Molasses Taffy Recipes

MOLASSES PULL TAFFY

Steps:

• In a heavy bottomed pot, combine molasses, sugar, vinegar and water. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, until mixture reaches 255 F (or when a small amount dropped in cold water turns hard).
• Remove from heat and add butter, cream of tartar and baking soda. Pour onto a buttered, sided cookie sheet.
• When cool enough to handle, pull pieces of taffy until light in color. (Butter hands before pulling).
• Twist and cut into 1" pieces. Wrap in parchment paper.

PULLED MOLASSES TAFFY

Steps:

• Butter a 15x10x1-in. pan with 3 teaspoons butter; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, combine the water, brown sugar, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 245° (firm-ball stage), stirring occasionally. Add molasses and remaining butter. Cook, uncovered until a candy thermometer reads 260° (hard-ball stage), stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; pour into prepared pan. Cool for 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle., With buttered fingers, quickly pull half of the candy until firm but pliable. Pull and shape into a 1/2-in. rope. Cut into 1-1/4-in. pieces. Repeat with remaining taffy. Wrap pieces individually in foil or waxed paper; twist ends. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

MOLASSES TAFFY

Steps:

• Butter a 15x10x1-in. pan with 3 tablespoons butter; set aside. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the molasses, sugar and water to a boil. cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 245° (firm-ball stage), stirring occasionally., Add the vanilla, baking soda and remaining butter. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until the thermometer reads 260° (hard-ball stage), stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; pour into prepared pan. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle., With buttered fingers, quickly pull half of the taffy until firm but pliable. Pull and shape into a 1/2-in. rope; cut into 1-1/4-in. pieces. Repeat with remaining taffy. Wrap each piece in foil, colored candy wrappers or waxed paper.

OLD-VICTORIAN MOLASSES TAFFY

Steps:

• 1. Butter the sides of a heavy 3-qt saucepan..In the pan combine sugar, molasses, water, butter, and corn syrup...Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly so as not to scorch the ingredients...till sugar is dissolved...
• 2. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat, to 265* (candy thermometer)Hard Ball Stage in a cold glass of water...with out stirring now, mixture should boil gently over entire surface(not rolling boil)Pour onto buttered platter or shallow baking pan (cookie sheet)...
• 3. Cool 15 to 20 minutes or till easy to handle...(this where the kids come in) Butter your hands lightly and pull candy till light in color and difficult to pull...
• 4. On a counter top rub and twist candy into ropes, 1/2 inch in diameter... With buttered scissors, cut candy into bite size pieces...Wrap each piece in wax paper and twist or you can use clear plastic wrap...
• 5. Makes 1 1/2 pounds of candy....You may add flavors to it or food coloring to it before cooking....

POP'S MOLASSES POPCORN BALLS AND TAFFY

Steps:

• Place popcorn in a large bowl, with room for mixing. Fill another bowl with ice water. Butter several plates, one per each person who will be pulling taffy.
• Combine sugar, corn syrup, molasses, water, butter, and salt in a large 6-quart saucepan over medium heat; attach a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Tip the pan slightly to melt the sugar crystals on the sides, scraping down with a wooden spoon. Heat until the mixture registers 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 155 degrees C) on the thermometer or until a small amount of syrup drizzled into cold water turns hard, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Pour about 1 cup syrup onto each buttered plate. Let cool until safe to handle like a hot potato, 3 to 5 minutes. Pull syrup between your hands until a light golden brown color is achieved; the longer you pull it, the lighter it becomes. Twist into a long rope about 3/4-inch thick and place on back on a buttered plate to let taffy harden and cool. Break the hardened taffy apart.
• Pour the remaining hot syrup carefully over popcorn, while someone else quickly stirs the batch. Butter your hands and dip them in the ice water; working quickly to avoid burns and before taffy hardens, grab some of the popcorn mixture and form into a 3-inch ball. Repeat with the remaining popcorn.

OLD-FASHIONED MOLASSES TAFFY

Steps:

• 1. Mix together all ingredients except baking soda. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, without stirring further. When mixture reaches the hard ball stage (265 degrees - when a small piece dropped into cold water forms a hard ball). Remove from heat, stir in soda and pour into buttered baking pan.
• 2. Butter hands and keep hands buttered throughout the pulling process. When taffy is cool enough to handle (but not too cool!)Careful now since even though it is cooled enough to handle it can still bring up blisters, cut in long pieces and pull and fold with a partner until candy becomes satiny, stiff and light in color (about 10 to 15 minutes). Finished strips should be pulled to about 1/2 inch wide. Cut in lengths of 1 12 inches and wrap individual pieces in waxed paper.

MOLASSES TAFFY

Steps:

• Place the molasses in a heavy aluminum saucepan or unlined copper saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Boil until the molasses reaches the hard-ball stage on a candy thermometer (250 to 266 degrees.) Remove it from the stove and add the butter and vanilla, stirring to mix them in. Pour the candy out onto a well greased piece of confectioner's marble or a well-greased heavy platter or baking sheet and allow it to stand until the candy begins to get hard around the edges. Moisten your hands with ice water. Take a 1/2 cup size ball of taffy into both hands and pull it back and forth until the taffy changes color and becomes golden. When the taffy begins to harden, twist it or braid it into sticks, tie it into knots, or shape it as desired.

MOLASSES CANDY (OLE' FASHIONED PULL TAFFY)

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, over medium heat, cook all ingredients stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.
• Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, to the hard ball stage, about 260°F on candy thermometer (or a small amount of mixture dropped into cold water forms a hard ball).
• Pour mixture into a buttered shallow pan and allow to cool.
• When cool enough to handle, rub butter on hands and pull the candy (small portions at a time) until light golden in color and candy has a satin-like finish.
• Pull into long strips 3/4 inch in diameter and cut into 1 inch pieces with a scissors.
• When completely cooled, wrap each piece in waxed paper, twist waxed paper closed at each end.

OLD FASHIONED MOLASSES TAFFY

Steps:

• Cook sugars, molasses and water together until brittle over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Remove from heat, add butter, soda and salt, stirring just enough to mix. Pour into large greased pan and allow to stand until cool enough to handle. Butter fingers and pull until firm and light yellow. Stretch into a rope, twist and cut into 1" lengths.

GRANDMA'S TAFFY

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the butter, salt, corn syrup and water; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to mix in butter. Heat to 275 degrees F (134 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped from a spoon forms hard but pliable threads.
• Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla, flavored extract and food coloring. Pour into a greased 8x8 inch baking dish. When cooled enough to handle, remove candy from the pan, and pull until it loses its shine and becomes stiff. Pull into ropes, and use scissors to cut into 1 inch pieces. Wrap each piece in waxed paper.