# Hard candies going soft **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 5, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608 "2005-11-05T04:59:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608/1 "2005-11-05T04:59:13Z")
Not sure that this shouldn’t be in GQ, but what the hell. A co-worker brought in a big bag of hard candies post halloween. A lot of the typical Brachs assortment, especially things like butterscotch, and wintergreen. Now I’ve discovered that as these candies age, they go from hard, crunchy sorts of candies (that can leave sharp, sugary splinters in your tongue if you give into the temptations to bite 'em) to soft, chewy ones, seemingly from the outside in. This bag was full of hard candies that had softened with age. Which was a bonus for me, as I love them that way! My question: Why do they soften up? A correlary question: Can I get them pre-aged and/or pre-softened? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608/2 "2005-11-05T05:48:48Z")
Brilliant question! I wondered this myself as I ate a Tootsie Roll Pop earlier. It was one of those mini ones, and it had been sitting on my desk for only a few days, but it was soft through and through. Maybe the heat from my dual monitors caused it to soften quicker? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608/3 "2005-11-05T05:56:04Z")
Sugar, the main ingredient in candy, is hygroscopic, that is a substance that absorbs water readily from its surroundings. Candy (sugar) + humidity = soft mushy candy! ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608/4 "2005-11-05T06:38:04Z")
OTOH, if you let Peeps or marshmallows sit out long enough, they become hard and crunchy. 😃 I think there’s an equilibrium thing going on here, with water content flowing between candies… ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608/5 "2005-11-05T15:46:32Z")
If you want soft candies faster, put them in an airtight container with a slice of fresh bread. The bread will naturally give off moisture as it stales which will be absorbed by the candies. I do it all the time with cookies for lovely, fresh, chewy cookies that last for weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608/6 "2005-11-05T17:03:11Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > If you want soft candies faster, put them in an airtight container with a slice of fresh bread. The bread will naturally give off moisture as it stales which will be absorbed by the candies. Thanks for the tip!!! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608/7 "2005-11-06T00:39:03Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > If you want soft candies faster, put them in an airtight container with a slice of fresh bread. The bread will naturally give off moisture as it stales which will be absorbed by the candies. I do it all the time with cookies for lovely, fresh, chewy cookies that last for weeks. What a nifty idea! I know it’s airtight, but still, do you have to watch the bread for mold? (just in case!) ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608/8 "2005-11-06T01:00:15Z")
I’ve never had it happen, the bread is usually too dry to support mold. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-candies-going-soft/329608/9 "2005-11-06T03:43:57Z")
If I time this JUST right, I can get the challah slices I need for Thanksgiving stuffing dried out at the same time that I soften up the old Halloween hard candies. Man. I love this place. 🙂