Salt Water Taffy

Name: Salt Water Taffy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cup Sugar; 1 cup Corn syrup; 2 tbsp Cornstarch; 1 tsp Salt; 2 tbsp Butter; 0.75 cup Water; 1 tsp flavoring oil; food coloring

Chewy, hand-pulled candy in bright fruit and vanilla flavors, an Atlantic City boardwalk tradition since the late 1800s.

🇺🇸United States· New Jersey

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 50 min
Servings: 12
Difficulty: Hard
Calories: 90 kcal

Equipment

•Candy thermometer
•Heavy saucepan
•Marble slab or buttered baking sheet

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 90 kcal
fat: 1
carbs: 22
protein: 0
calories: 90

Instructions

1
Spread plenty of butter over a marble slab or large sheet pan.
2
Put the sugar, corn syrup, cornstarch, salt, butter, and water into a heavy saucepan.
3
Cook over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring and attach a candy thermometer.
4
Let it boil without stirring until the mixture reaches 265°F, the hard-ball stage.
5
Pour the hot syrup onto the buttered slab. Drizzle the flavoring oil and food coloring over it.
6
Let it cool until safe to touch. Fold the edges toward the center repeatedly to mix in the flavor.
7
Butter your hands once it is cool enough to hold. Pull the candy repeatedly until it lightens in color and turns satiny.
8
Stretch the candy into a long rope. Cut it into bite-sized pieces with scissors and wrap each in wax paper.

Chef's tips

Cook the syrup to exactly 265°F (hard-ball stage) using a candy thermometer for the right chew. Pull the taffy until it turns cloudy and satiny to trap air and lighten the texture.

Storage

Wrap individually in wax paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.

Reheating

Not applicable; taffy is a shelf-stable candy.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Missing the exact target temperature, which leaves the candy too soft or too hard
•Trying to pull the candy before it cools down enough to handle safely