Homemade Black Licorice

Black licorice can be a polarizing issue in the candy store. Some people seek it out exclusively and prefer their entire bag of jelly beans to be black. Others will crinkle their nose at the mention of the word “licorice” and keep their distance. But in my opinion, that just means more for us!

Even if you think you’re a card-carrying member of the Licorice Haters Club, I beg you to try homemade licorice. It’s soft, chewy, and the anise flavor is much more subtle than it is in the commercial versions. Dare I say that it’s delicious enough to make a convert out of you?

The base of black licorice consists of several different forms sugar: granulated sugar, dark corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and molasses. If you prefer a stronger black licorice flavor, use blackstrap molasses. If you’re easing into the Licorice Lovers Club, go ahead and use plain baking molasses.

Recipe adapted and scaled down from Saveur magazine. —DessertForTwo

Directions

1. Line a 9 x by 5 x by 3-inch bread loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving excess to form handles for easy removal.
2. Grease the parchment paper with extra butter.
3. Clip a (calibrated) candy thermometer to the side of a heavy 2-quart saucepan, being sure that the gauge is not resting directly on the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the butter, sugar, corn syrup, condensed milk, molasses, and salt. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a gentle boil. Stir the mixture frequently to prevent scorching in the corners.
5. Once the mixture reaches 240° F, remove it from the heat, and immediately stir in the flour and black food gel. Once they’re fully incorporated, stir in the anise extract.
6. Pour the mixture into the buttered loaf pan and let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes.
7. Remove from the pan, and either dice it into squares or slice it into ropes and twist.