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    Home » Recipes » Candy

    Homemade Black Licorice

    Published: Oct 9, 2014 · Modified: Oct 8, 2014 by Christina Lane · This post may contain affiliate links · 36 Comments

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    Black licorice for the people! @dessertfortwo

    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.

    Black licorice recipe @dessertfortwo

    Butter the pan very well (yum!)

    Black licorice recipe @dessertfortwo

    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.

    Homemade licorice bites @dessertfortwo

    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.

    Licorice recipe @dessertfortwo

    This is licorice for the people, I tell ya.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sallie leister says

      October 13, 2014 at 2:22 pm

      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.

      Reply
    2. Nadine says

      October 14, 2014 at 7:15 am

      My husband loves black licorice but has celiac. Any way I can substitute another kind of flour?

      Reply
    3. Liz @ Floating Kitchen says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:47 am

      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!

      Reply
    4. Jennie @themessybakerblog says

      October 16, 2014 at 8:15 pm

      I happen to love black licorice, so load me up!

      Reply
    5. Annette says

      October 25, 2014 at 5:35 pm

      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.

      Reply
    6. Grace says

      October 26, 2014 at 6:57 pm

      I found this through pinterest and I don't see the amounts for the ingredients?

      Reply
    7. Laura says

      February 25, 2016 at 5:02 pm

      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.

      Reply
    8. Edward Sr. says

      June 04, 2016 at 10:49 pm

      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.

      Reply
    9. Nicole says

      March 29, 2017 at 11:52 am

      Came out good but how do I stop it from sticking together? The individual cut pieces now look like a big lump

      Reply
    10. Aki says

      July 12, 2017 at 2:36 pm

      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.

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Christina! Christina Lane is the author of 4 cookbooks all about cooking and baking for two. She has scaled down hundreds of recipes into smaller servings so you can enjoy your favorite dishes without the leftovers! Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday.

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