One of the worst moments of parenthood is seeing your child sick (coughing, wheezing, sore throat) and not being able to do anything about it. Sure, you can take your little one to the doctor for a healthy dose of antibiotics or make them chicken noodle soup but you can’t make the uncomfortableness (if not outright pain) of that [INSERT ILLNESS HERE] go away. Enter these homemade cough lollipops!
While antibiotics and store bought cough medicines are nothing to sneeze at (ha ha, get it?), there is a lot to like about these cough drop lollipops. They’re the perfect option when:
- You can’t quite give another dose of cough syrup or medicine yet.
- You don’t feel your kiddo is old enough to have a cough drop, due to the choking hazard they present.
- The cough or sore throat is minor enough that you aren’t sure it warrants bringing out the big guns.
- You don’t want to deal with the side effects, such as drowsiness, that can come with using more traditional medications.
See, there are a lot of situations in which these homemade cough lollipops might come in handy for!
And while I’m mainly talking about using these for kiddos, this recipe is definitely for adults AND kids cough lollipops. As an adult, I love using these honey lollops DIY sticks as hot tea stirrers when I’ve got a scratchy throat… or when I just want to add a touch of sweetness to my tea! 😉
Another thing I really like about these cough drop lollipops is that they’re all natural and as long as you purchase organic honey, organic. They don’t contain any unpronounceable or mystery ingredients.
Plus, these adults and kids cough lollipops are pretty easy to make. In fact, the active cooking time is less than what you would need to drive to the store and buy cough drops, so technically I think they save time, and what mom doesn’t love to save time? So make a big batch of this honey lollipops DIY recipe and store them in the fridge as an easy, all natural grab-and-go option when you or any family member has a cough or sore throat!
Why Do Honey Cough Lollipops Work?
Using honey to treat a cough or sore throat is nothing new. In fact, honey has been used for its medicinal properties for thousands of years! But you may be wondering how exactly does honey help with coughing or how does honey soothe a sore throat.
Honey is a heavy hitter when it comes to coughing and sore throats, which is why it’s the only ingredient in these homemade cough lollipops. It has both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. (Incidentally, these properties are also what make honey a great option for treating acne or soothing irritated skin.) In addition, honey coats the throat, which results in a soothing effect.
But you don’t just have to take my word for it! According to the Mayo Clinic, in one study, kids ranging in ages from 1 to 5 who had respiratory tract infections were given up to 2 teaspoons of honey at bedtime and the honey appeared to be just as effective as the common cough suppressant ingredient dextromethorphan!
So, are you ready to make these cough drop lollipops?
Homemade Cough Lollipop Ingredients
1 cup honey
1 package of Wilton candy sticks
Parchment paper
Large baking sheet
Candy thermometer
Non-stick cooking spray
Ice cubes
Water
Homemade Cough Lollipop Directions
1. Place parchment paper on baking sheet and evenly coat with non-stick cooking spray. This will keep the cough drop lollipops from sticking while hardening.
2. Place the candy sticks on the parchment paper, spacing them a few inches apart.
3. Add a few ice cubes to a small glass, fill the glass with water, and set aside.
4. Place honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring continuously until the temperature of the honey reaches 300 degrees.
Note: Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
5. Once the honey has reached 300 degrees put a few drops into the ice water (step 3). If the honey hardens immediately upon touching the surface of the water, it’s the right temperature.
6. Slowly pour the honey onto the top portion of the Wilton candy sticks. Use a large spoon if needed.
7. Repeat until all of the honey is used.
8. Let the homemade cough lollipops harden for several hours and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Tip: Seriously, put these kids cough lollipops in the fridge! For my very first batch, I skipped this step and they became very sticky overnight.
Have you tried this honey lollipops DIY recipe? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought! Also, please share any other homemade health remedies you might have. After all, us moms have to stick together!
P.S. If you’re looking for more kid friendly recipes, I’ve got you covered. Be sure to check out these:
- 60 toddler lunch ideas
- 27 easy toddler meals
- 32 vegetarian toddler recipes
- 47 toddler meals and snack ideas
Honey Flavored Homemade Cough Lollipops
Honey Flavored Homemade Cough Lollipops - Soothe coughing and wheezing with the help of these yummy homemade cough drop lollipops. They are especially great for young children who can't have cough drops.
Ingredients
- 1 C. honey, regular or organic
- 1 package of Wilton candy sticks
- Parchment paper
- Large baking sheet
- Candy thermometer
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Ice cubes
- Water
Instructions
- Place parchment paper on baking sheet and evenly coat with non-stick cooking spray. This will keep the cough lollipops from sticking while hardening.
- Place the candy sticks on the parchment paper, spacing them a few inches apart.
- Add a few ice cubes to a small glass, fill the glass with water, and set aside.
- Place honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring continuously until the temperature of the honey reaches 300 degrees. Note: Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
- Once the honey has reached 300 degrees put a few drops into the ice water (step 3). If the honey hardens immediately upon touching the surface of the water, it's the right temperature.
- Slowly pour the honey onto the top portion of the Wilton candy sticks. Use a large spoon if needed.
- Repeat until all of the honey is used.
- Let the cough lollipops harden for several hours and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Note: I did not set mine in the fridge and they became very sticky overnight.
Dedddandna says
Lovde this idea
Dina says
I need this like right now! These look so soothing, I’m going to make some tonight!
Sarah S says
I made something almost identical, except I combined the honey with a strong herbal tea for medicinal benefits. However, the candy never got completely hard, even in the fridge — and if they are left out for a few hours, they melt completely (so no good for keeping in my purse for even a day). I also want hard lollipops for my little one, but I don’t want to give him sticky, taffy-like candy at his age (even on a stick) as it might cause choking. So the big question is: how do you get candy made with honey to get hard and stay hard long enough to be completely consumed? I keep searching the internet for the answer, but it’s evidently a mystery. I do heat mine to 302F, or “hard crack” on the thermometer. Do I need to keep it there for a certain time? Every recipe says to remove from heat right away once it reaches hard crack temp, and I don’t want to burn it. Any advice would be appreciated. I never make candy, so I’m a newbie, but this is important to me, so I want to get it right.
Sharynne says
I use to make these as a little girl only i used maple syrup. I learned the general concept from a book I read called Understood Betsy. Fun to do and a great soothing medium for tonsilitis!!
Kelli says
That’s awesome, Sharynne! Thanks for sharing! 🙂 Kelli
Cindy says
Hi Sarah!
I realize your post is from almost a year ago, but I’ve just stumbled upon this recipe and web site today. Cold and flu season are upon us again, so hopefully this reply will help!
I can identify a couple of things that might be causing your problem. One is that candy syrup has to have a certain moisture content in order for it to solidify. If you are adding your herbal tea to this recipe in the form of a liquid, the ratio of solid-to-liquid would be off. You could get around that by re-balancing it with a solid like regular sugar. I’ll post a link at the bottom of my reply which gives a lot of good information about how to substitute honey for sugar in candy recipes (since honey is also a liquid, it throws off the moisture ratio), etc.
Another issue could be whether your candy thermometer is accurate. It’s a good idea to calibrate it once in a while, and it’s quick and easy to do. The next time you’re cooking pasta, stick the thermometer in the pot of boiling water for two minutes. If it reads 212 degrees, it’s fine. If, say, it reads 206, then you will have to remember to add 6 degrees to whatever it reads in the future.
Last, honey draws moisture to itself, so when your lollipops are done and cooled down, they should be stored in an air-tight container in a cool place.
Hope these ideas help! If you wish to make the honey lollipops with herbal tea, my best advice would be to take any recipe for hard candy, substitute half of the sugar for honey, use the herbal tea as your liquid (reducing it by the amount recommended for substituting honey for sugar), and make sure your candy thermometer has been calibrated recently.
Here is the link for substituting honey http://oureverydaylife.com/can-make-candy-using-honey-instead-sugar-20790.html
Have fun!