Ode to Sriracha...

I really like Sriracha sauce. I put it on most things. So, when I saw this recipe I had to try it. I made a few different versions, hard candy, soft chewy candy, and fudge. I'm not a candy maker, per se, but it's really all about temperature. The higher the temp, the harder the candy will become. As for fudge, you get the temp to a "soft ball" stage and then whip the heck out of it before it sets up. It's a bit of a pain. As the recipe says, though, it was an interesting flavor, and though I like Sriracha on most things, I wouldn't necessarily make the candy again. I recommend the Sriracha potato chips, though.

Always have a bottle on hand.

Great chips.

One of my candy creations (the soft candy).

Bourbon Sriracha Candy
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
⅛ cup corn syrup (we substituted agave nectar)
1 Tbsp. sriracha
1 Tbsp. bourbon
cooking spray, for the mold

Grease a silicone mold with a small amount of cooking spray. (We used our silicone ice trays and filled them about 1/4 of the way.) Wipe out any extra oil.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup/agave nectar and stir with a silicone spatula.  Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.  Be sure the bottom of the thermometer isn’t touching the bottom of the pan.  Heat this mixture over medium-high heat until the thermometer reaches 300°.  Remove the pan from heat immediately.

Add the sriracha and bourbon and stir slowly.  The mixture will bubble immediately.  When it stops, pour the mixture into a liquid measuring cup, then transfer into the silicone mold.  It’s important to pour quickly because the mixture will gum up and get sticky very quickly.  Only about half of our candy set correctly while the rest just turned into chewy gummy messes.

Let the candy set and harden in the mold before removing.

These candies are…interesting.  They taste pretty much exactly what you would imagine bourbon, Sriracha, and sugar would taste like. They’re not bad, but they’re definitely not for everyone.  If you absolutely love Sriracha, these might work for you, as that flavor is the strongest and longest lasting.  Patrick likes Sriracha so much he puts it on his lunch sandwiches every day, but even he didn’t love the candy.  We won’t rush to make them again soon, but it was definitely worth the experiment.  They might be a perfect, small gift for that person we all know who puts Sriracha on everything, though.  They’re probably best used as a rare novelty.

Buon Appetito!