Making Basic Sugar Glass
Line a baking sheet with foil or spray with cooking spray. The baking sheet needs to have raised sides, or the melted sugar will slide off. If you don't have cooking spray, wrap the inside of the sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.
Pour the sugar, water, light corn syrup, and cream of tartar into a pot. Place the pot on the stove. You must use light corn syrup, or the glass will turn out too dark.
Slowly bring the ingredients to a boil over medium heat while stirring them. Don't use high heat. The sugar will boil too quickly if you do, and start to caramelize. Stir the ingredients often so that you don't scorch the bottom of the pot. As the mixture heats up, it'll go from a cloudy color to clear. When it boils, it will start to form foamy bubbles at top. A silicone spatula will make clean up a lot easier than a wooden, plastic, or metal one.
Clip a candy thermometer to the inside wall of the pot. You can find one in a baking and cooking supply shop, an arts and crafts shop, or in the baking section of a super market. You will need this to get the temperature of your candy. If your candy thermometer does not have a clip, tie it loosely to the handle of the pot with a piece of string.
Heat the candy to 300°F (148.89°C), then remove it from heat. The candy must reach 300°F (148.89°C). This is known as the "hard crack" phase. If you do not get the candy hot enough, it will not set properly. Your candy will end up sticky no matter how long you let it sit or cool. It will take about an hour for the candy to reach the right temperature. The temperature will stop rising for a moment somewhere between 210 and 240°F (98.89 and 115.56°C). This is because the water is evaporating. Once the water has evaporated, the temperature will begin rising again. Keep the temperature between 300 and 310°F (148.89 and 154.45°C). Do not allow it to reach 320°F (160°C) or your sugar glass will caramelize and turn brown. If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the candy by dropping a tiny amount into a glass of cold water. The candy has reached the "hard crack" phase if it hardens into threads.
Slowly pour the hot candy into the baking sheet. This will minimize any bubbles. The candy will be thick, and spread slowly across the baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet onto an even surface and let the candy harden. This will help the candy spread out evenly so that the finished glass is smooth and not lumpy. Leave the candy to dry for about an hour. Don't move the candy until the full hour has passed. It will be cool to the touch after 45 minutes, but it won't be hardened.
Remove the hardened candy from the baking sheet. If you used a cooking spray, flip the baking sheet upside down over a table. The candy should simply fall out. If you used tin foil or parchment paper, pop the candy out of the baking sheet. Then, peel the foil or paper off of the candy. If your candy does not come away easily, do this: Take a knife and heat it up under hot water. Cut along the edge where the glass meets the edge of the pan. Use the knife to carefully loosen the candy from the baking sheet. Flip the baking sheet over, then slowly lift the sheet away from the sugar glass that is resting on your hand.
Making Sugar Sea Glass
Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. The baking sheet needs to have raised sides, or the melted candy will slide off. If you can't find any cooking spray, wrap the inside of the sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Sugar sea glass is different from basic sugar glass. It is colored and frosted, just like real sea glass.
Combine the sugar, water, and light corn syrup in a pot. Place the pot on the stove, and stir everything together. Try to use a silicone spatula; it will make cleaning up easier.
Stir the ingredients together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Make sure to stir often, or the bottom of the pot may scorch. The mixture will be a little cloudy at first, but it will eventually turn clear.
Bring the candy to a boil over medium heat. Do not use high heat, or the candy will boil too quickly and caramelize. As the candy boils, it will create foam-like bubbles.
Clip a candy thermometer to the inside wall of the pot. You will need it to gauge the temperature of your candy. You can get one in a baking or cooking supply shop, an arts and crafts shop, or in the baking department of a well-stocked super market. If your candy thermometer doesn't have a clip, tie it to the handle of the pot with a piece of string. This way, it won't fall into your candy.
Keep heating and stirring your candy until it reaches 300°F (148.89°C). This is very important. If you don't get your mixture hot enough, it won't harden properly. Your candy will be soft and sticky, no matter how long you let it sit, harden, or cool. It will take about an hour for it to reach this stage. Do not let the temperature to reach 320°F (160°C) or your sugar glass will start to caramelize and turn brown. If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop a small amount into a glass of cold water. If the candy hardens into threads, it has reached the "hard crack" phase.
Remove the pot from the stove and add in the food coloring and/or 1 teaspoon of candy flavoring. You will only need a few drops of food coloring. The more drops you add, the darker your sea glass will be. The color you use is up to you, but most sea glass is green or blue. You can also leave your sea glass clear; it will become more white once you add the powdered sugar. Use only one flavor and color per batch. Consider matching your flavoring to the color. For example, you can use blueberry flavoring for blue sea glass, mint flavoring for green glass, and vanilla flavoring for white/clear glass. You can buy the coloring and flavoring in the baking section of an arts and crafts store. You may also find them in a store that sells baking and cooking supplies.
Stir the mixture for about 2 minutes until everything is mixed together. The color should be even. There should not be any streaks or swirls. The candy will be translucent. This is normal. You will be making it cloudy in a later step.
Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and let it harden. Try to get the entire surface of the baking sheet covered. The candy will be thick and syrupy. It will take about an hour for it to harden.
Break the candy into pieces. Cover the candy with a towel or dish cloth. Then, use a hammer to shatter it into smaller pieces. Tap the candy in several places with the hammer.
Dust or rub some powdered sugar onto the candy. This will give it that frosted look that real sea glass has. You can also fill a plastic sandwich bag with some powdered sugar, add in a piece pieces of candy, and shake it.
Using Sugar Glass
Use blue and clear glass for a winter themed party. Make some sugar sea glass, but do not coat the shards with powdered sugar. Leave them colored, but translucent.
Use red, orange, and yellow sugar glass shards to create flames on cupcakes and cakes. Make some sugar sea glass, but do not coat the shards with powdered sugar. Leave them translucent. Try making the yellow shards the largest, and the red shards the smallest. Coat a cake or cupcake with some buttercream frosting, and stick the shards into the frosting. You will need to make a separate batch of candy for each color.
Serve sugar sea glass on some brown sugar and crushed graham crackers to mimic a beach. Crumble the crackers into a fine powder and mix it together with some brown sugar. Spread this on a shallow dish and top it with some sugar sea glass. You can also add some white chocolate sea shells. If you can't find any graham crackers, any thin, cinnamon, honey, or ginger flavored cookies will do.
Use clear sugar glass and red gel frosting to top creepy cupcakes. Frost some cupcakes with white, buttercream frosting. Stick some clear, sugar glass shards into the frosting. Dribble some red gel/writing frosting over the top edges of the sugar glass. This is perfect for a scary Halloween party.
Use sugar glass to make windows for a gingerbread house. Place your gingerbread house walls on a sheet of parchment paper. Pour the melted candy into the window holes. Wait at one hour for the candy to harden. Gently pry the walls off the parchment paper. The candy will be hardened inside the window holes. Use icing to draw a frame around the window. You can also use icing to draw a # or + over the window to create a lattice. To create a stained glass look: use icing to glue different colored shards of hardened sugar glass behind a window opening. If your gingerbread house does not have window holes: put some square-shaped cookie cutters onto a sheet of parchment paper. Fill them with melted sugar glass. Wait one hour for the candy to harden, then pop it out of the cookie cutter. Use icing to glue the squares to a gingerbread house wall.
Create a stained glass effect on a cake. Make several batches of sugar glass, each in a different color. Smash them into shards with a hammer. Cover a cake with some buttercream icing, then stick the shards against the sides of the cake.
Give the shards away as party favors. Choose some clear cellophane bags that match the theme of your party. Fill each one with a few shards of sugar glass. Tie the bag off with a ribbon that matches the bag. Clear white and clear blue sugar glass are perfect for a winter-themed party. You can also include tiny, sugar snowflake sprinkles in the bag as well. Sugar sea glass is perfect for a beach-themed party. Try dropping some chocolate seashells into the bag as well.
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