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Walking through a candy shop will usually bring you into a whole world of possibilities, and you'll be surrounded by colour and an incredible amount of sugar. As much as we love chocolate, it can be difficult to eat it during the summer months without it melting! While biscuits are delicious, they can become soggy while at the beach or pool. So, where do we go for our sugar fix this summer?! Don't worry, we've got you covered. Salt, water, and taffy.
These lusciously sweet, chewy treats are bursting with fruit candy flavour. Because of the unique aerating process used to make salt water taffy, they're incredibly light and soft, making them the ideal summer treat. Homemade salt water taffy is fun to make and a nostalgic treat.
Aside from being delicious, salt water taffy is a type of soft taffy that was invented in the nineteenth century, in New Jersey. There are many stories behind how this delicious treat got its name. The most popular explanation for the name is that of David Bradley, a candy store owner whose shop was flooded during a major storm in 1883. His entire supply of taffy had been soaked in salty Atlantic Ocean water. Soon after, a young girl entered his shop and inquired whether he sold taffy. Mr. Bradley offered her some "salt water taffy" jokingly. The girl bought the candy after sampling a piece and proudly walked down to the beach to show her friends. Bradley's mother overheard the entire conversation from the back of the store. She had a thing for the name "saltwater taffy," so that's what it was called from then on.
The process of making salt water taffy is fascinating. Sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup, glycerine, water, butter, and salt will be pulled and stretched by confectioners. The mixture is stretched and folded over itself, forming tiny air bubbles that give taffy its distinctive fluffy texture. Though the process is now automated, pulling taffy was a community event in the nineteenth century. Taffy pulling parties were a great way to celebrate birthdays, graduations, and other special occasions!
Ingredients
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
4 tablespoons butter or solid vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
2-4 teaspoons of your flavour of choice
2-4 drops of gel food colouring(s)
Method:
. Initially, combine sugar and cornstarch in a sizeable pot or extremely large saucepan. Extra room in the pan is required for the boil to bubble. Add the other ingredients after that, excluding the flavour and colouring.
. Stirring constantly, the mixture is brought to a boil for three minutes. Be careful because the mixture may initially bubble and rise swiftly.
. Reduce the heat to medium-high or low. A candy thermometer should be fastened to the side so that the probe end is halfway submerged in the syrup. Boil the mixture until it reaches a temperature between 242° (high altitude) and 252°. (sea level).
. Remove the boiled syrup from the fire when it reaches the proper temperature, and then pour it onto a greased pan or sheet that is placed on heat pads to cool. If you want to make different colours or flavours, use different pans. Combine flavours (s).
. Let mixture cool until it is convenient to handle. To handle it a little bit quicker, you can put on lubricated gloves. Gel colourings may now be added if desired before you start the pull procedure. To make the candy shiny, opaque, and challenging to break apart, repeatedly draw the mass apart and fold it before pulling it apart and folding it again.
. Cut into bite-sized pieces after rolling. Enjoy! Extras should be stored in airtight containers or wrapped with wax paper.
Salt water taffy, which comes in a large range of mouthwatering flavours and is individually wrapped in tiny wax paper wrappers, is the ideal sweet summertime delight. It's soft and chewy, making it the ideal portable sweet to take on summer adventures.
