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vintage saltwater taffy

(5 ratings)
JODIE57 avatar
Recipe by
JoSele Swopes
@JODIE57
DELTA, CO

When my children were small we used to do Saltwater Taffy Pulls. I would invite the whole neighborhood, we lived on base as we were military and the kids would have an absolute blast. I love Saltwater Taffy. My favorite is peppermint. The kids liked Cherry of course. Just a reminder if you have long hair put it up in a scrunchi, and this is from experience..LOL

(5 ratings)
yield 35 to 40 pieces
prep time 45 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For vintage saltwater taffy

  • 1 1/4 c
    cane sugar
  • 4 tsp
    corn starch
  • 1/2 c
    corn syrup, light (karo)
  • 1/2 c
    water
  • 1 Tbsp
    butter, unsalted (irish organic)
  • plus more for cookie sheet and hands
  • 1/2 tsp
    sea salt
  • 2 tsp
    extract flavor (opt)
  • ( orange, lemon, cherry, maple, etc.)
  • 1/4 tsp
    pure vanilla extract
  • food coloring (opt)

How To Make vintage saltwater taffy

  • 1
    Liberally grease a large baking sheet with butter and set aside.
  • 2
    In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the corn syrup, water, butter, and salt and stir over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil.
  • 3
    Cook, without stirring, until the mixture just reaches 250° on a candy thermometer, or until a small piece dropped into a cup of cold water forms a firm, but not sticky, ball. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the flavor, vanilla, and several drops of food coloring.
  • 4
    Pour the mixture onto the greased cookie sheet and let it cool until you're able to handle it, about 15 minutes.
  • 5
    Grease your hands with butter, then pull and stretch the taffy until it lightens in color, about 15 minutes total. Form into ropes and cut into pieces with buttered scissors. Wrap the pieces in squares of parchment or wax paper
  • 6
    How to Pull Taffy Make your taffy Let the taffy stand until it is cool enough throughout to touch with your fingers Wash your hands thoroughly, then butter them. Pick up the taffy with 2 hands. Form the taffy into a ball. Pull your right and left hands away from each other sideways in front of your body. (You will be pulling taffy for quite a while, so find a comfortable position or friends to help). Double the taffy on itself by bringing the ends together on the left side and pulling the middle with your right hand. If you plan on making a lot of taffy, invest in a taffy hook. They are available through online kitchen stores. Install this large metal hook on your wall, clean it, and then hook the taffy around the middle, and pull. Double the taffy on the hook. Pull and repeat. This allows you to pull back and use momentum to help you, making it less exhausting. Regrease your hands with butter as needed throughout the process of pulling.
  • 7
    Pull the taffy until it is light in color and stiff. This will indicate there are enough air bubbles inside to make it fluffy. Pulling taffy can take 15 to 60 minutes, depending upon the number of people you have pulling and the amount of taffy you are working with.
  • 8
    Pull hard on 1 end of the taffy so that it is stretched into a thin rope. You may need to take it between your 2 palms and rotate your hands back and forth to keep the round rope shape. Cut the taffy with clean, greased scissors and wrap the taffy in wax paper. Twist together ropes of different colors and flavors to form a striped candy. Cut with greased scissors and wrap in wax paper squares.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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