Simple, soothing instructions for natural cough drops.
Base Ingredients
- ½ cup Raw, Organic Honey
- ¼ teaspoon Clay
- A sprinkle of Baking Soda or Sea Salt
Botanical Additions
Hot Herbal Lozenges
- 20 drops Illume Hot Berry or Echinacea/Ginger Combination
- ¼ teaspoon ground Cinnamon (true cinnamon not cassia)
- ¼ teaspoon Slippery Elm
Cool Mighty Mint Lozenges
- 20 drops organic Peppermint Essential Oil
- 5 drops Lemon Essential Oil
- 5 drops Frankincense Essential Oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground Chicory
Gather
- Jelly Thermometer
- Silicone Whisk
- Bain Marie, Double Boiler, or Small Saucepan
- Silicone Candy Mold
- Cup of Cold Water
Directions:
1. It is best to use a bain-marie style or double boiler to heat the honey to prevent it from burning. If you use lower heat and pay close attention, you can place the saucepan directly on the stove.
2. Prepare the candy mold or oiled parchment paper, and make sure your whisk, candy thermometer, and cup of water are at hand.
3. Combine honey and clay in the saucepan.
4. Turn on the stove to medium high heat. Start whisking the honey and clay together as the honey melts to a more liquid state.
5. Continue to whisk as the honey comes to a boil. After some time, it will start to foam and bubble yellow or brown. Once it does, take it off the heat and continue to whisk until the foam reduces. Then put it back on the heat and continue the cycle until the honey mixture reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit on the jelly thermometer. Be careful, as honey heats easily and burns quickly.
6. Once the mixture has reached 300 degrees, take a small drop of it in a spoon or with the whisk and drop it in the cold water. If it turns into a hard ball, it is ready. If it’s a gummy or a soft ball, put it back on the heat and try again in a minute.
7. Once it makes a hard candy ball in cold water, take the pot off the heat and very quickly stir in the botanicals for either Illume Hot Berry or Mighty Mint.
8. Pour the mixture into either the candy mold or onto the oiled parchment paper.
9. Let it cool on a flat surface until it hardens. Don’t be tempted to put it in the fridge or freezer; it’s better to let it cool at room temperature.
10. Once hardened, pop them out of their candy molds or break the mints apart.
11. Dust the mints with real sea salt or baking soda to keep them from sticking together.
Easy Clean-Up Tip
Candied honey hardens quickly and can make saucepan clean-up messy. To make things easier, fill your sink with hot, soapy water and put saucepan, bain-marie, or double boiler in the hot water immediately after pouring out the hot honey mixture.