These comprehend all articles in sugar-boiling which eat short and crisp. They are used for all sorts of ornamental sugar-work. The rules and observations laid down under this head must be particularly noted, especially those for greasing the sugar so as to prevent its graining.

Acid Drops and Sticks.—Boil clarified sugar to the crack, and pour it on an oiled marble-stone; pound some tartaric or citric-acid to a fine powder, and strew over it about half or three-quarters of an ounce of the former, according to its quality, and less of the latter, to seven pounds of sugar; turn the edges over into the middle, and mix the acid by folding it over, or by working it in a similar manner as dough is molded, but do not pull it; put it in a tin rubbed over with oil or butter, and place it under the stove to keep warm; then cut off a small piece at a time, and roll it into a round pipe; cut them off in small pieces the size of drops, with shears, and let your assistant roll them round under his hand, and flatten them. Mix them with powdered sugar, sift them from it, and keep them in boxes or glasses.

When flavored with lemon, they are called lemon-acid drops; with otto of roses, rose-acid drops. The sticks are made in the same manner as the drops, without being cut into small pieces.

Almond Hardbake.—Oil a square or round tin with low edges; split some almonds in half, put them in rows over the bottom, with the split side downward, until the surface is covered; boil some raw sugar to the crack, and pour it over them so as to cover the whole with a thin sheet of sugar. Cocoanut (cut in thin slices), currant, and other similar candies, are made as the hardbake, except that the sugar is grained before it is poured over.

Almond Rock.—This is a similar production to nogat, and is made with raw sugar, which is boiled to the crack. Pour it on an oiled stone, and fill it with sweet almonds, either blanched or not; the almonds are mixed with the sugar by working them into it with the hands, in a similar manner as you would mix anything into a piece of dough. If they were stirred into the sugar in the pan it would grain, which is the reason why it is melted for nogat. Form the rock into a ball or roll, and make it into a sheet about two inches thick, by rolling it with a rolling-pin. The top may be divided into diamonds or squares by means of a long knife or piece of iron; when it is nearly cold cut it into long narrow pieces with a strong knife and hammer.

Barley Sugar.—Boil some clarified loaf sugar to the crack or caramel degree, using a little acid to prevent its graining; pour it out on a marble slab, which has been previously oiled or buttered. Four pieces of iron, or small square bars, are usually employed to form a sort of bay to prevent the sugar running off the stone, which is necessary in large casts. When the edges get set a little, remove the bars, and turn them over into the center. This is occasionally flavored with lemons. When it is required, pour a few drops of the essential oil of lemons in the center, before the edges are folded over, then cut it into narrow strips with a large pair of scissors or sheep shears. When nearly cold, twist them, put them into glasses or tin boxes, and keep them closed to prevent the access of air. It is seldom boiled higher than the crack, and saffron is used to make it the color of caramel.

This derives the name of barley sugar from its being originally made with a decoction of barley, as a demulcent in coughs, for which it is now most generally used.

Barley Sugar Drops.—Boil some sugar as for the preceding. Spread some finely powdered and sifted loaf sugar on a table or tea-tray, with a piece of stick, round at the end similar to the half of a ball; make several holes, into which you run the sugar from a lipped pan, or it may be dropped on an oiled marble slab with a funnel, letting only one drop fall at a time; or from the lip pan, separating each drop with a small knife, or a straight piece of small wire; take them off the stone with a knife, mix them with powdered loaf sugar, sift them from it, and keep in glasses or tin boxes.

Barley Sugar Tablets or Kisses.—Spread some sugar, as for the last. Have a piece of wood about an inch and a half thick, with the surface divided into small squares, each being about an inch in breadth and half an inch in depth; with this form the impressions in the sugar, and fill them with sugar boiled as for drops, flavoring it with essence of lemon; or instead of this, it may be poured out in a sheet on an oiled marble slab, as for barley sugar, and when nearly cold divide it into pieces with a tin frame, having small square divisions, when the whole sheet may be divided at once by pressing hard on it so as to cut it nearly through. When cold, separate them and mix them with powdered sugar, take them out and fold them separately in fancy or colored papers, with a motto on each.

They are also occasionally made into balls, thus: First cast the sugar in a sheet on an oiled marble slab; when the edges are set, fold them in the middle, then oil a small square tin with edges to it, put the sugar in this, and place it under the fire-place of the stove so as to keep warm; cut off a piece and roll it into a pipe, then cut it into small pieces with a pair of shears, and let your assistant roll it into small balls under his hand on a sandstone; marble is too smooth for this purpose. Many lads who are used to it can turn eight or ten under each hand at one time. When they are finished, pat them into powdered sugar, wrap them in fancy papers, fringed at the ends, put a motto in each, and fasten them with small bands of gold paper. Sometimes a cracker is folded up in each, which is made with two narrow strips of stiff paper, a small piece of sand or glass paper is pasted on the end of each, and these are placed over each other with a little fulminating powder between, a piece of thin paper is bound round it, and pasted to keep them together; when these are pulled asunder, the two rough surfaces meeting cause the powder to explode, and out flies the ball of sugar with the motto. This innocent amusement often causes much mirth in a company.

Brandy Balls, etc.—These are made from loaf sugar boiled to the crack, and colored either with cochineal or saffron, and finished in the same way as acidulated drops, without being flattened.

Clove, Ginger, or Peppermint Candy.—These are all made in the same way as raspberry, using the essential oil of each for flavor. For clove, the mixture, whilst boiling, is colored with cochineal; ginger with saffron; but the peppermint must be kept perfectly white, except the stripes, which is done by cutting off as many pieces from the bulk as you have colors, which should be in powder; put a sufficiency in each piece to give the desired tint, and keep them warm. When the remaining portion of the sugar is pulled, lay them over the surface in narrow stripes, double the roll together, and the face each way will be alike. Pull them out into long sticks and twist them; make them round by rolling them under the hand, or they may be cut into small pieces with a pair of shears or scissors.

Nogat.—Two pounds of sweet almonds, one pound of sugar, one pound of water. Blanch the almonds, and cut them in slices, dry them at the mouth of a cool oven, and if slightly browned, the better; powder the sugar, and put it into a stew-pan, with the water; place it on the fire to melt, stirring it with a spatula until it becomes a fine brown, then mix in the almonds, and let them be well covered with the sugar; pour it out on an oiled marble-stone. It may be made into a thick or thin sheet, and cut with a knife into small pieces, such as dice, diamonds, etc. The surface may be strewed with currants, fillets of pistachios or coarse sugar, and cut into different forms with tin cutters.

It may also be formed into baskets, vases, etc. Oil the interior of a mold, and spread the nogat over it, whilst warm, as thin and even as possible. To save the fingers from being burned, it may be spread with a lemon. Detach it from the mold when warm, and let it remain until cold, that it may retain its shape perfectly, then fasten the different parts together with caramel sugar. For baskets, a handle of spun sugar may be placed over it, or ornamented with it according to fancy. These may be filled with whipped or other creams when required to be served.

Raspberry Candy.—This may either be made from raw or refined sugar. Boil it to the crack, and color it with cochineal; pour it on a stone rubbed over with a little oil or butter, cut off a small piece, and keep it warm to stripe or case the other part, when finished; to the remainder add a little tartaric acid (not so much as for drops), and some raspberry paste, sufficient to flavor it. The residue of raspberries used for making vinegar, and preserved with an equal quantity of sugar, or even less, as for raspberry cakes, does very well for this purpose. Fold the edges over into the center, and attach it to a hook fixed against the wall; pull it towards you, throwing it on the hook each time after having pulled it out; continue doing this until it gets rather white and shining, then make it into a compact long roll, and either stripe it with the piece you cut off, or roll it out in a sheet with a rolling-pin, and wrap it round it so as to form a sort of case; then pull it into long narrow sticks, and cut them the required length.

To Extract the Acid from Candied Drops, Etc.—All the articles which have acid mixed with them are extremely liable to grain, when they are useless except to sell for broken pieces, as they cannot be boiled again unless the acid is extracted. The method of doing this is at present not generally known in the trade, and it is kept by many that are in possession of it as a great secret. Five dollars is often paid for this recipe alone. However great the secret may be considered, it is only returning to the first principles in the manufacture of sugar. When the juice is expressed from the canes, it contains a considerable quantity of oxalic acid, which must be destroyed before it will granulate into sugar; for this purpose lime is employed, which has the desired effect; so will it also in this case, but chalk or whitening is most generally used. First dissolve your acid sugar in water; when this is thoroughly accomplished, mix in a sufficient quantity of either of these alkalies in powder to cause a strong effervescence; after it has subsided, pass it through a flannel bag, according to the directions for clarifying sugar. The filtered syrup will be fit to use for any purpose, and may be boiled again to the crack or caramel degree as well as if no acid had ever been mixed with it. Let the pan it is dissolved in be capable of containing as much again as there is in it, or the effervescence will flow over.