Ingredients:
• 1 Ginger Root
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 11/2 C Water
• 11/2 C Sugar
• 1/2 C Honey
• 2 T Lemon Juice
• 1/2 t Lemon zest
• 1/4 C Powdered Slippery Elm Root or Powdered Sugar (for dusting)
• 1/8 C ground Slippery Elm Root (optional)
• 1/8 C ground Horehound (optional)
• 3 T ground Willow Bark (optional)
• 1/2 t Horehound Flavoring (optional)
Directions:
- Start by peeling the ginger with a paring knife or vegetable peeler then cut the ginger into very thin slices using a paring knife.
- Use a micro plane to get at least 1/2 t of lemon zest
- Squeeze the lemon to get 1 t of lemon juice.
Note: Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and is commonly used in cough remedies as an effective antihistamine and chest decongestant. - Place the ginger slices, a cinnamon stick, and 1 1/2 cups of water into a saucepan. Bring this to a boil over high heat. (Place the Slippery Elm, Horehound and Willow Bark into the pot also if it is being used)
- Reduce heat and simmer the mixture for at least 10 minutes (longer will make the cough drops stronger).
- Strain the liquid to remove the cinnamon stick, ginger and any Slippery Elm, Horehound and Willow Bark if they are used.
- 1 1/2 C of sugar and 1/2 C honey. Bring this mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Note: Honey has been studied in clinical trials. It has been proven to be as effective as cough syrup in suppressing coughs
- Return pot to low heat and place a candy thermometer into the mixture in the saucepan and stop stirring
- Closely monitor the temperature gently stirring occasionally until the temperature of the liquid reaches 305 F
Note: The temperatures tends to rise quickly after the mixtures reaches 270 F. - Add lemon zest, lemon juice and Horehound Flavoring to the hot liquid and stir.
- To make the actual cough drops you have several options
- Use a small candy mold – Grease candy your candy mold and pour the hot mixture into the molds. Let cool for 1 hour, place in freeze for 15 minutes, then then remove the cough drops from the mold
- Use a cookie sheet with wax paper of non-stick aluminum foils and pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet. Pour it thin. When the mixture begins to set up in about 15 minutes take a pizza cutter or knife and score the mixture to make small “cough drop squares”
- Use a spoon to drip the mixture onto wax paper or non-stick aluminum foil. Do this quickly since the mixture will tend to start solidifying fairly fast.
- Put the cough drops in a lidded jar with 1/4 C of Powdered Slippery Elm Root or Powdered sugar, or dust them individually to prevent the individual cough drops from sticking together.
adapted from www.wikihow.com