchment sticks and has to be peeled off and leaves a papery residue. You probably could forgo the spray on the foil and be fine. If you’re looking to eliminate the foil, a Silpat liner works, or lightly grease a baking sheet or marble slab and you should be able to pop it off once it hardens. I just think the foil is least messy/most convenient…to each their own, though!
I don’t have any good ideas about the pop rocks…but that sounds awesome.
Hello, thanks so much for the recipe yo! My first couple batches have turned out great.
I have been cooking to 285 as directed and have had good clear crunchy product. However I noticed many rock candy recipes calling for a 300 degree boil to reach “hard crack”. I think I will try to boil to 300 next time and see what happens.
I like to take out a shard, and crack it into pieces on a glass surface with a bic lighter before consuming. I think its easier on the teeth in smaller pieces, and I feel like Tuco doing it 🙂
Thanks again!
Skinny Pete, you are cracking me up! I don’t know that emulating Tuco is really the best way to go about life, but to each his own.
300F is definitely the traditional temperature for hard candies. That was actually how I originally wrote the recipe, but I found that people were consistently overcooking the candy and as the candy went above 300, it started to darken and turn a greenish color. To help prevent that, I took the temperature a little lower to give people more “wiggle room” so that even if they overcooked their candy, they would still get a blue color instead of a green color. Definitely give it a try and see what you think! You may notice the color changes a little, and the candy will probably be a bit less sticky, but otherwise the taste should be almost identical.
Hi Elizabeth!
Thanks for such a great recipe. I love this blog, and I keep coming back especially to this page again and again. I’ve now made this for the third time and I just follow all your instructions and it never fails. Most recently, I made the candy to line the side of a Breaking Bad themed cake! It was a really great extra touch, so thank you
First, thank you for writing and revising this as you’ve gone–I’d been eyeing this for a long time but finally got up the nerve (and ingredients) to try it last night. My first batch turned out green–I know it isn’t the coloring since I was able to get the one you recommend, so it must be overcooked.
I have a digital candy thermometer, so I tried doing the calibration tonight. The thermometer read 212 when the water was boiling. But I did notice that when the water was first starting to do a rolling boil it was about 207 or 208. Do you think it might be that might thermometer is a bit slow or I’m cooking at too high a heat? I took last night’s batch off the heat the moment it reached 285 but didn’t think to see what the temp ended at.
Also, not sure if related, but should the final texture be completely rigid? The set gel did shatter nicely, but the moment you put a piece in your mouth it was sticky like a dense caramel. Maybe related–too much water still in there from cooking too fast?
Thanks again. Right now I feel like I’m at Captain Cook and would like to get to Heisenberg by premiere.
Hi Ryan! The texture of the finished candy shouldn’t be sticky or caramel-like–it should be crunchy and hard, like a lollipop. So yes, it might be that it was cooked at too high a temp and the sugars caramelized before enough water was evaporated–what stove setting were you cooking it on? Are you at sea level, or a higher altitude? And is it humid or stormy where you are right now? Humidity can be a big culprit in turning sugar candies sticky and making hard candy making troublesome.
Thanks for replying. I’m close to sea level but in Austin, TX. Not as humid as Houston, but may very well be an issue. I did try a second batch cooking at a lower temp (first batch I had temp gauge at a bit over 8, this time I tried 6). That definitely took longer but I noticed the temperature topping out so I had to increase the heat a couple of times. The result was definitely more rigid so I think that worked to get more water out.
It was still green, but I realized the culprit–I was only able to find one store with light corn syrup but it was an organic light corn syrup and totally yellow. I didn’t know that corn syrup should be clear until I did some searching. Like I said, totally Captain Cook.
Thanks again, will keep working on it.
Yellow corn syrup sounds like the culprit for sure! I don’t think I’ve ever seen yellow corn syrup (or organic corn syrup at all…) so it didn’t occur to me, but I’ll be that’s it. And who knows, it might also contribute to your texture problem. Get yourself some highly processed, non-organic corn syrup and try again! None of that fancy healthy stuff here.
That was it. Switched to Karo for third batch–sky blue! The culprit was Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Light Corn Syrup. Silly healthy corn syrup!!
Yesss success! Walt would be proud! So glad it worked, and glad to know what the culprit was in case others have the same trouble later on.