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What are candy hearts made out of?

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6 min read

According to Smithsonian Magazine, the first conversation hearts were not heart-shaped, but rather larger candies in different shapes like horseshoes and shells. But what are candy hearts made out of today? This guide reveals the surprisingly simple base ingredients behind the famous holiday treat, detailing the common recipe and explaining how different brands achieve their unique textures and flavors.

Quick Summary

This article examines the composition of candy hearts, focusing on the primary ingredients used in their production. It details how basic components like sugar, corn syrup, and flavorings are combined to create the classic pressed, chalky confections. The guide also touches on brand-specific variations and the manufacturing process.

Key Points

  • Core Ingredients: Candy hearts are primarily made from a blend of pulverized sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, and gelatin for a sweet and stable base.

  • Manufacturing Process: The treats are produced by mixing ingredients, pressing them into shape, stamping them with messages, and then drying them to harden.

  • Chalky Texture: The iconic chalky, slightly crunchy texture comes from the use of finely ground sugar in the recipe.

  • Vegan Status Varies: While classic Sweethearts contain gelatin, making them non-vegan, brands like British Love Hearts are vegan-friendly, so checking the label is essential.

  • Gluten-Free by Brand: Spangler's Sweethearts are certified gluten-free, but consumers with gluten sensitivity should verify the status of other brands to avoid cross-contamination.

  • Flavor Differences: Recipes vary slightly between brands, resulting in different textures and flavor profiles; for example, SweeTarts are notably tarter than Sweethearts.

  • Historical Origin: The creation of candy hearts dates back to the 19th century, evolving from a lozenge-cutting machine and originally featuring much longer messages.

In This Article

The Core Ingredients of Classic Candy Hearts

At its simplest, a candy heart is a compressed, flavored sugar tablet, similar to how medicinal lozenges were historically made. The most popular brand, Sweethearts by Spangler Candy, as well as competitors like Brach's, use a relatively short and straightforward list of ingredients to create these iconic confections.

The Foundational Recipe

The base of a candy heart is a sweet and simple mix of sugar, dextrose, and corn syrup. This combination provides the sugary foundation and helps bind the final product. The pulverized, ultra-fine sugar gives the candy its signature chalky texture. Other essential components are:

  • Gelatin: Used as a binding agent and stabilizer, gelatin is what helps hold the compressed tablet together.
  • Artificial and Natural Flavors: These are crucial for creating the distinctive tastes of each color. Common flavors include cherry, banana, wintergreen, and orange.
  • Vegetable Gums: Gums like tragacanth, xanthan, and arabic are also utilized as stabilizers and thickeners.
  • Dextrose: A simple sugar that adds to the sweetness and provides energy for the binding process.
  • Artificial Colors: FD&C colorings are used to dye the candies in their familiar pastel shades of pink, yellow, blue, and green.

The Journey from Powder to Palate: How Candy Hearts Are Made

The process of making these sugary treats is more technical than one might assume, starting with a large-scale mixing operation and ending with final packaging.

  1. Pulverizing the Sugar: Production begins by grinding granulated sugar into a very fine powder. This is what gives the finished candy its soft, chalky feel.
  2. Mixing the Dough: The powdered sugar is mixed with corn syrup, dextrose, gelatin, and other ingredients in a large mixer. Flavors and colors are added at this stage to create different batches.
  3. Rolling and Compressing: The mixture forms a thick, candy dough, which is then rolled out into thin sheets. These sheets are compressed under high pressure to create the final tablet-like consistency.
  4. Stamping the Messages: This is the most iconic step. As the candies are pressed, a machine simultaneously stamps a short message onto each one using a special dye. Historically, this was done with red vegetable dye.
  5. Drying and Packaging: The imprinted candy hearts are sent through heaters to dry and harden for a period of time. After drying, batches of different colors and flavors are mixed together and then packaged into boxes for distribution.

Brand Variations in Candy Heart Recipes

While the basic formula is similar, different brands put their own spin on the classic candy heart. The most significant differences often lie in the texture and whether the product is vegan or gluten-free. For instance, the British Love Hearts from Swizzels use plant-based stearic acid, making them vegan, unlike the gelatin-based Sweethearts.

Sweethearts vs. Brach's vs. SweeTarts

Feature Spangler Sweethearts Brach's Conversation Hearts SweeTarts Candy Hearts
Texture Firm and classically chalky, with a crunch. Softer and more palatable to some consumers. Very hard, with a distinct pucker-inducing sourness.
Flavor Mild, with traditional flavors like wintergreen and banana. Flavors generally considered more palatable and modern. Boldly tart and fruity flavors, a key selling point.
Key Ingredients Sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, dextrose. Sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, citric acid. Dextrose, corn syrup, malic acid, tartaric acid.
Dietary Notes Certified gluten-free, but contains gelatin. Contains gelatin, ingredient disclosure varies. Varies by manufacturer, some are vegan.

Are Candy Hearts Vegan or Gluten-Free?

One of the most common questions about candy hearts concerns their dietary compatibility for vegan and gluten-free diets. The answer varies by brand, so checking the label is essential.

The Vegan Question: Gelatin and Animal Products

For most candy hearts, the inclusion of gelatin means they are not vegan. However, there are notable exceptions.

  • Classic Brands: The most famous conversation hearts, including Sweethearts and most Brach's, contain gelatin, which is derived from animal collagen.
  • Vegan-Friendly Options: British Love Hearts from Swizzels are vegan, using plant-based ingredients instead of gelatin. Other American vegan alternatives exist from companies that specialize in allergen-friendly products.

The Gluten-Free Question: Processed in Separate Facilities

The gluten-free status of candy hearts is more straightforward for major brands, but cross-contamination is always a risk.

  • Major Brands: Spangler Candy, the maker of Sweethearts, has confirmed their classic conversation hearts are gluten-free.
  • Smaller Brands and Re-baggers: It's important to be cautious with off-brand or re-packaged candies, as they may be produced in facilities that also process wheat-containing products.

Conclusion: A Simple Recipe with Sweet History

At its heart, a candy heart is a simple mix of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, and flavorings. The genius is in the manufacturing process—a method that turns basic, pulverized sugar into a firm, stamped tablet. Brand variations, particularly concerning the use of gelatin and the addition of tart flavors, create different experiences, but the core nostalgic appeal remains. From Oliver Chase's pharmaceutical lozenge machine in the 1840s to the modern, tech-themed messages, the candy heart has endured by relying on a timeless, if polarizing, recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions About Candy Hearts

Why do candy hearts taste chalky?

Candy hearts taste chalky because their primary ingredient is very finely pulverized sugar, which gives them a compressed tablet texture rather than a gooey or chewy one.

Are candy hearts vegan?

Most traditional American candy hearts, like Sweethearts and Brach's, are not vegan because they contain gelatin, which is an animal-derived product. However, some European brands and specialty candies offer vegan versions.

Are candy hearts gluten-free?

Yes, Spangler's Sweethearts are certified gluten-free. For other brands, it is important to always check the ingredient label and any potential cross-contamination warnings.

Do candy hearts expire?

While candy hearts don't technically expire in a way that makes them unsafe, they can lose flavor and become even harder over time. It is best to eat them within a year of their manufacturing date for the best quality.

How do they get the words on candy hearts?

The messages are stamped onto the candy as it is being pressed and shaped. A special machine uses a felt roller pad moistened with edible vegetable-based dye to imprint the phrases.

What flavors do candy hearts come in?

Traditional flavors typically include wintergreen, cherry, lemon, banana, and orange, among others. Modern brands, however, often introduce new or limited-edition flavors.

Why were candy hearts not available for a couple of years?

After the original manufacturer, NECCO, went bankrupt in 2018, production of the popular Sweethearts temporarily ceased. Spangler Candy acquired the brand and brought them back to market in 2020.

Key Takeaways

  • Core Ingredients: The primary components of candy hearts are pulverized sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, and gelatin, mixed with flavors and food coloring.
  • Chalky Texture: The signature chalky consistency comes from the use of finely ground sugar, which is pressed into tablets.
  • Manufacturing Process: Candy hearts are mass-produced by mixing a sugary dough, compressing it into sheets, and stamping messages before drying and packaging.
  • Vegan Concerns: Most traditional candy hearts are not vegan due to the presence of gelatin, though some brands offer vegan-friendly alternatives.
  • Gluten-Free Status: Major brands like Sweethearts are gluten-free, but consumers should check labels carefully for cross-contamination warnings from other brands.
  • Brand Differences: Variations in texture and flavor exist between brands like Sweethearts, Brach's, and SweeTarts due to different recipes.

Citations

Frequently Asked Questions

The chalky texture of candy hearts is due to the use of finely powdered, pulverized sugar as the main ingredient. This sugar is then compressed into tablets rather than boiled into a chewy candy.

No, the Sweethearts brand of candy hearts is not vegan because it contains gelatin, an animal-derived product used as a stabilizer.

Spangler's Sweethearts are certified gluten-free. However, it's always best to check the label for specific brands, especially smaller ones or re-packaged candies, to confirm their gluten-free status.

Candy hearts were absent from the market in 2019 because the original manufacturer, NECCO, went bankrupt in 2018. Spangler Candy Company purchased the brand and brought them back to market in 2020.

Messages are stamped onto the candy dough as it is being pressed into heart shapes. A machine uses a felt roller pad moistened with a food-safe vegetable-based dye to imprint the iconic phrases.

Sweethearts are known for a firm, traditionally chalky texture and classic flavors. Brach's hearts are often considered softer and have a different, more palatable flavor profile.

Gelatin is a protein derived from animal collagen, typically sourced from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of animals like pigs and cattle.

References

  1. 1
    See How Valentine's Day Conversation Hearts are Produced - Powder & Bulk Solids
  2. 2
    How Candy Hearts Are Made - Tomorrow's World Today
  3. 3
    The Sweet History Of Conversation Hearts - Delish
  4. 4
    8 Things You Didn't Know About Conversation Hearts - Food Network
  5. 5
    Sweethearts Classic Conversation Hearts Valentine's Day Candy - 5... - Amazon.com

Related Topics:

#gluten free #vegan candy #Spangler Candy #candy manufacturing #candy heart ingredients #conversation hearts #Valentine's Day candy #sweethearts

Medical Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice.