A Christmas Favorite - Ribbon Candy

Ribbon candy is a type of hard candy which in North America most often appears for sale around the

Peppermint ribbon candy

Christmas holiday season. It acquires its shape by first being fashioned as warm sugar into flat strips. A strip is then folded back and forth over itself to form a hardened ribboned stick. The sugar is often colored to appear festive, and the candy often has a glossy sheen. It is commonly made with extracts, often of different mint or citrus flavors. It is usually thin enough to melt quickly in the mouth, but because pieces of it are usually larger than bite size, biting into a stick of it causes shattering and shards. Many types of ribbon candies also tend to become sticky easily, usually either due to body warmth from being held, or simply from room temperature and humidity. Because of what some[who?] consider to be its pretty appearance, it is often used like decor, put out on display in candy dishes, plates, or apothecary jars. When it is used in this way it tends to end up sticking together if it has been sitting out for an extended period of time.