14 Oct 2021

DIY Herbal Halloween Lollipop Recipe

Tagscinnamon, cloves, coffee, DIY, fennel, halloween, lollipop recipe

It’s officially time to break out those cauldrons and brew up something sweet for a Halloween treat! This homemade herbal lollipop recipe is a delicious candy filled with rich flavor and simple ingredients.

candy bubbling in pot

Watch the Golden Liquid Rise

As the concoction bubbled and boiled, I felt like a Sanderson sister stirring up something on a fall Salem night (minus the dead man’s toe). The light golden liquid rises as the fire brings it up to the perfect final temperature. If like me, you are new to making herbal candy, it’s a lot more approachable than you might think!. Give it a try this Halloween season; this recipe is a treat without the tricks!

pouring water into french press

Velvet Blend

We’ve all enjoyed a delicious pumpkin spice treat or a mug of warm chai during the fall, but this is something velvety good to add to your Halloween bucket list. Coffee, cinnamon, fennel, and clove brew together creating the most aromatic blend of flavors that fills your kitchen with an intoxicating smell.

When it comes to creating herbal treats, I love that this recipe eliminates the need for artificial flavors, but still gets bold results—results that come with added benefits too!

pouring coffee grounds into measuring cup

coffee in measuring cup

Coffee (Coffee Arabica)

A morning staple for some, and an herbal stimulant that is world-famous for the boost of energy it provides. Coffee is also known to bring a bold, delicious flavor to any recipe.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)

A warm spice with a powerful purpose, cinnamon is helpful for circulatory stimulation, has antiseptic properties, and is a wonderful mouth cleaner. Considered a warming carminative, it is helpful for digestion as well (Easley & Horne, 2016). Cinnamon is one of my all-time favorites!

pouring herbs into a french press

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

This licorice-like flavor is wonderful to stimulate digestion and calm the belly (Easley, 2016). In the form of a lollipop, it is perfect to get the digestive juices flowing.

Clove (Eugenia caryophyllata)

Another powerhouse that is both perfect for the mouth and serves as a digestive aid. This warm spice compliments cinnamon, having much of the same helpful properties. It even brings a little analgesic calming to the mouth (Easley & Horne, 2016), which makes this a great lollipop ingredient.

All of these warming fall flavors come together in this herbal Halloween treat that isn’t going to give you a bellyache! Plus have you ever had a lollipop that’s actually giving your mouth some benefits versus a toothache? It’s all about balance when it comes to creating special treats. I love finding herbs that can help and taste great, even if the recipe calls for a little sugar!

halloween lollipops in candy molds

Here is How to Create Your Own Halloween Lollipop Recipe

“Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble.” The saying is optional, but in true Halloween spirit, it is a great way to start this recipe. We could all use a little magic feeling these days!

jars of candy corn with herbal lollipops and sugar sprinkled on the table

DIY Herbal Halloween Lollipop Recipe

This recipe is two-fold, a little aromatic coffee brewing and a little candy boiling. Combined, they come together to form a delicious and unique herbal lollipop treat!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ground coffee
½ teaspoon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) bark
½ teaspoon fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed
½ teaspoon cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) flower bud
8-12 ounces hot water
1 cup sugar
½ cup raw organic honey

Directions

Using a french press, add 2 tablespoons of ground coffee
Add in the cinnamon, fennel, and cloves; you can use either ground or whole dried spices for this recipe since they are going to be filtered out. However, do give your fennel seeds a little crush to release those volatile oils for an extra kick!
Add in 8 – 12 ounces of hot water to your french press, water amount depends on how strong you’d like your brew to be.
Brew coffee mixture for about 5 minutes. Plunge and pour your coffee into a cup.
Reserve this coffee liquid for the lollipops.
The next step is creating the herbal lollipop mixture.
Using a large pot, (this is important because your liquid is going to bubble and rise quite a bit) clip a candy thermometer to the inside of the pot.
Place the sugar, coffee liquid, and honey into the pot and cook on medium heat to watch your candy creation form.
Stir and watch your mixture boil until it reaches 300 degrees, which is considered a hard crack. This takes about 20 minutes.
Once the desired temperature is reached, carefully pour the hot liquid into a large measuring cup. This will allow you to pour with more precision into the silicone lollipop molds.
Working as quickly as possible, fill the silicone molds before the candy hardens.
This next step is more of a housekeeping tip, but it’s an important one. Quickly clean your pots and supplies. HOT, hot, soapy water works well. Sometimes I have to boil water on the stove to get out some of the remaining candy that gets stuck to my supplies. It’s a little bit of a messy clean-up, but nothing a little soap and hot water can’t fix.
The lollipops will harden in the silicone molds. When they are no longer warm to the touch, they are ready!
Gently peel them out of the molds to reveal delicious Halloween herbal lollipops.

To Use:

These would be perfect for a Halloween carving party. A unique treat that you typically are not going to find in the candy aisle at the stores. If you’re not serving them at a function, store any leftover lollipops in an airtight container in the fridge. These get pretty sticky, use parchment paper to keep them from touching and sticking together.

herbal lollipops in a jar with candy corn

In Closing,

As Halloween approaches and you are dreading the amount of sweet treats your family will consume, save this lollipop recipe. You will feel a little better knowing that creating your very own herbal lollipops is easily accessible and something fun to do together. Have fun stirring up your own magic!

REFERENCES

Easley, T. & Horne, S. (2016). The modern herbal dispensatory: A medicine making guide. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books.

DIY Herbal Halloween Lollipop Recipe

Watch the Golden Liquid Rise