Homemade Candy Canes

Prepare two silicone baking mats and lightly oil a pair of kitchen scissors.

Keep a third mat in an oven set to its lowest temperature so the candy stays workable.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy saucepan.

Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and cook with a candy thermometer until the syrup reaches 300°F (hard-crack stage).

Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the peppermint extract.

Pour about one-third of the hot candy onto a mat; tint the remainder red with food coloring and pour it onto the other mat.

Let both portions cool just until they can be handled safely but are still pliable.

Wearing lightly oiled heat-resistant gloves, pull and fold the untinted candy until it turns opaque and glossy.

Keep the red portion warm on the prepared mat.

Roll each portion into a long, thin rope.

Twist a red rope and a white rope together, cut into lengths with the oiled scissors, and bend one end of each piece into a cane shape.

Let the candy canes cool completely until hard.

Hot sugar can cause severe burns; handle it with care.