old-fashioned butterscotch lollipops

Spray your moulds with cooking spray (or your lined pan, if you're not using moulds), and place your lollipop sticks in the moulds.

Choose a heavy-weight saucepan to cook your sugar in – deep is better than wide so your thermometer will be covered by enough volume to register an accurate temperature (most digital thermometers have a guideline indicating minimum depth).

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and vinegar in the saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the sugar has melted. Do not stir the sugar at this point. Stirring may cause recrystallization. Instead, just gently swirl the pan a few times. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil. Using a pastry brush and some cold water, brush down the sides of the pot to ensure any sugar crystals that may be clinging to the edge are melted. Alternately, you could put the lid on the pot and let it boil for a couple minutes covered – the steam that builds up under the lid will also melt away the sugar crystals.

Add your thermometer to your saucepan. Continue to cook the sugar while gradually adding the butter, a couple pieces at a time, stirring frequently.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until your thermometer reads 300°F.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

I find it easier to control the pour of the candy by transferring the liquid from my saucepan to a heat-proof container with a pour spout. If you have a fancy saucepan with a pour spout, you can use that. I use a milk steaming pitcher. Some people recommend using pyrex measuring cups, but I've heard horror stories about the newer ones shattering when the temperature shifts suddenly (like pouring a really hot liquid into it). I was too nervous to try it with mine.

You need to work quickly as this mixture will set up pretty quickly.

Gently pour your sugar mixture into the moulds. Your lollipop sticks may get shifted around a bit – just gently push them back into position. Be careful not to touch the hot sugar – it's extremely hot and can cause severe burns.

You don't actually need moulds to make lollipops. You can lightly oil a piece of parchment paper and pour your butterscotch onto the sheet to form small circles. Immediately drop a lollipop stick onto each one. Note that lollipops made this way tend to be thinner than ones made in moulds, and may have sharper edges.

Once the lollipops have set, you can remove them from the moulds and wrap them in cellophane. I found these pretzel bags – once I cut the length down, they were the perfect size for my lollipops.

You don't even have to make lollipops out of this recipe. You can pour the mixture into a pan lined with oiled parchment paper. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until it's partially set and there's a film on the top, and then gently score it with a butter knife or spatula (be careful not to break this film). You can continue to score it as it cools, gently deepening the grooves each time. Once the mixture hardens completely, you can break it along those lines to make small candies.