How do you make your own Hard Boiled Sweets?

drunkmonkey

I really want to make my own rhubarb & custard sweets, anybody know how?

Eviledna

Well, I've dabbled in candy making before, and having a good candy thermometer is essential.

Next, you want a good hard candy recipe, such as this:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peppermint-Hard-Candy/Detail.aspx

Next, you would need to modify the flavours and colours to match it. I would imagine that pink and yellow food colouring ought to work, and as for flavour you have too options:
1) Boil the arse out of some rhubarb until you get a reduction, and add that to the candy mix at the end. Risk chemicals in the rhubarb stopping the sweets from setting.
2) Buy some flavourings. Rhubarb is hard one to find, but simple vanilla extract (not essence) would work for your custard flavour.

Aha! I found some rhubarb flavouring: you could even request a sample!
http://www.stringer-flavour.com/flavour_detail.asp?FlavourID=259

Then split your recipe in two, add a flavour to each half,and combine to make tasty drops!
There's bound to be some trial and error here, but hell, that's the fun of these things!