# caking agent/compound for honey-sesame candy, (non heated)



## southeastflorida (May 23, 2010)

any suggestions for a caking agent?
I tried some balls wrapped in cellophane, they sort of work, just need to hold together a bit more. Don't want to bake, or heat, looses nutrition, changes taste.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 5, 2010)

Do you mean an anti-caking agent to keep the balls from sticking together? 

If not, can you explain what you mean in a less terse way? It's just not clear to me what your problem is and what you are trying to accomplish. Thanks!


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## southeastflorida (May 23, 2010)

sorry about the tersitude.

looking for something to add to mix, that firms up the sesame honey balls. so they don't crumble.
A sort of glue, like flour?

Right now, only the honey is holding the seeds togther.
Really it works, but no too professional, messy to eat.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 5, 2010)

Okay, now I think I have a better clue about what you are wanting to do. My mental picture is of a lightly sweet, crispy treat in small balls or small flat-ish cookies. Here are some ideas to consider:

A candy like this would often be bound together with a sugar/water syrup (or honey/water syrup) cooked until the moisture content is low enough to give a crispy, crunchy coating. You would want enough syrup to give the right taste and sweetness and also to hold the finished candy together properly, but not so much that a person risks breaking a tooth. I'd guess the syrup would need to be cooked to a "hard ball" or "soft crack" stage on a candy thermometer, but you would want to experiment with the final temperature of the syrup to get the right texture you want.

If you don't want to do that, then adding confectioners sugar would firm things up at the cost of adding sugar (and the distinct flavor that comes from the corn starch in the confectioners sugar). 

Or add a grain that would absorb some of the water in the honey and firm things up. Rolled oats comes to mind, but it's not the only option. You would probably want to bake the candies in a low temperature oven to dry out the finished product. Look at granola recipes.

Or make your candies as you have been doing with just sesame and honey, then dry them in a low temperature oven to remove moisture until they have the texture you want. Look at recipes for biscotti, croutons, and melba toast for the type of drying operation I am thinking of. A flat shape rather than a round ball will dry better.

I really don't know that I would try flour to bind the candies together. I would bet it might have an unpleasant mouth feel and add an odd flavor. The flour would for sure need to be cooked to make a kind of white sauce, not left raw, if you try it.

Hope this gives you some ideas that will be helpful!


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## southeastflorida (May 23, 2010)

after all that advise, I am appreciative.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 5, 2010)

Hope it gives you some useful ideas to try!


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