I have attempted making hard candy for a cake I need to be delivered in the morn and my hard hard is soft candy.  Is there any way to fix this or do I need to start over

A

The candy can be recooked.  Be sure to test the thermometer before you cook it again.  If the thermometer is off, then you may have not cooked the candy long enough.  Put the candy back in the pan with about 1 cup of water.  You will need to heat the candy to a few degrees higher than the first time - no more than 5 degrees higher.  You will need to add more flavoring because the flavoring cooks out when heated to 295' or higher.  Hope this helps.

To justify my temperature comment, once the thermometer is tested you will know how many degrees off the temperature is.  Depending on how soft your candy is will determine the amount of degree you will need to cook the candy to.  Once that determination is made, I will cook the candy to no more than 5 more degrees over that number to ensure the right result.  Sorry I did not explain the first time.

Edit: I just realized that this thread is an oldie. Probably resurrected because some one wants to get their post count up... sigh