Can You Melt Butterscotch Hard Candy?

Who doesn't love butterscotch candy? It's one of the go-to hard candies. However, what if you want to do more with it? Can you melt it? If that's your concern, let's discuss the details. 

Butterscotch hard candies are meltable, but you might have to try melting them several times. There are a few ways to attempt this, but the quickest way is through the microwave.

Place the butterscotch candies into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 25 seconds. Afterward, take a spoon and check the consistency. 

It's not difficult to melt hard candies, but it's easy to mess up. There are a few things that can happen along the way. For example, if you heat it for too long, you can burn it. We'll go over these types of concerns and more. To learn more, keep reading. 

How To Melt Butterscotch Hard Candy

As mentioned, you can melt butterscotch candies in a few ways. However, if you want to be more involved, use the microwave. It's a good way to ensure you don't burn it.

Melting Butterscotch Hard Candy With A Microwave

There are two ways you can approach the microwave method. If you want to keep the new consistency, add a small amount of water. 

Otherwise, place the butterscotch candy in the bowl and microwave it. Though, keep in mind that it will harden as it cools down. For this reason, you'll want to work quickly with it. 

In any case, let it microwave for about 25 seconds; this is a general recommendation. Of course, we don't all have the same microwave. For this reason, work in 25-second increments to avoid burning it. 

Once you hear the microwave ding, take the bowl out and try to stir the candy. If it still feels hard, place the bowl back into the microwave for another round. 

You can reduce the time in the microwave by 10 seconds if you think the candy is getting closer to the right consistency. So, let it heat up for 15 seconds more.

Stirring the Butterscotch

After the second round of microwaving, continue to stir the candy. At this point, it should be workable. Those who didn't add water to the butterscotch candy will find the candy sticky and thick in consistency. 

If you add water to the candy, the consistency will be on par with syrup. Though, that depends on how much water you add; it could be thick with less water or thinner with more. 

Safety Tips

Once you're ready to transfer the melted candy to another container, be careful handling it. It's going to be hot! You can burn yourself with it. 

Avoid touching it with your hands unless it's cool enough. 

How To Melt Butterscotch Candy On The Stovetop

Melting butterscotch candy on a stovetop requires a bit more effort. To start, you can choose any pan you'd like. Most find stainless steel pans to work the best for this job. 

Place as many butterscotch candies on the pan as you want. Then, set the stove on low to medium heat. Medium heat will require more effort.

Since you're working with higher heat, you'll have to be careful not to burn the candy. For this reason, you'll need to stir the butterscotch candies while it's melting. 

You get a bit more leeway by using low heat. However, it takes more time to melt it this way. In any case, it takes about 5-10 minutes to melt butterscotch candy on the stovetop. 

Here's a time-lapse video to help you see how it should melt:

Tips For Achieving A Quicker Melt

If you don't mind adding an extra step, break the butterscotch candies into pieces. This way, it won't take as much time to melt them. It will be like melting sugar. 

Though, you want to use low heat with this method. It might take longer to melt the butterscotch shards with low heat, but it works! You only need patience. 

Once you liquify the butterscotch candy, add an inch of water to the pan. Turn the stove back on, and wait until the water begins to boil. This way, the heat cooks the leftover butterscotch off the pan. It makes cleaning the pan easier. 

Here's a video demonstrating how it should go:

How To Melt Butterscotch Candy In The Oven

A foolproof way to melt butterscotch candies involves using the oven. You won't even have to clean up! All you need is a baking sheet and parchment paper. 

Click here to see this parchment paper on Amazon.

Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, place your butterscotch candies on the baking sheet and bake for five minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

After five minutes, you can remove the parchment paper and do whatever you'd like with the liquified candy. 

Still, it's important to be careful when handling it if you're trying to mold it into a new shape. If you need help, here's a video molding butterscotch candy into a shot glass:

How Do You Melt Hard Candy Into a Syrup?

We have the steps to melt butterscotch candy, but what if we're trying to achieve a specific consistency? What if you want to make syrup for a soda or something similar? 

As mentioned, you only need to add water to the candy. However, there isn't a way to tell how much water you'd need. Instead, you will have to add water incrementally until you achieve the consistency you want. 

In other words, add small amounts of water as you stir the candy. If it seems too thick, keep adding water until you get the syrup consistency. Once you get there, let the syrup cool down before adding it to a drink or dessert.

How Do You Melt Hard Sweets?

For future reference, you can melt most hard sweets using the methods above. There's not much difference between butterscotch and other candies; they all use sugar, corn syrup, and other similar ingredients. 

The ingredients sweets use are easily dissolved in water. If you don't want to use heat, you can set your butterscotch candy in water and let it melt that way.

However, you get sugar water, which isn't what most people try to achieve. Though, it's an experiment worth trying! 

For this reason, adding water to the pan as you melt the candy is recommendable. It makes the melting process faster and easier. Nevertheless, this all depends on your goal. 

Always use water sparingly if you want to keep a thick consistency. Otherwise, avoid using water if you're trying to mold the candy into another shape. 

Can You Melt Jolly Ranchers Into Syrup?

Click here to see these Jolly Ranchers on Amazon.

With this new information we have, let's apply it to another popular candy. Let's attempt to make Jolly Rancher syrup! 

We can use the microwave to do this quickly. Start putting a few pieces of Jolly Ranchers into a microwave-safe bowl. Then, add a bit of water. If you want to work with specifics, mix the candy and water in a 1:1 ratio. 

For example, use one cup of water with one cup of Jolly Ranchers; this is a starting point. If you want it thicker, reduce the amount of water. 

In any case, place the bowl in the microwave in 20-30 second increments. Stir in between each microwaving session. 

Once the candy is liquified, you have your Jolly Rancher syrup!

Molding Jolly Ranchers Into New Shapes

As mentioned, melting hard candy without water will make it solidify again, but in a different form. You can use this to your advantage if you don't like the cylinder form factor jolly ranchers have. 

Microwave them in a bowl until it's bubbling; this can take around 40 seconds to a minute. Once it's liquid, carefully pour the liquid jolly ranchers into a mold and let it solidify. 

It's worth noting that it doesn't take long for the candy to harden. Melted candy can harden in a few minutes. If it hardens before you can use it all, microwave it in 15-second increments to make them shapeable again. 

Here's a YouTube video you can use for reference:

In Closing

You're only a few steps away from making new desserts with butterscotch candy. As it turns out, it's not a difficult process! What treats are you going to prepare? Regardless, we hope you found this informative. Good luck melting the candy! 

Before you go, do you need help melting other foods or sweets? What about peanut butter? To learn more, check out:

How To Melt Peanut Butter Without A Microwave

Do you need help choosing the best pot for melting sugar? We can suggest a few! For more information, check out:

What Is The Best Pot For Melting Sugar?