Sanding Hard Candies

In the old days, candymakers "sanded" their hard candy to prevent it from sticking together. "Sanding" means dusting or coating the candy with sugar. The coating of sugar seals off the air so that the hard candy does not get sticky. After the candy is unmolded, place it over a boiling pot of water for a few moments until the surface gets tacky. (If you have a lot of small candies, you can put them together in a strainer over the boiling water.) Once the candies are tacky, dump them into a bowl of granulated or powdered sugar. Thoroughly coat the candies with the sugar, then brush off the excess.