Making your own honey cough drops with this easy recipe. Honey lozenges are a great item to keep on hand. With a few simple ingredients and just a bit of patience, you will have a supply of natural cough drops ready to use.
Mix together the honey, ground cinnamon, lemon juice and ginger in a deep saucepan. Heat this mixture to a slow boil - stirring frequently. Use a wide flat spoon to stir well and prevent burning on the bottom.
As with making hard candy, we want the mix to reach the hard-crack stage. A candy thermometer is helpful to determine when the 300F/150C temperature is reached. If you do not have a thermometer, drop a bit of the heated mixture into a bowl of cool water. When it hardens instantly -- you are ready.
Remove from heat and let the mixture begin to cool. Once it begins to thicken, you are ready to pour.Pour or spoon your honey cough drop mix into a mold of your choice. I often chose the hexagon shapes because I'm a beekeeper. If you don't have a mold, use a spoon to drop small amounts onto a piece of foil paper or a silicone mat. Keep your drops small - mine were a bit larger than I liked. But they worked out fine.
Leave the honey cough drops to cool while you clean your utensils.
Once completely cool to the touch, sprinkle them drops with a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon. Use your fingers to coat the surface of the cough drops and shake off any excess. This helps prevent them sticking together.
Store in an air tight container and use when needed.
Notes
*This mixture will foam and expand during boiling. Choose a pan that is deeper than you may think necessary. As the foam builds up, remove the pan off the burner for a few seconds to allow the foam to settle down.*Don't try this on a rainy day. Dry low humidity days are the best for candy making*These honey cough drops are not extremely sweet because of the lemon juice, ginger and cinnamon.