VINTAGE SALTWATER TAFFY

Steps:

• 1. Liberally grease a large baking sheet with butter and set aside.
• 2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the corn syrup, water, butter, and salt and stir over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil.
• 3. Cook, without stirring, until the mixture just reaches 250° on a candy thermometer, or until a small piece dropped into a cup of cold water forms a firm, but not sticky, ball. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the flavor, vanilla, and several drops of food coloring.
• 4. Pour the mixture onto the greased cookie sheet and let it cool until you're able to handle it, about 15 minutes.
• 5. Grease your hands with butter, then pull and stretch the taffy until it lightens in color, about 15 minutes total. Form into ropes and cut into pieces with buttered scissors. Wrap the pieces in squares of parchment or wax paper
• 6. How to Pull Taffy Make your taffy Let the taffy stand until it is cool enough throughout to touch with your fingers Wash your hands thoroughly, then butter them. Pick up the taffy with 2 hands. Form the taffy into a ball. Pull your right and left hands away from each other sideways in front of your body. (You will be pulling taffy for quite a while, so find a comfortable position or friends to help). Double the taffy on itself by bringing the ends together on the left side and pulling the middle with your right hand. If you plan on making a lot of taffy, invest in a taffy hook. They are available through online kitchen stores. Install this large metal hook on your wall, clean it, and then hook the taffy around the middle, and pull. Double the taffy on the hook. Pull and repeat. This allows you to pull back and use momentum to help you, making it less exhausting. Regrease your hands with butter as needed throughout the process of pulling.
• 7. Pull the taffy until it is light in color and stiff. This will indicate there are enough air bubbles inside to make it fluffy. Pulling taffy can take 15 to 60 minutes, depending upon the number of people you have pulling and the amount of taffy you are working with.
• 8. Pull hard on 1 end of the taffy so that it is stretched into a thin rope. You may need to take it between your 2 palms and rotate your hands back and forth to keep the round rope shape. Cut the taffy with clean, greased scissors and wrap the taffy in wax paper. Twist together ropes of different colors and flavors to form a striped candy. Cut with greased scissors and wrap in wax paper squares.