Wait, wait, wait! Don’t run away! I know–it’s black licorice. Blackest black midnight black licorice.
You see, previously, I thought you had to have a certain arrangement of genes in order to like black licorice. The red licorice? Sure, it’s a little more likeable. But the black jelly beans? Only a select portion of our population likes them. Black licorice twisty sticks? Even less people like them. But then, I had homemade black licorice. I was completely floored.
Here’s the truth: I scaled back on the anise extract a touch. This made all the difference in the world. This is how I was converted to a black licorice lover. But fret not, if you hoard black jelly beans and savor black licorice sticks, just use an entire tablespoon of anise extract for your beloved licorice flavor.
This homemade candy binge has been so fun! I had to pick up a few specialty ingredients for this recipe. I grabbed anise extract and black food gel. You can use the leftover anise extract for biscotti.
Butter the pan very well (yum!)
Boil the granulated sugar, dark corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, molasses and a pinch of salt. Boil the mixture to a temperature between 235 and 240-degrees F.
Stir in the flour, black food gel, and anise extract. Work quickly!
You can cut the soft, chewy licorice into bite-size pieces like I did below, or slice into thin strips and twist.
I shared my recipe with detailed instructions over on Food 52 right here.
This is licorice for the people, I tell ya.
i will try but think I will leave the food color out and thinking maybe a batch with different flavors seems like they would be like toothy rolls.
My husband loves black licorice but has celiac. Any way I can substitute another kind of flour?
These are gorgeous! The depth of color is just stunning. And I totally have the black licorice gene. I pick out and eat ALL the black jelly beans in the bag. LOVE THEM!
I happen to love black licorice, so load me up!
I made this for my mom for her birthday and she said she could hardly taste the anise. I’ll have to increase the amount of extract next time.
I found this through pinterest and I don’t see the amounts for the ingredients?
Why on Earth would you ever cut back on the anise?!? I can’t even imagine eating a licorice with LESS flavour than the tasteless twists you would purchase in the store. What would be the point? If you don’t like licorice then don’t make it.
Just as a point of interest, “red licorice” is not actually licorice at all. And, technically, neither is this since it was made with anise. True licorice is made with liquorice root extract. Though anise has a similar flavour, and is commonly substituted for real liquorice, nothing beats the real thing.
Hi, I am a black licorice nut. I’m 67 and been eating licorice as long as I can remember and have always loved it. It’s up to the individual taste. If you don’t like it don’t eat it, hard choice right? I just wanted to say thank you for this simple recipe. I can’t wait to try it. Keep up the good work.
Came out good but how do I stop it from sticking together? The individual cut pieces now look like a big lump
Interesting recipe. But it is not salty liquorice. The unmistakable flavour of traditional salty liquorice comes solely from the salt ammonium chloride which is used in quantities between 3% – 10%. No aniseed oil is used at all for the candy widely loved in Sweden, Netherlands and Finland. Salmiak, or salmiakki is the vernacular for the stuff.