5 from 26 votes

Prep Time : 15

Cook Time : 15

Make this gluten free licorice with bright red cherry flavor at home and never go without licorice again. Better than anything you can buy!

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When you're gluten free, there's that moment when you realize that … you can't have traditional licorice. But then there's that moment when you find out that you can make your own gluten free red cherry licorice at home—and it's easy!

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Is licorice gluten free?

No! Licorice contains wheat flour in its most common form. There are some packaged brands that sell gluten free licorice today, though. But really good gluten-free licorice is not an easy thing to come by—and it's expensive, too!

If you freak out at the thought of cooking sugar, stop that right this minute! You do need a candy thermometer, but those are super cheap and really very useful.

Without a thermometer, you will either cook the mixture too long (and burn the butter or end up with hard candy), or too little, and the candy won't harden. Look at what you have waiting for you. Gorgeous, glorious gluten free red cherry licorice. Better than any licorice you have ever had, even before going gluten free.

Red cherry licorice was always my favorite. Licorice is that strange candy that generally has wheat flour in it. It helps to stabilize the candy, and make it less like soft caramel without making it into hard candy.

So here, we use one of our gluten free flour blends, but this is a rare instance where, as long as your rice flour is superfine and not at all grainy, any brand of gluten free flour will do.

I love you so much that I'm even willing to show you these less-than-gorgeous photographs of the sugar mixture, as it cooks. Told you I'd be with you always and forever.

A close up of cherry licorice before being cut on beige paper

Oh, and I tried cutting the candy into strips with every manner of knife – from sharp to dull, clean to serrated. Then I tried kitchen shears. Bingo!

If you're really into black licorice, you need black food coloring + anise flavoring oil. No biggie. LorAnn flavoring oils are all gluten-free, and they're very true-to-taste.

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Gluten Free Red Cherry Licorice

Make this gluten free licorice with bright red cherry flavor at home and never go without licorice again. Better than anything you can buy!

Course: Candy

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Chilling time: 30

Yield: 24 pieces

Author: Nicole Hunn

Equipment

Candy thermometer

Ingredients

½ cup (70 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (any of my recommended blends will do)
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cherry flavoring oil (LorAnn brand is gluten-free)
Red gel food coloring as desired (about 1/4 teaspoon)
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (168 g) light corn syrup
½ cup (156 g) sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons (84 g) Lyle’s golden syrup (can substitute an equal amount honey; See Recipe Notes)

Instructions

Grease well a 9-inch square baking dish with butter or vegetable shortening, and set it aside.
In a small bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum and salt, and whisk to combine well. Set it on the counter next to the stovetop.
Set the flavoring oil and a measuring spoon, plus the food coloring, to the side, within arm’s reach.
In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the butter, sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk and Lyle’s Golden Syrup (or honey).
Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches a boil, stirring constantly.
Lower the heat to medium so the mixture maintains a slow boil, and continue to cook until the temperature reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer.
Be careful to reach 240°F, the softball stage of cooking sugar, precisely. Any higher and the butter will burn. Any lower and the licorice won’t hard enough as it cools.
Remove the mixture from the heat and add the flour mixture. Working quickly, mix everything well.
Add the flavoring oil and food coloring (I generally use a toothpick to add gel food coloring), and mix well once again.
Pour the candy into the prepared baking dish, and shake it back and forth so that it is in an even layer.
Place the baking dish in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator, and, with a thin spatula or other thin kitchen implement, remove the candy in one piece from the baking dish onto a flat surface.
With kitchen shears, cut the square of candy in half, and then cut each half into 1/4-inch wide strips.
Twist the strips at both ends to create the traditional licorice spiral.
Allow to sit at room temperature until slightly hardened, and serve.

Notes

I don't like using molasses in this recipe because it has a very strong taste and color, both of which I end up having to overcome with more food coloring and more flavoring oil.

If you don't have/can't find/don't want to use Lyle's Golden Syrup.