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This is an American traditional holiday treat.  Entire parties were made from a taffy making experience.  Called Taffy pulls they were an old fashioned sort of party where everyone got a sweet treat.  Taffy was an inexpensive treat at a time when white sugar and many other things were out of reach of the ordinary family.  While its definitely old style,  a taffy pull is one of the most fun things you can do at holiday time.  Bring a little bit of traditional fun back into your holidays and give the kids more than just a new toy that will lose its luster in a few months time.

GIve them the gift of their history, and the history of an entire nation, and let them experience some old fashioned family fun at the same time by making some traditional Salt water taffy.

Wrap the pieces individually in some of that great new colored Saran wrap and give them as gifts in a box of treats to an elderly neighbor or a single friend. Chances are you will bring back some memories for them as well.

It’s a bit messy but it is also a lot of fun.

Saltwater Taffy Recipe
2 C. sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
2 T. butter or margarine
1/4 t. oil of peppermint (or other flavoring)
7 drops of food coloring (optional coloring to match flavoring)
1 C. water
1 1/2 t. salt

Butter the sides of a 2-quart saucepan and add sugar, corn syrup, 1-cup water and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking to 275° F, without stirring. The mixture should boil gently.

Remove from heat and stir in butter or margarine. Add flavoring and food coloring. Pour into a buttered cake pan and cool about 30 minutes, until you can handle it easily. Butter hands and pull candy until it becomes difficult to pull.

Cut into four pieces and pull each piece into a long strand about 1/2 inch thick. With buttered scissors, snip bite-sized pieces and wrap with candy wrapping.

Recipe makes about 1 1/2 pounds of candy.

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