A few years ago, I got, like... Weirdly obsessed with the idea of making candy and lollipops.
I'm not sure why, but I ended up teaching myself a really cool skill, if anything.
Confectionary is very fun, once you get the hang of it!

First, you will want to make sure you have the proper tools to do this!
A simple cooking pot/pan, a candy thermometer, and a silicone spatula should work.
(Tools are hyperlinked and not expensive!)


You'll also need a mold, and you can use any mold of your choosing.
If you're using a lollipop mold, it's the same process, but you will need sticks!

Overall though, it's nothing too extreme, this won't be hard to do at all!
And remember, even if you "mess up", you still get a yummy snack out of it!

Now, you will need to gather the following ingradients.
Nothing too extreme or rare, don't worry!

Sugar

Water

Corn Syrup
(You can omit this if you'd like! I've found they
come out just as yummy with or without the corn syrup.)
 

And...

Any Food Color of your Choosing

Any Flavoring of your Choosing

 

See? Very simple stuff! :D
The process of making everything is just as easy, too!

 

Fill your pot with 1 cup of water, 1½ cups of light
corn syrup, and 3¾ cups of white sugar.

At this point, if you have any "inserts", you can place those in the molds!
You can use gum, gummies, sprinkles, Tootsie Rolls, sugar...
...But of course, that step is always optional. :]

 

You will want to turn your stove to [LOW] heat, and stir your
mixture until it is totally dissolved.

Once it's at a nice an cloudy state, you can turn the heat up to
[MEDIUM-HIGH], and stir until clear.

 

Once this mixture begins to simmer, stop stirring and place your
candy thermometer into the pot.

Leave it! Wait until it reaches the "Hard Crack" Stage.
(300°-310°F, or 149°-154°C)

Once it reaches that stage, remove the pot from the heat completely.

 

Here is where you add colors and flavors! Stir it in, until dissolved.

Granted you could do it before heating everything up, but
you could risk burning that stuff out!

It's safer to just do it last, before you pour.

 

Speaking of... Pouring time!
Here, you now want to pour your molten candy into
your molds. Be careful, it's really hot!

Please let it cool in room temperature to avoid cracking.
This won't affect the flavor, of course, but they'll come out prettier whole!

All done!

Your candy should be safe and ready to eat,
after cooling. Enjoy! You deserve it! :D