Pastry Chef Attempts To Make Gourmet Twizzlers

If you had to ask someone what this was,

you think they would guess?

This is how they make Twizzlers, guys.

(upbeat music)

(laughing loudly)

Hey, everyone, I'm Claire.

We are in the BA test kitchen

and today we are making gourmet Twizzlers.

(upbeat music)

It's been a minute since I've had a Twizzler,

but I do like them a lot.

Twizzler is licorice.

It's firm, it's a little stretchy,

it has this shiny appearance.

This is the classic.

It comes in these lengths of rope

with this twisted texture on the outside.

But, it does have a flat surface on the bottom.

And also, it's hollow on the inside.

If you, when you were a kid, did what I used to do

which was cut off the two ends and try to drink soda

through the Twizzler as a straw, we know that it's hollow.

I really like these.

It doesn't have a distinct flavor of any

particular fruit, although, I think it is cherry.

This is strawberry?

It does not really taste like strawberry.

I'm gonna taste the black licorice.

This is the original.

It's good.

That intense herbal flavor of the

anise kinda balances out the sugar.

I love how chewy they are.

I love the pull and peel.

I love playing with my food and doing that.

It's so good, I love it.

This one's orange Creamsicle.

This one appears to be filled if you can see that.

I don't particularly like this one.

I think we have to start with the 1.0

version and stick with the classic.

I'm gonna start with attempting red.

Gaby. Yeah.

What is it about the texture that we have to aim for?

I wish it was more together, softer.

Like, it stayed in one piece as you chewed it?

Right. It has to be hollow.

The soda. No.

Don't say that. Yes, yes.

It has to be.

I don't want it to have to be hollow.

It has to be.

It has to have those little crimped pinches at the end.

Yeah, okay. Crucial.

It's gotta be hollow inside.

Everyone keeps saying that.

Well, hello, you're eating pizza, you got a can of Coke.

Oh, you got a Twizzler?

(slurp) You got a straw.

You never did that?

I'm just gonna pretend like no one's

saying hollow, 'cause I don't know about that.

Most important; they have to be hollow.

There's one person, I think, who loves

Twizzlers more than anyone and that's my mom.

Hi, mom.

Wait, oh my (laughing). What's that there?

You're on camera, just so you know (laughing).

I'm gonna try to bring you some

Twizzlers of the homemade variety.

Do you think it has to be hollow?

Okay, good.

That was the answer I was looking for.

(laughing) Okay, I'll talk to you later.

Okay, bye.

First of all, what was she

talking about with that texture?

She's like, it's soft and creamy and melts in your mouth.

Buttery. I was like, are we

talking about the same thing?

Time for my favorite part; reading off the ingredients.

Corn syrup, enriched wheat flour, flour,

niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate,

riboflavin and folic acid, sugar, corn starch.

Contains 2% or less of palm oil, salt, artificial flavor,

mono and diglycerides, citric acid, potassium sorbate,

preservative, artificial color red 40, sulfur dioxide to

maintain freshness, mineral oil, soy lecithin, glycerin.

It's a lot of ingredients.

The internet's always a good resource, so I wanna

go see if there's any recipe videos or any footage

from the Hershey factory of how they're made.

I'm gonna take notes.

[Narrator] The ingredients are wheat, sugar

and corn syrup with red food dye and--

Okay, wheat, there's wheat in it,

which is absolutely fascinating.

I've never known a candy that had flour in it.

That's super interesting.

The sugar mixture and flour and the flavoring,

that's all cooked together initially.

It's extruded and then it's cooked again, or dehydrated.

Twist in every inch, interesting.

I have to first focus on what the flavoring will be.

First I'll start concentrating fruit juice to puree.

I might try a combo of cherry and strawberry.

The shape, we do have a pasta extruder that we bought for

a previous episode and only used once and it kinda failed.

They all got smooshed.

I'm gonna get that out and see if there's a shape

that would even remotely approximate this twist.

I don't have high hopes,

but that's the point where I'm gonna start.

(upbeat music)

I'm going to basically use this tart cherry juice

to cook down some of the strawberries.

I think I'll strain it.

It's good.

I'm gonna try to get away from corn syrup,

so I'm going to use brown rice syrup,

butter, sugar, flour, gel food coloring.

Look at the color.

It's not that far off, right?

It's starting to firm up pretty nicely, so I wanna

make sure to start extruding it before it gets too hard.

But, quick taste.

We got some issues, but I just wanna try extruding it.

(upbeat music)

I made macaroni.

I made macaroni out of licorice.

Texture's not right, flavor's not right.

Nothing, nothing is right.

It just doesn't really have any kind

of noticeable fruit flavor at all.

It's too firm.

I might have too cook it less,

change around the proportions of the ingredients.

We'll meet back here tomorrow

and try a bunch of different variations.

(upbeat music)

One thing I will definitely add today is citric acid,

which I think will really help bring out a lot

of the fruit concentrate that we made yesterday.

I have strawberry and cherry oils.

I'm just gonna add a drop of each.

I do wanna experiment with using

gelatin to achieve that texture.

I think it could work really well.

(upbeat music)

Great.

It's definitely a lot softer

than the texture of the Twizzlers.

I'm ambivalent about the gelatin.

Definitely taste the fruit.

Texture wise it's not there.

Gelatin is not the right texture for Twizzlers, right?

No, it's a lot more firm.

All right, maybe ditch the gelatin

and instead, use corn syrup.

Although it's more processed than brown rice syrup,

I just wanna try it and see what it does for this.

(upbeat music)

Not working, really.

The flour is lumpy, didn't smooth out.

I wanna cook everything together, none of this

adding flour at the end or the gelatin, or anything.

(upbeat music)

Aye yi yi, it's burning.

I'm gonna do the exact same thing and cook

everything together except for the flour.

While I'm waiting for this mixture to cool,

I'm gonna try to pipe these out and kinda see what happens.

Give it a little taste.

It doesn't taste like Twizzlers, but that's not the point.

We're just going-- (laughing) It tastes good.

It really feels like I got nothing

done and made no progress.

This I rolled out by hand, these I piped.

This mixture is quite soft still, so I'm gonna put it

in the dehydrator, just to see what happens overnight.

I'm really curious.

My mom?

She's gonna be really mad if I don't bring her something,

so I better figure it out.

(upbeat music)

We're gonna check on the two batches that I left overnight.

These have, they're still pretty soft.

They are even still softer than these.

Today, I'm gonna really try to dial in the firmness

and also try to work on shape.

(sighing) Here's what I'm thinking,

none of these discs is really the right shape, so maybe

using a pastry tip we can kinda MacGyver our own shape.

This is gonna make me sound like a real nerd.

I used to do a lot of wire jewelry making when I was a kid.

Those skills are really gonna come in handy.

(upbeat music)

Let's try it.

Oh.

Oo, ah, oh no!

Wait, stop.

Okay, I busted through the opening.

I'm just comforted to know that this whole sequence is gonna

be 20 seconds long in this video, because I would be bored.

(upbeat music)

Brad would not approve.

Brad would be like, Claire, what are you doing (laughing)?

Mm, I love jasmine tea.

Oo la la.

Do you think they changed it, because this doesn't work.

Twizzlers used to be straws when I was a kid.

The opening is closed.

Doesn't make any sense.

Time to go cook that mixture again.

Okay, this time around, maybe just trying the extra flour.

Let's try it.

Ah, oo, oo.

Look, mom.

Look, mom.

Ah, ah, ah!

I gotta figure out a better system

than what is happening now.

The color, obviously, from all that added flour

is not where it needs to be, so I have to

add back in that red food coloring, I think.

A lot chewier.

I tried to drink my iced tea out of one as a straw

and I think they changed the formula because--

It doesn't work?

One side is totally closed.

Anyway, here, try one of these little nubs.

They're too floury tasting.

Oh, sorry.

Our director keeps telling me that I just tell people

what they should think when they try something,

instead of letting them form their own opinion.

It has that little chalkiness to it, the floury, chalky.

The flavor just seems a tiny bit dull.

I want more fruit punch to it. More of the extract?

Not fruit punch, but a fruit punch.

That kinda punch.

I'll consider it.

I'm so sorry, Claire.

It needs to be firmer.

It's not quite there yet.

I think what I have to do to achieve a firmer texture

is cook the sugar a little bit hotter.

Cook the flour more, keep it over the heat to

try to get rid of some of that starchiness.

(upbeat music)

We're gonna go for it.

If we've gone this far, we might as well go,

what is it, take it into the end zone?

I called an audible.

These are all the things Brad has taught me.

We're gonna try to extrude.

Give me the Pam, give me the Pam, give me the Pam.

Pam, Pam, Pam.

Oo, oh my god.

Kevin, why didn't you say it was happening?

They're looking good.

They're still too soft, unfortunately.

That flat side right there is kinda similar to what

happens to the Twizzlers coming off the conveyor belt.

It doesn't spring back the way the Twizzlers do.

It's a lot chewier, so I'm happy about that.

I just have to cook the sugar hotter.

We made some progress today.

I feel good about that.

Hopefully, we'll nail it on Monday.

Have a good weekend.

Yeah (laughing). See you in five seconds.

(upbeat music)

Yay!

I'm really reinvesting in this project and

doubling down, 'cause now we have a glue gun.

Here's what's happening.

This is the piece that comes straight out of the extruder.

I was going to try to hot glue a skewer right down

into that notch, feed through the end of that nozzle tip,

so that whatever is extruded has a hollow center.

But, I think I'll also have to create a bar

going across this place too, to kinda stabilize

the center, so that it's not off to one side.

(sighing loudly)

(upbeat music)

I can't believe that this is gonna be a video.

People will care about this whole thing, really?

There has to be a better way to do this.

Oh, I like this rigging you've got going on.

Are you making a little drill auger

to drill out the hollowness?

What?

What?

I'm sorry, we're gonna use lay person terms.

Hot glue the skewer to the turning piece.

And then, I made my own dye.

(video fast forwarding)

See this piece?

I cut into it. Drill it.

[Claire] This is too big.

[Brad] And then put this thinner one through it?

Yeah. Claire, brilliant.

Where is it gonna, it can't--

First of all, we gotta drill that.

That's no bueno.

Look at all the splits.

You're gonna have dough coming through that.

Why don't we drill a hole?

The power of Christ compels you (laughing).

We're really pushing it on this bamboo.

Getting very brittle and fibrous.

With a little bit of pressure

through that extruding machine.

Are you paying attention?

(laughing) Hold on, I'm trying to order lunch.

Can you drill through metal?

Yeah, what kinda metal?

Let's use a metal skewer.

(drill whirring)

Don't drill through your finger.

(upbeat music)

All right, this is fun.

Oh, on your finger.

Oh, meow.

That don't look bad, Claire.

Should I try it?

(bleep) A.

All right, come back in five minutes.

Great, I'll be floating around.

(upbeat music)

Hey, Brad.

You wanna be around for this?

Oo, it's coming, it's coming, it's coming.

Okay, ready (laughing)?

Oo, it's looking kinda hollow, Claire.

Wait, Brad, oh, careful, careful.

Everything's fine.

Relax, I'm a professional.

Okay, snip, snip and then lay it down.

Careful, careful.

[Brad] Snip.

You're doing a really good job.

No, what are you doing?

I don't even have enough for one.

All right, we have to immediately soak this,

because the sugar is gonna harden.

(laughing) What are you?

Don't try it yet. It's not ready.

It's not ready. No, it's not ready, god.

Claire, this warm one. Yeah?

Brad, don't touch it (laughing).

Here is my only concern.

What are your concerns? Because it's warm coming out

I think the hole is gonna close.

It's gonna seal up.

But, I'm not that worried about that,

because the Twizzler isn't, like, look at the Twizzler.

Well, don't look at that end, but

one of the ends is sealed. I know what it looks like.

Brad, do you wanna see this part?

[Brad] No. Did you say no?

Not bad. Thanks.

Even got the nice, little braided ridges.

Pretty good.

Claire, you're brilliant.

]Claire] Thanks, Brad, thank you.

Do you have any idea how much that means to me?

Yes. This is day four of this.

(both laughing)

It already is so much chewier

than the last time, less starchy.

Yeah, I'm happier, already, with the texture.

It's getting pretty Twizzlery.

Yeah.

[Brad] If you can get that texture firmed up

and it has a little bit of that bounce to it,

a little bit of chew snap. That waxiness.

[Brad] I think you did pretty damn close there, Claire.

Great, I'm gonna make one more batch

and let these chill in the fridge and we're

gonna come back and check in, let's say, in an hour.

(upbeat music)

This video process.

I needed this.

Oh, look at this.

Do you wanna try one of the homemade Twizzlers?

It's a little limp (laughing).

It's a little soft.

I feel like the other batch was better.

It's fruity.

This feels wrong.

No?

Are you sure these are the right ones?

Should we go down and check out some others?

Those look good. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

These are better.

Try that, try that.

But still, not that chewy, right?

Chewy, but there's still no hole.

Okay, well, all right, they're never gonna be hollow.

The flavor is amazing. Thank you.

The flavor of these is red.

Yeah. Because, it's kind of a mix.

The texture's great, too.

Thank you, it has a nice chew.

And then, the ridges, did you get out a spaghetti machine?

A pasta machine? Oh, Carla, Oh, Carla.

Was that the hot glue gun?

That was involved.

So, anyway.

Red, chewy, delicious, wrap.

Yeah.

I didn't quite nail this one the way I nailed Oreos,

but I learned a lot along the way

and had a lot of fun with the hot glue gun.

This one's a wrap.

It's okay, four days is our cutoff, says me.

(upbeat music)

Here's how you make a gourmet Twizzler, sort of.

Cook down two cups unsweetened 100% cherry juice

and one pound fresh, hulled, halved strawberries in

a large saucepan until reduced to one cup of liquid.

Strain and let fruit concentrate cool.

Sift 100 grams bread flour into a medium bowl, set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine 100 grams sugar,

50 grams corn syrup, a quarter teaspoon each natural cherry

and strawberry extracts and 100 grams fruit concentrate.

Cook mixture over medium-high heat,

stirring to dissolve sugar.

Bring to a boil and clip a candy

thermometer to the side of the pot.

Cook to 240 fahrenheit,

brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush.

Immediately add flour, two tablespoons water

and a quarter teaspoon red gel food coloring

and whisk vigorously over medium heat

until mixture is thick and glossy.

Transfer to a greased surface and let cool until

mixture is firm to the touch and holds its shape.

Extrude through the pasta attachment of a KitchenAid

sprayed with non-stick cooking oil

and fitted with a custom dye and auger.

Use a hot glue gun at some point.

Try to make them hollow, but it might not work.

Trim to six-inch lengths and place in rows

on a rimmed baking sheet lined with greased parchment paper.

Twist Twizzlers, lengthening ropes,

then trim edges with a bench scraper.

Let sit at room temperature until set.

I'm going home on Friday.

I have to bring one to my mom.

She's gonna be like, this is garbage.

She's gonna be like, this does not taste like a Twizzler.

You failed me.

I'm sorry, mom.