Cherry Blossom (Sakura) Lollipops

Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
13 salt preserved cherry blossoms
1/2 teaspoon beet juice or natural red food colouring

Instructions

Prepare the cherry blossoms

Fill a small bowl with water and carefully add the cherry blossoms. Let soak for 10-15 minutes.
Before removing them from the water, gently shake the flowers from the stems to open any folded petals. Fan out the petals and place the flowers on a paper towel. (The way the petals are laid out on the paper towel is how the flowers will look in the lollipops.) Firmly pat dry until most of the moisture is gone and gently press to flatten.
Keep any petals that have fallen off the flowers. Pat dry and chop into tiny pieces. This is optional but I like having some little pieces in the lollipops along with the whole flowers.
Place the dried flowers and chopped petals on a dry paper towel. They can be left overnight to continue drying or they can be used right away.

lollipops

Arrange the lollipop sticks in the lollipop molds. Place the prepped cherry blossom flowers and chopped petals beside the molds. Have all of your tools ready to go.
In a heavy bottom, non-reactive pot place the sugar, cream of tartar and water. Stir well.
Wipe down the inside of the pot with a bit of water to remove any sugar left on the sides from stirring. If using a candy thermometer that has to be placed into the pot put it in now. Turn to medium high.
Once the mixture comes to a boil every few minutes use a brush dipped in water to wipe down the sides of the pot. This removes any sugar that will form into crystals (which will look like white specks in the cooled lollipops). This step is optional, however if you want clear lollipops I recommend it. If using a digital thermometer periodically take the temperature. Do not stir as the mixture boils.
Once the temperature reaches 290°F (about 15 minutes) remove from the heat. Add the beet juice and stir. Let sit for about one minute until most of the bubbles have stopped coming to the surface. (See notes)
Working quickly but carefully, fill one mold half way up with the hot mixture. Lay a cherry blossom flower and a few of the chopped up petals on top. Slowly and carefully pour more of the mixture on top making sure it covers the flower and the stick. (The flower may bubble up a bit when the hot mixture touches it but it will flatten out when set.) Repeat for each mold. (If you don't have enough molds, you can also use a Silpat following the same steps. You will end up with rustic looking circles.)
Once all of the molds are filled let cool for 1 hour or until set. Remove from the molds, wrap individually and store in a cool dry place. Enjoy!!

Notes

White sugar works best for this recipe. Organic sugar cane can be substituted but the lollipops will have a darker, more yellowish colour. You may want to adjust the amount of beet juice/food colouring.

I juiced a beet to use for the food colouring. You can buy natural food colouring but you may have to experiment with the amount.
The temperature on a candy thermometer reads 310°F for hard crack/lollipops. I like to take the pot off the heat earlier, between 290°F - 295°F and let it sit for 2 minutes. This way the bubbles have time to release and the mixture will continue to cook since the pot is still very hot. If you pour the mixture right off the heat, the lollipops will have a lot of bubbles in them.
Since these lollipops do not contain corn syrup they are slightly stickier than conventional lollipops. Make sure to wrap them as soon as they are set as air exposure and humidity creates more stickiness.
To clean up, soak the pot (and any other tools that have the candy on them) immediately in hot water with a bit of dish soap. All of the candy will dissolve. If the candy has already hardened you can boil water in the pot and it will dissolve.
This recipe makes about 12 large 2 inch wide lollipops or about 30 small 1.5 inch wide lollipops.