Homemade Kool-Aid Licorice Ropes

Turn a handful of kitchen staples into bright, chewy licorice ropes that look and taste like the ones you see in candy shops—but here, you skip weird preservatives. Mixing tangy Kool-Aid with punchy licorice extract gives these treats an awesome, one-of-a-kind taste everyone will want to munch on.

I made these candy ropes with my nieces during a never-ending weekend stuck inside—it became our go-to for family parties after that. Watching their faces light up while they stretched their own ropes… unforgettable.

Inviting Ingredients

• Kool-Aid powder: Gives a bold kick of fruit taste and loads of color—grab unsweetened
• Licorice extract: Brings out the real-deal licorice taste—use pure for the best punch
• Butter: Gives richness, but coconut oil works great if you’re skipping dairy
• Honey: Lends natural sweetness and helps with that awesome stretch—agave syrup does the trick too
• Cane sugar: Levels up the sweetness and helps candy set up just right
• Flour: Makes the ropes chewy and perfectly textured, like classic licorice
• Sweetened condensed milk: Adds that old-school creamy touch you want in licorice
• Himalayan pink salt: Cuts through the sweet stuff and brightens up the flavors

Simple Step-by-Step

Give ‘Em Time To Set:

Once you’ve made your ropes, just leave them at room temp for up to an hour. They’ll get that famous chewy bite—don’t pop 'em in the fridge or they’ll go too hard.

Shape The Candy:

When the mixture isn’t burning hot but still nice and stretchy, put blobs on your tray and roll them out any way you want. Move quick—the stuff firms up as it cools.

Mix In Kool-Aid & Licorice:

Pull your pot off the burner and toss in all the Kool-Aid powder plus a dash of licorice extract. Mix it hard so the whole batch gets even color and taste. It’ll be steamy hot—don’t let skin touch it yet.

Toss In Flour & Salt:

Now add the dry stuff to your pot. Keep stirring as it thickens for around six minutes—stop when it starts peeling off the pot, like extra-thick cake batter.

Cook Your Base:

Butter and honey go in first, melting together for a couple minutes. Then stir in sugar and condensed milk. Keep whisking till you see no grains—smooth and glossy is what you’re looking for.

Prep The Area:

Cover a pan with parchment paper so you won’t have any sticky mess when you’re ready to roll out candy ropes. Nothing’s worse than sugar glue on your table.

Kool-Aid powder is the thing that takes this treat over the top. I stumbled on it while trying to remake my grandma’s old candy—she used drink mixes too, way back when. The neon colors and zippy flavors from Kool-Aid are spot-on for kids and they spark memories for adults, too.

Keep ‘Em Fresh

Let those licorice ropes hang out on the counter in a sealed container. If you make a big pile, layer parchment between them so they don't stick. If it’s super muggy, stick a safe silica pack alongside to keep that perfect chewy bite. Skip the fridge unless you want tougher candy—just warm them up a little before eating if you did chill them.

Fun Flavor Twists

Switch up Kool-Aid flavors to make red cherry ropes or bold purple grape twists. Want a taste of summer? Try fruit punch or mango. For swirly creations, merge two colors before you roll. Around the holidays, mix in some peppermint with blue raspberry Kool-Aid—skip the licorice for a minty treat. For black licorice, drop the Kool-Aid and double up the extract for that old-school flavor.

Awesome Kid Project

There’s a part for everyone here—little ones can scoop and pour the ingredients, older kids can carefully stir the pot, and rolling the ropes is a blast once it’s cooled down. Set out a bunch of Kool-Aid flavors and let them whip up wild colors. Just keep an eye out when things are still hot.

You’ll win smiles all around with these homemade licorice ropes—they make any hangout way more fun and tasty, guaranteed.

Foire aux questions sur la recette

→ Can I use different Kool-Aid flavors?

For sure! Pick any Kool-Aid flavor you like and you’ll get different colors and tastes. Want red ropes? Use cherry. Blue raspberry makes blue ones, grape gives purple, and you can play around for new combos.

→ How long do these licorice ropes stay fresh?

If you keep them in a closed container right on your counter, they'll stay good for about a week. If you pop them in the fridge, they'll be fine for close to two weeks.

→ Can I make these without licorice extract?

Yep, you don’t have to use licorice extract if you don’t want to. Kool-Aid does all the heavy lifting for flavor. You could swap in vanilla or something else you like with your Kool-Aid.

→ Is it possible to make these vegan?

You bet! Swap out butter for coconut oil, use agave if you don’t want honey, and pick a plant-based condensed milk. You'll still get tasty, chewy candy minus the dairy.

→ Why is my mixture too sticky to roll?

If it’s too tacky, it probably just needs to cool more. Wait 5 or 10 minutes and try again. If it's still sticky, sprinkle some powdered sugar on your hands and it should work better.

→ What thickness should I roll the licorice ropes?

Try to roll them out somewhere between a quarter-inch and half an inch thick, like the stuff from the store. Skinny ones set faster but can snap, fatter ones are chewier but take longer to cool.