Family Fun: Bring the Carnival Home with Nostalgia Electrics Hard Candy / Sugar Free Cotton Candy Maker Machine

Cotton candy… the ultimate candy for the most demanding palate. Lighter than air, spun from a wish, as sweet as a dream;

When you get right down to it, not much can beat making your own cotton candy, and eating it while it's still hot and fresh. Except, maybe, conning family into making yours while you sit and wait.

On second thought, it's not so much of a con- it's so easy to make, and fascinating to watch, there's plenty of volunteers for the creation process.  As a matter of fact, while I sit here, struggling to write deathless prose from the far reaches of my heart and soul, Monique made me some cotton candy.  Apparently, she knows hard work when she sees it… and can recognize bull when she reads it (and she will read this, she's my quality control manager!)

What can you say about cotton candy?  We grew up with it in our consciousness.  When I was little and the fair came to town, the rides were never my best part.  For me, it was always about the cotton candy and candy apples.  The rides were never that appealing after I'd loaded up on sugary snacks, but there was always room for another cotton candy.

Years later, I lived in a town where the mall theater was right next door to a store that made cotton candy upon request.  I'd head there with my buddy Rob to watch the latest movie (like the original Tron, a technological wonder in it's day) and the first stop was for cotton candy.  I'd order six full-sized bags of cotton candy, then ask Rob if he wanted any.  For some reason, he always declined, but I warned him… those 6 were mine, if Rob wanted any he needed to speak up while he could!

Okay, maybe I had a wee bit of a sweet tooth.  And maybe I still do.  I've always dreamed of having cotton candy whenever the mood struck. 

Until this Christmas, it was merely wishful thinking. As a matter of fact, in the 6 years we've been married, I don't think Monique as ever seen me eat cotton candy. But she's got a lip balm that smells, and tastes, like cotton candy. Every time she uses it, I tease her about it making me hungry for cotton candy. Then again, we recently saw someone on tv eating cotton candy, and it turned me reminiscent. She had to endure my memories several times over.

Cut to Christmas day. I'm opening a gift, and… it's a box of cotton candy sugar! Not sure what to make of it, I look at Monique, who makes a comment about me opening my gifts out of order. Sure enough, a box or two later, here's a Hard Candy / Sugar Free Cotton Candy Maker! At least, that's what the box proclaims.

She bought me enough cotton candy sugar to feed an army… which we did that day, and still had plenty left over… and the cotton candy making machine.  While Christmas is always a magical time and it's great to spend it with family and friends, this machine did something wonderful.  It pulled us all together.  There were those who wanted their turn at making cotton candy, and those of us who were content to just eat it as it was handed out.  Nearly everybody tried it, and the group consensus was that everybody else wanted a cotton candy machine too!

We had a blast.  That poor machine was put to really hard labor, but it worked like a champion and just kept on churning out more cotton candy.  I think I've had at least one serving of fresh cotton candy every day this entire week. 

This particular machine has an option I'd never heard of… you can use standard cotton candy sugar if you really want to, or you can provide your own hard candy instead.  We had some of those hard candies that taste like soft drinks -- root beer, 7-Up -- let me tell you- a seven-up cotton candy tastes surprisingly good!  And as I type, Monique is out front making herself some cotton candy from red-hot fireballs.  I just tried hers, and it was better than I expected.  You really taste the cinnamon, but it's not as hot as the fireball.  Though she just told me, the more of the fireball-flavored cotton candy she eats, the hotter the taste gets.  I think I'll stick to the sweeter flavors.

A huge advantage to using your own hard candy for the source material is that you can choose sugar-free candy.  So if you're trying to be calorie-conscious, you can still have fun with the cotton candy machine.  And since most bags of hard candy have a nutritional information section, you can tell exactly how many calories are going into your cotton candy.  Absolute portion control, and still all the fun and flavor of real, fresh, cotton candy… right here at home!

The model we got comes with everything you need… except the sugar/candy.  So if you get one, be sure to order plenty to get you started.  Monique is pretty smart, she ordered the cotton candy maker kit that comes with enough cones and sugar to make 24 cotton candy cones.  She also ordered of the sugar cartons that are the size and shape of a half-gallon milk carton, filled with the flavor of choice.  I got pink bubble gum and pink vanilla.  The kit came with blue raspberry, which I also like a lot.

The bowl is easy to clean, and is the perfect size for family use. I've noticed, Amazon seems to be cyclic in stocking the cotton candy makers. They had plenty before Christmas, but right now it's hard to find any. Since the refill kits and sugar mixes are kept in stock, I'm hoping that means they'll be restocking as soon as they can. But be prepared- you may have to do a bit of searching to find the model you want. I'll include several choices on this page to get you started, including some professional models. Hey, I can't afford an $800 cotton candy maker… mine only cost $39… but I can still dream, right?

The fun thing is, this is just the tip of the iceberg; after all, there's snow-cone makers… donut-hole makers… ice cream sandwich makers… even pop-up hot dog toasters!  I can see it now… when people come to visit, they'll feel like they're at the carnival!  All we need to do is put a few rides in the front yard, and Monique and I will be in business.