This licorice recipe is easy and tastes so much better than any black licorice you buy from a store! This Homemade Salty Black Licorice uses involves brown rice syrup for sweetness and molasses for color – no black food coloring because, who needs it!? It’s a lovely black without it. A perfect treat, party favor or edible gift idea.
In the summer of my eleventh year, I went to spend a week with my best friend Mary. To my dismay, her family had moved to another town and limited our time together to holiday breaks and summer vacations.
During the week, we had our fill of mischief (almost): getting into several arguments over important things like lyrics to Linda Ronstadt songs, running from her terrifying geese (maybe that was just me), and swimming in the creek behind her house which we called ‘sliming’. The creek wasn’t exactly pristine.
But what I really remember about that visit was the jar of black jelly beans that she’d saved for me, picked out carefully from among the flavors that she liked. This was an especially thoughtful gesture as sugar of all sorts was contraband in her house.
She’d saved them for me because she thought they tasted terrible, but no matter.
Black licorice is one of those divisive flavors, like cilantro and gin. People seem to love it or hate it.
I’m solidly in the love it camp.
I hadn’t thought much about making my own until I saw this post from Christina of Dessert for Two (recipe here). It looked so easy and delicious, I had to give it a try. It fits both of those adjectives, and now I can’t imagine buying the store bought version. I think I’ll even save a piece or two for Mary – you never know.
This makes a soft, chewy licorice. If you prefer a firmer texture, heat the mixture longer, until it reaches between 260 – 265 °F (like the original recipe from Saveur Magazine). In this version, I made a few changes: swapped in heavy cream for the condensed milk, brown rice syrup for the dark corn syrup, and omitted the black food dye. I also added in kosher salt and finished the little bites with flaky Maldon salt because the only thing better than black licorice is salty black licorice.
Homemade Salty Black Licorice
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus extra for greasing the pan
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon anise extract
- flaky sea salt for finishing such as Maldon
Instructions
- Line an 9 x by 5 x by 3-inch bread loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing parchment to line sides as well as the bottom.
- Cut out 36 parchment wrappers, about 3½ inches wide and 2 inches long.
- Sift the whole wheat flour into a small bowl and set aside.
- In a narrow, heavy saucepan bring the first 6 ingredients heavy cream through salt) to boil and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, for 20-25 minutes, until the mixture reaches 255°F. (Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature)
- When the licorice reaches 255°F, remove from heat, stir in whole wheat flour and anise extract. Continue stirring until smooth.
- Carefully pour licorice over parchment in pan.
- When the licorice is nearly cool, sprinkle with Maldon or other flaky salt.
- Cover and refrigerate until cooled completely. Then transfer, with parchment, onto a cutting board.
- With a lightly oiled, sharp knife cut licorice longwise into 6, ½-inch strips. Then cut crosswise into 6, 1 ½-inch strips.
- Place one strip of licorice on the edge of a parchment wrapper and roll up. Twist ends to seal. Repeat with remaining strips. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Alisa says
May 28, 2019 at 9:55 amHow do you prevent the licorice from becoming taffy like? I want it chewier. Thanks
Marissa says
May 29, 2019 at 3:33 pmHi, Alisa! For a firmer texture heat the mixture longer, until it reaches between 260 – 265°F on your candy thermometer.
Erin says
November 25, 2018 at 9:11 pmWe couldn’t find brown rice syrup, so we used barley malt syrup instead and they turned out perfect! Next time we’ll probably use a little more anise to give a stronger licorice flavor!
Marissa says
November 26, 2018 at 4:12 pmThat’s fantastic, Erin! Thank you for coming back to let me know!! 🙂
Tony says
November 20, 2018 at 7:35 amItem #4 of HOMEMADE SALTY BLACK LICORICE. has me dumbfounded! Can you explain: In a narrow, heavy saucepan bring the first 6 ingredients heavy creamTHROUGH SALT) to boil and cook,
What is through salt?
Marissa says
November 20, 2018 at 9:09 amHi, Tony. I’m referring to adding the first 6 ingredients to the saucepan: heavy cream, unsalted butter, brown rice syrup, molasses, sugar and salt. The phrase ‘heavy cream through salt’ is just there so that you don’t have to count down 6 ingredients to know what all to include. 🙂
Lillian says
February 18, 2018 at 12:14 pmI tried it, and it turned out crunchy- I was trying for a less soft licorice, but it’s not anything close to the picture. Kinda pliable, but it wants to shatter on my, and wouldn’t smooth out at all. Any suggestions?
Marissa says
February 18, 2018 at 4:37 pmHi Lillian. It sounds like your licorice mixture got too hot, maybe in the ~300°F? I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out with the texture you wanted. My best suggestion for next time is to cook until the mixture reaches 265°F or a little below.
Lillian says
February 19, 2018 at 11:27 amSee, I did that: I actually removed it from the heat at 260° because it was starting to burn. Is it possible I’m using my thermometer incorrectly, or that my altitude is playing a role? (I’m at 4000 ft above sea level)
Marissa says
February 19, 2018 at 11:42 amHi Lilian, I don’t think it’s an altitude issue since you were measuring the temperature. So I’m betting that there is an issue with your thermometer – perhaps it’s not reading accurately or, as you suggested, you may have been measuring incorrectly. Check out this great article from David Lebovitz, lots of great tips and troubleshooting.
Olivia Rusher says
December 18, 2017 at 8:30 amDid you use any particular kind of molasses. There are different ones on the market and I am wondering about the outcome if you just choose one.
Thank you!
Marissa says
December 18, 2017 at 9:23 amHi there, Olivia. I used Wholesome Sweeteners brand organic mollasses – but, I think any variety would work just fine here. If you have a favorite brand, go with that!
Olivia Rusher says
December 20, 2017 at 3:03 pmThanks! I can’t wait to try this as I am one of many I know who love licorice!
Rasmus Nissen says
May 10, 2017 at 3:28 amLooking forward to make these. Thanks for the recipe.
But why don’t you use licorice in your licorice?
I mean real licorice extract and not anise.
BR
Marissa says
May 10, 2017 at 4:33 pmHi there – anise extract is what I could find…I’m sure that licorice extract would be excellent too!
David Najgoldberg says
February 21, 2017 at 1:15 pmThese taste amazing! BUT my candy thermometer must not be working properly because they came out really hard…. I used coconut sugar instead of white and used spelt flour instead of whole wheat. Turned out delicious.
Marissa says
February 21, 2017 at 1:21 pmI’m so glad that they taste so good! Interesting about the texture… Do you mean hard like chewy or hard like hard candy?
Staycee Hutchings says
February 8, 2019 at 3:44 pmMine turned out like hard candy.. what did I do wrong?
Marissa says
February 9, 2019 at 10:43 amHi, Staycee! I’m sorry the licorice didn’t turn out soft…I know how frustrating that can be! It must have reached too high a temperature, aka ‘hard crack’ stage, 295 to 309°F. Your candy thermometer may be off or it may not have been in a place in the mixture to get an accurate reading.
Cate says
December 17, 2016 at 7:37 pmI’m going to make this licorice for a friend who is in the love, love, love licorice column. In reviewing the recipe I noticed it calls for whole wheat flour. Will a quality, unbleached all purpose flour work? Whole wheat is just not a flour I use; it has to be freshly milled, otherwise it’s bitter. Since I bake a lot, I stock ten different flours in my pantry, but not whole wheat.
I’m thinking the flour is necessary as a pliable binder in the licorice. I have two strong flours: 11.5% protein and a 14% protein. The 11.5% is mailed. I don’t know if the malt will effect the flavor. Sorry for babbling; just thinking out loud as I try figure out a solution to the flour.
Marissa says
December 18, 2016 at 9:30 amHi Cate…I haven’t tried it with any flour other than whole wheat, but I would think that any whole grain flour would work and perhaps even all-purpose. I think that malt would be fine too. Please let me know how it goes. 🙂
Misha says
June 5, 2016 at 5:45 pmTHANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS RECIPE! I haven’t tried it yet, but based on what I read, it looks divine so I rated it 5 stars!
I am allergic to corn and wheat. I’m going to try this recipe, but like your substitutions for rice syrup for the corn syrup, I’m also going to use an alternate flour. I think garbanzo bean flour will work well. It thickens beautifully, and provides a smooth, creamy consistency in everything else I use it for. As for my salt, I have some lovely black salt, that I think will work beautifully!
Marissa says
June 8, 2016 at 11:26 amBlack salt! What a great idea…let me know how it goes! 🙂
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
May 28, 2016 at 2:58 pmThis sounds fabulous. My hubby actually brought me home licorice powder from Sweden and I’m trying to find a few good ways to use it.
Andy says
March 11, 2016 at 5:19 pmLimbergse Kaatjesdrop licorice is what my dreams were made of until high sugar became off limits. A sad tale indeed . . .until now! Thank you!
Harri Huu says
March 9, 2016 at 4:31 amRecipe looks interesting. I am wondering how come liquorice root (extract/powder) is commonly omitted – although that is what liquorice is. And salty/salted liquorice, essential component is ammonium chloride (NH4Cl). Anise extract, salt and definately molasses needed too, of course.
Marissa says
March 10, 2016 at 1:12 pmHey Harri, great questions, but in all honesty, I have no idea. 🙂
Monica M says
February 22, 2016 at 2:25 pmOh my gosh I just realized what I did. I grabbed WAX paper from my cabinet instead of PARCHMENT paper! LOL! That would make all the difference! I need to read more carefully!
Marissa says
February 22, 2016 at 2:49 pmLOL! Mystery solved – well it may not be pretty, but there’s no shame in scraping it off the wax paper and eating it anyway… 😉
Monica M says
February 22, 2016 at 2:17 pmNo, the licorice is the perfect texture, taste, and everything! It just stuck to the paper. Maybe buttered foil would work better? I heated to 260 for a less soft licorice, it was nice and chewy. I will try again.
Monica M says
February 22, 2016 at 1:15 pmMy licorice stuck to the paper and won’t come off! It tastes great but most of it was so stuck on I couldn’t eat it. I did butter the paper, so I don’t know what is wrong!
Marissa says
February 22, 2016 at 1:26 pmOh no, Monica! I’m not sure why that would happen…is the licorice very soft? I wonder if it didn’t reach a high enough temperature?
Maija says
December 19, 2015 at 7:16 amHello!
In my search for a recipe for homemade Finnish licorice, I came across your recipe.
The ingredients look similar to what the Finnish licorice must be made of. I’m going to try it.
There is a salty licorice in Finland called “Salmiakki”. However, it’s waaaay to salty for me!
If I left off the flaky salt at the end.. would the main part also be on the salty side?
If so, would it harm the final licorice if I cut back on it?
Thank you.
Marissa says
December 19, 2015 at 10:10 amHi, Maija! Honestly, I don’t think the licorice is particularly salty on it’s own – however, you can always cut back on the salt just to be safe and control the saltiness with the amount you sprinkle on at the end. Let me know how it goes… 🙂
Nate says
December 4, 2015 at 6:05 pmSo I tried this recipe and the licorice came or rock hard. I’ve tried another recipe and the same thing happened. I used a candy thermometer. And ideas what could have gone wrong?
Marissa says
December 6, 2015 at 5:27 pmHi Nate,
I’m so sorry that happened – so frustrating! The only thing I can think of is that maybe your candy thermometer is off?
Lucy Whitehead says
April 5, 2015 at 6:47 amThis sounds delicious! How long do you think it would keep for?
Marissa says
April 5, 2015 at 10:05 amHi Lucy,
That’s a great question – I honestly don’t know. I keep mine in the refrigerator and it’s usually gone in a week or two.
Lisa says
October 23, 2014 at 7:40 pmLove the idea, but the whole wheat flour made my liquorice gritty. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Marissa says
October 25, 2014 at 9:04 amHi Lisa – I know what you mean about the texture. The whole wheat flour definitely has a presence which I really like, but could imagine that some people wouldn’t. I haven’t tried it, but wonder if all purpose flour would be less gritty while still providing some substance. Otherwise, you might leave the flour out all together, which would make more of a licorice flavored caramel. I need to get back in the kitchen with this recipe and do some experimenting. 😉
If you try something new, let me know how it goes.
Joanne says
October 19, 2014 at 5:40 amBlack licorice and i are definitely not BFF…but I am definitely impressed by your licorice making SKILLZ.
Carla (@charliesue) says
October 18, 2014 at 8:25 pmFile this one in the category of “things I love to buy at the store that I did not know you could make”! Ah! How exciting!
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
October 18, 2014 at 6:35 amBefore I even get started on my comment – let me say this – PINNED! I am definitely in the loving licorice camp – in fact, it is one of my very favorite ice cream flavors, believe it or not!!!
Marissa says
October 18, 2014 at 9:49 amI totally forgot about licorice ice cream, Kristi! YUM!! It was one of my favorites as a kid. xx
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
October 17, 2014 at 11:03 pmI love that you made this from scratch! Now I’m not a huge salted licorice fan but hubby is. Maybe I can make this for him!
Marissa says
October 18, 2014 at 9:48 amI hope you do, Lorraine. I’d love to hear what he thinks about it…xx
APARTMENT2504.WORDPRESS.COM says
October 17, 2014 at 5:12 pmI am lactose intolerant but would love this candy!! Any idea what I could substitute cream with? Thank you
Marissa says
October 17, 2014 at 9:58 pmThat’s a great question – you sent me searching. 😉 I found this recipe form Saveur using coconut milk http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Coconut-Milk-Caramels. If you end up trying it, please let me know how it goes.
BLfan says
October 17, 2014 at 4:21 amThank you so much for this fabulous recipe!
I’m a big fan of salt licorice.
It’s hugely popular in the Netherlands and Denmark, and I’d never heard of it until I visited those countries.
Dutch “drop” (as they call it) can be expensive, and the Danish version is very hard to find.
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe for myself.
Thanks again!
Marissa says
October 17, 2014 at 8:16 amI’ve never heard of it being called Dutch drop, love it!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
October 17, 2014 at 1:48 amI’m definitely on the love it side, and big time! And the ingredients are so easy! thanks for this idea Marissa
Marissa says
October 17, 2014 at 8:17 amYou’re welcome, Paula! xo
Marsha says
October 16, 2014 at 11:41 amThank you so much for this recipe! I absolutely love licorice.
Marissa says
October 16, 2014 at 12:33 pmYou’re welcome! If you try the recipe, let me know how it goes.
Kimberly says
May 6, 2016 at 11:09 pmIt’s hard to find licorice extract in stores. I used anise but not tasting licorice as I should. Could I double the anise next time to get that licorice taste
kim says
May 22, 2016 at 8:54 pmDo you have a whole foods near you or a sprouts. They sell licorice extract
Mary says
October 16, 2014 at 9:55 amOh what fond memories! I would still save you all the black jelly beans if I didn’t know you could make such a great alternative!
Marissa says
October 16, 2014 at 12:31 pmaww, thanks Mary. xoxo
DessertForTwo says
October 16, 2014 at 6:06 amThis is absolutely gorgeous! I love your changes and additions! I was just in Washington, and saw an entire row of black licorice. One of the jars was salty–I had never heard of it before. It was awesome! I’m a new fan 🙂
Marissa says
October 16, 2014 at 8:31 amThank YOU for the inspiration to make them!