Patent ID: 8790739

Claim:
A method for preparing a dried soft aerated confectionery food product, comprising the steps of: A. providing a liquid confection blend including: a saccharide component; a foaming ingredient; a structuring agent; a softening agent; and, about 10 to 25% moisture; B. aerating the liquid confection blend to form an aerated confection plastic foam having a density of about 0.1 to 0.5/cc and a temperature of about 30 to 85° C. (about 90 to 180° F.) to form a foam; C. extruding the aerated foam at a temperature of about 30 to 85° C. (about 90 to 180° F.) to form a plastic aerated confection extrudate; D. cooling the extrudate to set the confection to form a set aerated confection extrudate; E. forming the set aerated confection extrudate into pieces; and F. drying the pieces to a water activity value ranging from about 0.1-0.4 to provide dried soft aerated confection pieces having a density of about 0.1-0.35 g/cc to form a soft dried aerated confection including about 50 to 95% (dry weight basis) of the saccharide component; about 0.05 to 15% (dry weight basis) of the foaming ingredient; about 0.5 to 20% (dry weight basis) of the structuring agent; about 5 to 25% (dry weight basis) of the softening agent; and about 1 to 10% moisture.