Berwick Cockles Peppermint Striped Sweets

Instructions

1. Oil a marble slab or two baking sheets lightly and have scissors, oiled gloves and a candy thermometer ready.
2. Combine both sugars, the corn syrup and water in a heavy saucepan. Stir over medium heat until dissolved, then stop stirring.
3. Boil without stirring until the thermometer reaches 300 F (149 C), the hard-crack stage, about 12 to 15 minutes. Wash down any crystals on the pan sides with a wet brush.
4. Remove from the heat. Take care: the syrup is extremely hot. Stir in the peppermint extract (it will bubble).
5. Pour two-thirds onto the slab for the pale base. Add the red coloring to the remaining third in the pan and pour it nearby.
6. As the candy cools to a pliable ribbon, pull and stretch the pale piece lightly, then lay thin red strips on its sides to form stripes.
7. Pull the combined ribbon into a rope about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick and snip with oiled scissors into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Squeeze each flat between your fingers to make shell-like flat sweets.
8. Dust with powdered sugar and cool completely on parchment.