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If you are looking for a fantastic activity for kids, youth groups, family reunions or just to pass some time on a lazy summer day or Sunday afternoon, give this fun Pioneer Taffy a try.
The taffy takes between 35-40 minutes to cook. It needs to cool for about 10 minutes, and then you are ready for a fun taffy pull.
Everyone in your family can have their own piece to pull.
Let the good times roll!
These are my cute nieces that helped me pull taffy this past weekend. We had a great time!
Let me show you how to make it happen!
1. Place all ingredients but the vanilla and butter into a heavy sauce pan. You can find glycerin at most pharmacies. It is a very important ingredient. The taffy will not turn out well with out it.
2. Bring your taffy to a boil over medium high heat. Let it keep on a boiling until your candy thermometer reaches 258 degrees. This should take about 35-40 minutes.
3. I like to check the temperature of the taffy by dipping a spoon into the pan and then running cold water from the tap over the top of it. See how the taffy is kind of stiff looking…that means it is ready to go. If you cook it much past this stage you it will be really hard when you pull it. If you under cook it…you may have a sticky mess. This water trick really helps. However, you can rely on your candy thermometer as well.
4. When your taffy is cooked take it off the heat and pour in your vanilla.
5. Add your butter to the pot and give the bubbling beauty a good round of stirring. Stir until the butter is all melted.
6. Butter a large cookie sheet.
7. Pour the taffy onto the sheet.
8. Let the taffy cool for about 5 minutes, or until it is cool enough to handle. The edges will start to set up a bit faster than the middle.
9. Pinch the taffy into 12 separate pieces.
10. When the taffy is cool enough to pick up, hand out a piece to each lucky participant. Then you can start to pull the taffy. The trick is the stretch it out……
…..and then fold it back together. Stretch and fold, stretch and fold…..
……until your taffy turns a beautiful white color. Or if some of your pullers are 3 years old, until they get tired of pulling. It still tastes mighty good, even if you don’t pull it long enough for it to turn white.
11. Stretch the taffy into a long rope shape and set on a piece of wax paper. You can break the taffy into pieces by holding it in the palm of your hand and tapping it with the handle of a butter knife (thanks for the tip, Grandma Barb!)
This is a shot of my kids and their cousins, and my own Grandma Barb, taken about 12 years ago. We’ve had a lot a great times, pulling this taffy. Hope some of you get a chance to try it and that you love the time spent together as much as we have over the years. 🙂
Ingredients
- 2 C sugar
- 1 1/2 C water
- 1 C white corn syrup
- 1 t salt
- 2 t glycerin (found at the pharmacy)
- 1 t vanilla
- 2 T butter
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients but the vanilla and butter into a heavy sauce pan. You can find glycerin at most pharmacies. It is a very important ingredient. The taffy will not turn out well with out it.
2. Bring your taffy to a boil over medium high heat. Let it keep on a boiling until your candy thermometer reaches 258 degrees. This should take about 35-40 minutes.
3. I like to check the temperature of the taffy by dipping a spoon into the pan and then running cold water from the tap over the top of it. See how the taffy is kind of stiff looking...that means it is ready to go. If you cook it much past this stage you it will be really hard when you pull it. If you under cook it...you may have a sticky mess. This water trick really helps. However, you can rely on your candy thermometer as well.
4. When your taffy is cooked take it off the heat and pour in your vanilla.
5. Add your butter to the pot and give the bubbling beauty a good round of stirring. Stir until the butter is all melted.
6. Butter a large cookie sheet.
7. Pour the taffy onto the sheet.
8. Let the taffy cool for about 5 minutes, or until it is cool enough to handle. The edges will start to set up a bit faster than the middle.
9. Pinch the taffy into 12 separate pieces.
10. When the taffy is cool enough to pick up, hand out a piece to each lucky participant. Then you can start to pull the taffy. The trick is the stretch and then fold it back together. Stretch and fold, stretch and fold until your taffy turns a beautiful white color. Or if some of your pullers are 3 years old, until they get tired of pulling. It still tastes mighty good, even if you don't pull it long enough for it to turn white.
11. Stretch the taffy into a long rope shape and set on a piece of wax paper. You can break the taffy into pieces by holding it in the palm of your hand and tapping it with the handle of a butter knife (thanks for the tip, Grandma Barb!)
What a fun family project! Thanks for sharing! I love your blog!
Great step by step photos on how to make taffy. Looks like so much fun stretching it.
Hahaha!! That looks like tons of fun for everyone! I especially love the first picture with the taffy as a heart. Great job and thanks for sharing! I'll have to bookmark this to make with Little Butt someday.
!!!!!Love your Blog!!!!!
Have you tried making different flavors?
i might not have started on any of your marvelous creation but i certainly do enjoy reading the recipes.
i love the attractive pictures and i have loads of fun just by running through your blog every day. thank you so much for sharing,Jamie!!
god bless, Have a nice day!
This looks super fun! I am excited to try it out!
I'm getting the Glycerin while my daughter is at VBS tomorrow and I'm going to surprise her with this recipe. She has Severe food allergies and All taffy we have ever found says may contain Nuts. So I can't wait to surprise her tomorrow!
Anonymous,
I have tried using cinnamon candy flavoring instead of the vanilla. It was great as well.
~Jamie
My mom used to make this for us when I was a kid and we loved pulling and pulling it. I had all but forgotten her taffy! thanks for the reminder and the recipe. My mom probably wouldn't be able to find it if I asked. :0)…LOL!
Mine turned out a sticky mess. I don't know what I did wrong….I tried the spoon trick and I was at 260. Oh well, maybe next time. I love your blog
It wasn’t cooked enough.