Arks & Crafts - Hard Light Candy

This weekend kicks off the annual Fight Like A Girl Tournament where we all get together and shoot one another (online) to raise money and awareness for breast and cervical cancer research as well as demonstrate the generosity of gamers everywhere.

I had the honor of competing two years ago and was planning on doing so again this year...then TheDonWan dropped a bomb:  Creative Bundle Contest

HELL YEAH

Screenshots? Do I look like some shrubbery?
Forge? Not a duck.
Photoshop? Better not, would probably just draw dicks everywhere.
Fan Art? I will art the hell out of some Halos!

I decided to make my entry into FLAG my first "Arks & Crafts" segment here on my blog, where I'll showcase way-artsy (probably mostly Halo related) makings, and since my Plasma-Pops were such a hit I knew I needed something hard and mouthwatering to get all the fine ladies attention.

Hard Light Candy

Get your mind out of the gutter.

If you haven't finished Halo 4 yet, stop reading and go do that.

You done?

Really?

Was it on easy?

Need a tissue?

Did you wash your hands?

Ok, fine.

These were inspired by the ending to Halo 4, where Cortana encases our hero Master Chief in a shell of hard light to protect him from a nuclear explosion, just before you grabbed that box of tissues.

This was my first time making any type of candy, so I knew I had to get some serious gear. Luckily there is a store here called Do It With Icing that makes you feel like Willy Wonka when he decides he's going to create candy for the rest of his life. Seriously. I walked into that place and nearly dropped out to go work in a candy shop. I got everything from sticks to blueberry flavoring.

The stickers were on sale and I wanted to put them on my homework.

So hot in hurr.

I'm no chemist. So I wasn't too disgruntled when my first batch turned into a disaster. The syrup got too hot and turned yellow...then when it cured it became too dark.

Looks like death.

The gummy looks like it's being swallowed alive. Will make for good Didact candy.

Thankfully I was able to find a solution to my problem and continued to waste my boyfriend's resources.

So much better!

The real major issue was the gummy bear I wanted to put inside the candy. I knew it was going to be hot, and that he might not make it in one solid piece. I froze the gummy bears, hoping to buy myself some wiggle room. Well...

Like those creepy fetus posters they show you in Sex Ed.

Things got better for Master Gummy Bear as the temperature dropped in the syrup..but if I let it get too cool, the syrup would become more viscous and eventually harden.

No filter needed. Suck it, Instagram.

I don't eat candy, so I had to rely on the taste buds of some test subjects. They said they could taste a hint of blueberry and like that it wasn't super overpowering. But what do they know? I guess I'll just have to have another contest and get more feedback from the winners ;)