Will hard candies last forever like sugar?

[blue room]

If kept dry, can I eat 2009 Christmas candy canes in July 2010?

[goodhealthgourmet]

absolutely. they may get a bit stale, but they won't "spoil."

[Caroline1]

Actua;;u. ot de[emds emtore;u pm tje weather where ou live. If you have fairly high humidity, they will begin to turn soft and liquify in a year, even if they're wrapped. If they're indificually wrapped with the cellophane fitting them like a sleeve, you will still be able to hand them on the tree next year, but unwrapping them might be tricky.

If you live in an area of low humidity, no problem! I don't really know whether storing them in a greezer for a year would have the same impact as a high humidity climate or living in a desert. You might cut down the humidity impact if you have one of those "Seal-A-Meal" type gadgets that takes the air out of the bag, then seals it.

[Sharuf]

One year I had a brilliant idea for decorating my tree. I bought a bag full of little candy canes, unwrapped the cellophane (so their little hooks would fit over the branches) and hung them for good effect. Within two days, I had peppermint syrup dripping onto the floor!

[Caroline1]

LOL! Sorry about that first line in my original post. Just shows to go ya what touch typing can do for you when you never look at the keyboard! It should read, "Actually, it depends entirely upon the..." Oh, and I left out a "y". Looks like time for new batteries in the cordless keyboard.

[Sharuf]

I frequently have to make use of the "edit" function, which seems to remain live for a goodly length of time. It's been available on my post above for over an hour.

[RGC1982]

Yes, but after a while the paper sticks really badly because the candy surface does eventually start to absorb water from the air surrounding it. As dry as our homes are, there is enough humidity to ruin candy in a year. Six months or so is usually okay.

[Paulustrious]

Stick 'em in a sealed container with a recently dried-out silica desiccant pack.

'Desiccated' is one of those words that is very easy to misspell. I remember my Latin teacher saying it comes from the word siccus meaning dry. Now you won't forget.

[Kajikit]

Pretty much. They may absorb moisture from the atmosphere and go soft... but they don't go off.