Basic Starter Recipe for Old Fashioned

 Clear Toy Candy

• 4 cups cane sugar (not beet sugar)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon heaping of cream of tarter

See here for how to make

Recipe For Modern

 Clear Toy Candy from Lorann Oils

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 2/3 cup light corn syrup

• 3/4  cup water

See here for how to make

English Housewifry

In above Four Hundred and Fifty Receipts Giving Directions for most Parts of Cookery

By Elizabeth Moxon (1764)

419.  To Make Barley Sugar.

Boil barley in water, strain it through a hair-sieve, then put the decoction into clarified sugar brought to a candy height, or the last degree of boiling, then take it off the fire, and let the boiling settle, then pour it upon a marble stone rubb'd with the oil of olives, when it cools and begins to grow hard, cut it into pieces, and rub it into lengths as you please.

The Complete Confectioner

By Eleanor Parkinson (1864)

No. 98. (pg 103)

Barley Sugar

Take a small stewpan, put some syrup  into it, and boil it till it comes to caramel; rub a little butter on the marble stone just to grease it, that it may not stick; then take your saucepan by the handle, and let the syrup run out the spout along the stone in long sticks; twist whilst it is hot at each end, and let it stand till cold.

The Complete Confectioner

By Eleanor Parkinson (1864)

No. 60. (pg 67)

Barley Sugar Drops

These are made in the same way as we make the barley sugar; only when boiled, put the rind of one or two lemons in rasped, and drop the syrup on the marble in little round drops as big a shilling; let them stand till cold, then put them up in papers, and as you take them off the marble, have some powdered sugar at the side of you to put them in.

A Treatise on the Art of Boiling Sugar, Crystallizing, Lozenge-making, Comfits, Gum Goods, and other Processes for Confectionery, Ect.

By Henry Weatherley, Katherine Golden Bitting Collection on Gastronomy  (1865)

Lemon Barley Sugar (pg 44)

This is also one of the oldest sweets made; this and acid drops were formerly the only boiled sweets that the old city houses made. "Tringhams," on Holborn-hill, now "Moores," used to be very great attraction thirty years ago, to see the barley sugar made in the shop; the pouring slabs were marble, slightly con-cave, or hollowed out, instead of using irons on a level slab ; as its name implies, it was said to be made with a decoction of barley, but of that there is not record.  Some boil this article to what is termed "color," that is, caramel degree, but unless the workman is extremely careful he will spoil it.  As we have before remarked, the only use there can be in boiling to this degree is to keep good clear, for when places in air-tight bottles they will keep so for a long period.  To make barley sugar, proceed as in acid drops - clarified sugar is the best - add a teaspoonful of strong saffron water, and when up to the crack, pour over the boil a teaspoonful of essence of lemon, let it boil two or three seconds longer, and quickly pour it into the irons on the oiled slab, the irons must be regulated to the size required ; run the blade of a knife along the side to keep the rough edges down ; as the sides cool, cut off strips, and twist them.  The slab must be warm before being used for this article, and to make it very bright and keep its color, it should be boiled as near to the caramel as possible with-out reaching that degree, therefore to do so keep it on the stove about a second beyond the crack.  There is also a machine to pass this trough which saves the trouble of cutting and twisting it.

June's American Cookery Book

By Jane Cunningham Croly (1866)

Barley Sugar, (for Children.)

"Barley Sugar. Soak a quart of barley overnight, in the morning boil it gently in more water, until it becomes clear and rather thin jelly. Add to this two pounds of sugar, and the juice of a lemon, and boil again, until clear and stiff, so that when poured out in butter plates or saucers, it
will set hard. The white of an egg improves it."

The Complete Confectioner

By Frederick Nutt  (1790)

No. 94.  (pg 103)

Barley Sugar

Take a small stewpan, put some syrup  into it, and boil it till it comes to caramel; rub a little butter on the marble stone just to grease it, that it may not stick; then take your saucepan by the handle, and let the syrup run out the spout along the stone in long sticks; twist whilst it is hot at each end, and let it stand till cold.

The Universal Receipt Book

By Priscilla Homespun, Katherine Golden Bitting Collection on Gastronomy (1818)

Art of Making Barley Sugar (Pg 177)

Put some common, or clarified syrup into a saucepan, with a spout, such as us used for melting butter, if but a little is wanted to be made, and boil it till it comes to what is called carimel, or candy, carefully taking off what scum may arise, and having prepared a marble stone, either with butter or oil, just sufficient to prevent sticking, pour the syrup gently along the marble, inn long sticks of whatever thickness may  be desired, twist it, while hot, at each end, and let it remain till cold, when it will be fit for use.  The rasped rind of a lemon, boiled up in the syrup, gives a very agreeable flavour to barley sugar, and the best is commonly so prepared.

The whole duty of a woman, or, An infallible guide to the fair sex. (1737)

To make Barley Sugar (Pg 618)

Having a sufficient Quantity of Barley in Water, strain  it thro' a Hair-Sieve, and let this Decoction be put into clarify'd Sugar, brought to the Caramel, or last Degree of boiling : then take off the Pan from the Fire 'till the boiling settles, and pour your Barley Sugar upon a Marble Stone, rubb'd with Oil of Olives, but Care must be taken to hinder it from running down: As the Sugar cools, and begins to grow hard, cut into Pieces, and roll it out of what length you please, n order to be kept for use.

Pharmacopoeia universalis

By Robert James  (1747)

Barley Sugar (Pg 709)

This is made of white Sugar boiled with Barley Water, till it acquires such a ductile Consistence, as that it may be drawn out, and fashioned with the Hands, into twisted Sticks, like Ropes.  E.

This comes more properly under the Cognizance of the Confectioner then the Physician: and is too trifling to deserve any farther Remark.

A new and complete dictionary of arts and sciences (1764)

Barley-Sugar (Pg 3104)

sacchrum bordeatum sue penidiatum, is made by boiling white sugar in barley-water, i. a decochon of barley, till it acquires such a consistence, as that it may be drawn out, and twisted into threads of strings : is rarely prepared by apothecaries, or considered as a medicine.

The practice of cookery, pastry, pickling, preserving, &c.  (1791)

By Mrs. Frazer

Barley Sugar. (Pg 215)

Boil a pound of single-refined sugar, to what is called crackling height, which is a higher degree then blowing.  The way to know it is to dip a small but if stick in cold water ; then dip the stick in the boiling sugar, and try it with your teeth ;  if it sticks to them like glue it is not enough, but when it cracks in your teeth, take id off, and pour it upon your stone, (remembering always to have the stone rubbed over with a little fine oil, or sweet butter) ; then as quick as you can, double it up, and cut it with a pair of big scissors ; give it a roll or a twist, as you choose.  In boiling sugar to this height it is apt to fly very furiously, therefore to prevent the loss of your sugar, put into it the smallest bit of fresh butter, which will at once give it a check.

If you wish to have it of the permecetti kind, take a quarter of an ounce of permacetti to the pound of sugar, and give it a beat; then put the half of it among your sugar, and strew the other half of it upon that part of the stone you mean to pour your sugar on, and smooth it down with a hot iron.  In this case you have no occasion to use either oil or butter, as the permacetti prevent both the sugar from flying over the pan, and at the same time will make it come easily off the stone.

Again, if you choose to have your barley-sugar of the lemon kind, grate a large lemon, or twe small ones, to each pound of sugar; dry the grate in an oven or before the fire, and when you have poured it out upon the stone, strew it over it ; then fold it double, and finish it as above directed.