Summer Fun 2014 - Kool-Aid Candy Clay - Moldable Candy Creations

We gave our favorite no-bake tootsie-roll recipe a summer make-over, replacing the cocoa powder with unsweetened Kool-Aid mix for a brightly colored, fruity clay, that tastes a little like Skittles, and is as much fun to play with as it is to eat.

Kool-Aid Candy Clay

1/2 Tbsp softened butter
1/4 tsp vanilla, extract
3 Tbsp powdered milk
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp unsweetened Kool-Aid powder
1 cup powdered sugar
Food coloring, optional.

Stir the butter, vanilla, powdered milk, corn syrup, and Kool-Aid powder together in a medium to large mixing bowl.  If the color of the Kool-Aid alone is not quite as bright as you like, you can add a drop, or two of food coloring at this point, or knead it in at the end. The orange, pink and purple batches pictured here, did not have any food coloring added.

Mix in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, gathering, mixing and kneading the dough with your hands at this point.  

Continue kneading the sugar into the dough until it is play dough like, and not too sticky.

Work, and roll the candy dough out on wax paper sheets, lightly coated with powdered sugar...

...to form...

...all sorts...

...of fun...

...candy creations.

Leftover dough can be rolled into ropes, and cut into pieces...

...for wrapping up...

...tootsie-roll style in wax paper squares...

... for later.

Wrapped candies can be stored in the refrigerator, or at room temperature, keeping in mind the shelf life of butter.  Dusted lightly in powdered sugar, the candy does not seem to stick to the wax paper wrappers.