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Homemade Salt Water Taffy

Start by mixing 1 cup white sugar and 1 Tablespoon of white corn syrup, 1 Tablespoon butter and 1/2 cup water. Cook over moderate heat until putting a few drops in a dish of cold water, the mixture will form a ball and hold it's own shape (or 254 on a candy thermometer)

Remove from heat and add food coloring and flavoring if you wish. Pour mixture on a buttered platter.Cool until you can easily handle. Butter your hands and start to pull the taffy. Pull it till it becomes light in color. Then pull into a roll, snip off bits and wrap in individual pieces of wax paper.

Here's a recipe for American Taffy.

Peppermint Salt Water Taffy

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tablesp. butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. oil of peppermint
7 drops green food coloring

Combine sugar, syrup, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water in 2 quart saucepan. Cook slowly, stirring constantly, till sugar dissolves.

Cook to hard ball stage (260) without stirring. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into buttered 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch pan.

Cool till comfortable to handle. Butter hands; gather taffy into a ball and pull. When candy is light in color and gets hard to pull, cut in fourths; pull each piece into long strand about 1/2 inch thick. With buttered scissors, quickly snip in bite-size pieces. Wrap each piece in waxed paper. Makes 1 1/4 pounds.

See this Taffy recipe

Cream Candy

Grease a marble slab (or you can use a big platter). Put 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup boiling water and 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan over fire, stir until sugar dissolves, then cook without stirring. If beads form on the sides of the pan, wipe down with a damp cloth.

When a little of the syrup, tested in cold water, will make a hard rubbery ball between the fingers, remove from fire and pour on platter or slab. Take up as soon as syrup can be handled and pull as long as possible. Form to a slender rope on slab and cut into 1 inch pieces with scissors. Flavor while pulling with 1/2 teaspoon of any desired flavor.

Leave uncovered overnight, place in a glass jar with wax paper between the layers, and cover tightly. The next day you're ready for some really delicious melt-in-your-mouth good taste.( Taffy Recipe circa 1900's)

Recipes for Molasses Taffy are here!

Molasses Taffy

2 cups molasses
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter or fat
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cook molasses and vinegar in a saucepan slowly, stirring constantly, until temperature is 270 F or until syrup becomes brittle when tested in cold water. Remove from heat and add butter or fat, salt, and soda. Stir until mixture ceases to foam. Pour into a greased pan. When cool enough to pull, draw the corners to the center. Remove from pan and pull until light in color and firm. Roll into a thin rope. Cut into pieces and wrap in waxed paper.

Molasses Peppermint Taffy

Add 7 drops of oil of peppermint to the candy before you pull the corners to the center and remove from pan. Follow directions above.

Black Walnut or Butternut Molasses Taffy

1 cup nuts, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tarter
4 Tablespoons butter or fat
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon soda

Boil the sugar, molasses, water, vinegar, and Cream of Tartar to the soft crack stage 270 F. Add the fat, salt, and soda and pour into a greased pan. When cool enough to handle, pull until light in color. Add the nuts, and work them into the mass by kneading and pulling. Pull into strips the desired thickness and cut into pieces about 1 inch long with scissors. If desired, wrap each piece in wax paper.

Molasses Butter Taffy

2 cups light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup molasses
7/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Boil first five ingredients until, when tried in cold water mixture will become brittle. When nearly done, add butter, and just before turning into pan, vanilla. Cool, and mark in squares.
Recipe from a 1893 Fannie Farmer Cookbook

Here's another recipe for Molasses Taffy.

Other types of Old Fashioned Taffy!

Ice Cream Candy

3 cups sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 tablespoon vinegar

Boil ingredients together without stirring, until, when tried in cold water, mixture will become brittle. Turn on a well buttered platter to cool. As edges cool, fold towards centre. As soon as it can be handled, pull until white and glossy. While pulling, flavor as desired, using vanilla, orange extract, coffee extract, oil of sassafras, or melted chocolate. Cut in sticks or small pieces.
Recipe from 1893 Fannie Farmers Cookbook

Vinegar Candy

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons butter

Put butter into kettle; when melted, add sugar and vinegar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, afterwards occasionally. Boil until, when tried in cold water, mixture will become brittle. Turn on a buttered platter to cool. Pull, and cut same as Molasses Candy. (above)
Recipe from a 1893 Fannie Farmer Cookbook