Post-Fight Lemon Drops
First, you need to have a fight with your daughter(s). If you don’t have a daughter, a son will do. If you have both (or a few of each), choose (or fall into) any combination of your kids to fight with. Typically, you won’t have to do too much here, fights with kids seem to materialize out of thin air in an unexpected fashion.
After the fight, fume a little (a lot). Let both sides get ready for peace.
Then serve lemon drops as a peace offering.
Better yet, invite “the other side” to make them together. I hear food brings people closer. I honestly can’t say cooking projects with your kids are guaranteed to bring you and your kids closer. That depends on how chill you are about messes.
And yes, I used to think of “lemon drop” as a cocktail.... Well guess what – it is! But it is also a candy. So, don’t look at me like that. It's perfectly child-friendly.
Why lemon drops? I volunteer at the school library. One day, I couldn't believe my eyes. No, not that the kids were quietly reading their books - if that ever happens, I will be sure to look for other signs of Apocalypse. No, I couldn't believe my eyes, because I saw… The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook!
I immediately had to check it out to myself, because I have a Harry Potter fan in the house. The one I fight with. Actually, I have three Harry Potter fans in the house (my younger daughter is... well... young, so the three of us are ready to convert her as soon as she is done with June B. Jones). Oh, and our dog Dobby... Nah, he's not a Harry Potter fan. He couldn't care less for reading. Even though he is the best free house elf ever. (Immediately upon naming him, we gave him a collar to free him of any burden borne by said naming).
Well anyway, I brought the book home and nearly forgot about it. When we started fighting though, I thought for a second that I probably look like a witch. Witch! Potions! And then it clicked. I knew how to bring peace upon our house again.
So, pacificatory (I hope it's a word) lemon drops!
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup (eeek! we used maple syrup of course)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
I thought it was weird that the recipe didn't include any lemon juice. So, I added some. Oh yes, I am rebellious like that.
Combine the ingredients except the lemon extract (and lemon juice if you use any) in a saucepan. Feel free to wear your Hermione costume (or a witch hat at the very least), and to scream spells with your kid(s) in perfect cacophony. Stir the potion until the sugar dissolves and the mixture bubbles.
Please excuse the messy stove top. It’s because... I dunno, I’m just messy.
Remove from heat, stir in the lemony ingredients.
Use an oiled spoon to drop the candies onto the parchment paper. That’s what the instructions said….. Instead, I poured the mixture on the baking sheet lined with parchment…
Can you see me making a silly face while also waving hello?
Then put it in the refrigerator for an hour, and then cut up the pieces to make cute shapes!
They’ll be cooling off in the freezer before we wrap them…. They had to be tried though! :)
Let them cool completely. Wrap separately in parchment or foil so the candies don't stick together. Store in an air tight container.
Store?!
Who am I kidding! ;)
P.S. I googled (amazoned, really) other awesome Harry Potter creations. Omg, what rock had I been living under? :)
Magical Marauder's Map Ceramic Coffee Mug
Ministry of Magic This Way Decal Sticker
Have a blast browsing, fellow Potterheads :)
