And oh, my goodness, I’m feeling very clever right now. It just hit me one night–while I was sound asleep–maybe I dreamed it, I don’t know. But I woke up thinking, “I need to make my own throat drops!” These ones will not just soothe a scratchy throat, but they can actually strengthen the immune system against the nastiness that is causing it in the first place. So there.
I have recently become an enormous fan of essential oils–I know, I know, I was a bit slow to catch that train. But I’m here now and I’m pretty excited to find all these unbelievably simple ways to help the sweet little moms and dads that I teach every week…plus my own family and friends. So my Honey Spice Throat Drops are a good place to start.
Here is my brand new secret recipe…
Honey Spice Cough Drops
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
5-10 drops OnGuard (protective blend) essential oil
Put all the ingredients except essential oil in a heavy pan and cook slowly over medium heat until it reaches the “hard crack stage.”
Because area, altitude and climate can make such a difference in candy making, PLEASE click on this link and test your thermometer for your area. It will make all the difference in whether or not your drops are too soft, just right or burned. For example–at sea level, Hard Crack is between 300 and 305 degrees. But here in Utah, where we are waaaaay above sea level, Hard Crack is about 275-280 degrees. BIG difference. If you do this test and follow the directions~ your drops will work.
Resist the urge to turn the heat up higher to speed up the process. It will burn unless you keep it on medium and check it often. Once you can drizzle a spoonful of the syrup into a cup of cold water and have it turn to brittle threads–take it off the heat immediately. Wait about 30 seconds to a minute and then add the essential oil. Stir.
Pour into a buttered cookie sheet. Fold edges of the candy into the middle with a metal spatula until cool enough to handle.
Working quickly, pull and roll into long strips…
and cut into nickle size pieces.
Allow to cool completely and harden. If your drops have been cooked long enough, you’ll be able to store them in a ziploc bag.
If they are a bit soft and still sticky, wrap them in waxed paper squares and store in a ziploc bag.
Just wait until you tell your friends what you just did.
You’ll likely be worshiped as a Goddess of Health and Happiness.
If you play your cards right, it’ll be true.
Note: You can also us Peppermint, Wild Orange, Lemon or any number of yummy doTERRA Essential oils–think Lime, Fennel, Spearmint— oh, my.
Make sure your essential oil is the purest grade available. If it does not say that it is ingest-able, then it isn’t–so in that case don’t use it in this or any other recipe.
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup butter
- 5-10 drops protective blend essential oil
- Put all the ingredients except essential oil in a heavy pan and cook slowly over medium heat until it reaches the "hard crack stage."
- Resist the urge to turn the heat up higher to speed up the process. It will burn unless you keep it on medium and check it often.
- Once you can drizzle a spoonful of the syrup into a cup of cold water and have it turn to brittle threads--take it off the heat immediately.
- Wait about 30 seconds to a minute and then add the essential oil.
- Stir.
- Pour into a buttered cookie sheet.
- Fold edges of the candy into the middle until cool enough to handle.
- Working quickly, pull and roll into long strips...and cut into nickle size pieces.
- Allow to cool completely and harden.
- If your drops have been cooked long enough, you'll be able to store them in a ziploc bag unwrapped.
- If they are a bit soft and still sticky, wrap them in waxed paper squares and store in a ziploc bag.
