Yummy Saltwater Taffy Recipe

Growing up we always made a plate of goodies for our friends and neighbors. If you are looking for a more personal gift or a fun recipe to try with your kids, this is it! It was a lot of fun to make and I loved learning the science behind it. Last year my mom and I tried out this amazing Saltwater Taffy Recipe, thinking we would add these to her plates. The taffy was a hit and everyone loved it. Although, I would like to warn you that it is a lot of work, so just consider that if you want to hand out a lot of it. But, it is definitely a fun memory maker!

What You Need:

Large Saucepan (3- to 4-quart)
Wooden Spoon
Candy Thermometer
Waxed Paper or Plastic Wrap
Marble/Granite Slab or Cookie Sheet
Greased Scissors or Butter Knife (Keep lots of Crisco like grease handy)

Recipe

2 Cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
2 Teaspoons Glycerin (optional) – (We didn’t use this)
3/4 Cup Water
2 tablespoons butter
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 to 1 Teaspoon Flavoring (such as vanilla, lemon, maple, or mint)
3 Drops Food Coloring (optional) (We used peppermint. Yum!)
1/8 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Directions:

This is a rough summary. I would love to write out the directions here, but The Accidental Scientist ~ The Science of Cooking has awesome directions that explains the science behind this Saltwater Taffy Recipe. You will find out cool things like why you want to use cornstarch or corn syrup. And make sure you look at the “What else can I try?” section near the bottom to find out some other cool tips, like what adding baking soda to the the recipe will do. (p.s. I love adding baking soda!)

Step 1: After following instructions on the Recipe and heating/mixing the ingredients together. You need to pour it out on to a very greased slab of granite or a cookie sheet. Use the wooden spoon to stir it until it is cool enough to touch and you can pull it by hand (make sure you grease your hands well before touching). (The first time I did this, we did not start mixing it right away and it hardened way to much for us to mix by hand.)

Step 2: We did not use any food coloring, so this is what it looked like after we pulled it to our desired texture/taffiness. (We like it soft!)

Step 3: Roll taffy into a 1/2 inch rope and cut into 1/2 – 1 inch long pieces with greased scissors. If you are working with two flavors/colors, you can twist them together to get a cool swirl look.