How to Make Spun Sugar

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 8 servings

Spun sugar creates a beautiful web of glossy sugar strands that can be used to wrap or top pastries. When done correctly it produces a beautiful and professional appearance. As always, when working with hot sugar you should exercise extreme caution since sugar can produce terrible burns. Spun sugar quickly liquidates when it comes into contact with moisture so avoid making this in very humid environments. In addition to this recipe, a step-by-step photo guide explaining how to make spun sugar is a helpful resource.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup

  • 1/2 cup water

Steps to Make It

  1. Prepare your workstation by covering your kitchen counter and floor with newspaper to catch sugar spills. Take 3 or 4 saucepans and arrange them close together on the paper-covered counter, handles facing outward and extending over the edge of the counter. Spray the handles with nonstick cooking spray.

  2. Fill a large bowl with ice and water, and set it aside to be used later.

  3. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cover the saucepan with a lid and boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to boil the sugar syrup, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 310 F. The sugar will cook very quickly toward the end, so watch closely to ensure it doesn’t burn.

  4. As soon as the sugar reaches the proper temperature, remove the saucepan from the heat and dunk the bottom in the prepared ice water to stop the sugar from cooking further. Allow the mixture to stand for a minute or two. It will thicken slightly.

  5. Hold the pan in one hand and a fork in the other. Dip the fork in the sugar syrup and stir. Remove the fork from the heat and hold it 5 to 6 inches above the prepared saucepan handles. Rapidly flick the fork back and forth over the handles. The sugar syrup should create very fine strands of sugar that drape over the handles. If the syrup doesn’t create any strands, or the strands have a lot of “beads,” allow the syrup to cool for another minute. If the strands are very lumpy and difficult to form, reheat the syrup very briefly.

  6. Continue to dip and quickly flick the fork over the handles, creating many fine strands of spun sugar. At any point, you can remove the sugar that has accumulated and shape it into balls, nests, or thin tubes as desired. Continue to create spun sugar until your syrup is gone, or until you have enough spun sugar for your needs.

  7. Spun sugar is best used immediately after it is made. The sugar will start to liquefy if it comes into contact with anything moist or humid. If you are using it on top of a dessert, wait to position it until the last possible moment. If you want to attempt to store it, place it in a dry, airtight container, preferably with several packages of desiccants, like those found in vitamin bottles. Keep the sealed container away from extreme heat.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
254 Calories
0g Fat
66g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 254
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 14mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 66g 24%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 66g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 4mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 1mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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