No special equipment or fancy molds are needed for these gorgeous jewels—just a little patience and steady hand to pour out the hot sugar syrup. Wrap the lollipops individually in large, clear lollipop bags and seal with a silver twist-tie or a piece of ribbon. Affix them individually to the bows of your holiday presents or hang them on your tree and offer them to guests as they leave.

Makes 24 lollipops

ACTIVE TIME: 10 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 1/2 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
24 cinnamon sticks, preferably 4 inches or longer

1. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; place in the refrigerator until chilled, about 30 minutes.
2. Stir sugar, corn syrup, water and cream of tartar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, wiping down the sides of the pan occasionally with a wet pastry brush to remove any crystals, about 5 minutes.
3. Once the mixture reaches a full boil, cook, undisturbed, until very light amber, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a second deep saucepan, preferably one with a pouring lip; set aside just until the mixture stops boiling and is thickened somewhat (it will continue to darken), about 2 minutes.
4. Make 24 lollipops by pouring 1 1/2-inch circles onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. (Give yourself a few practice attempts—you have plenty of extra syrup for experimenting.) Press a cinnamon stick into each circle to form the lollipop stick. Use a spoon to drizzle the remaining sugar syrup (be careful: it's very hot) over each lollipop, thereby affixing the sticks and creating a sandwich of hardened sugar that holds the stick in place—do not let the circumference expand beyond its original boundary. (You won't use all the sugar; some will harden in the pan before you pour it out.) Let cool for about 20 minutes, then break off any shards of hardened sugar and seal the lollipops in individual bags.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per lollipop: 85 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 22 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 8 mg sodium; 6 mg potassium.

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings

TIP: A couple of sources for lollipop bags and cellophane bags are Kitchen Krafts, kitchenkrafts.com, (800) 776-0575, and New York Cake and Baking Distributors, nycake.com, (800) 942-2539.

You can find the longer cinnamon sticks in natural-foods stores and from The Great American Spice Company, americanspice.com.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store lollipops in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

We made these especially because my 2 year old has severe food allergies. We all enjoyed them - they were easy to make (my 3 year old "helped") and pour - you just have to make sure the parchment paper is flat (I think next time I'll cut the parchment to fit inside the cookie sheet). They were fun to make and fun to eat!

Anonymous, CT

I made these many times (with maple syrup instead of corn syrup)... beautiful, easy and free of anything artificial. I made them on lollipop sticks for my son's birthday. However, the last time I tried to make them for some reason it didn't work. They never hardened--just remained pale and chewy. When I tried again I cooked them longer on the stove and the sugar just crystallized. The only reason I can think of is maybe the humidity level was too high. Any suggestions?????

chava