I would like to share a #Holiday I missed sharing with David and Charlie which fell on May 23rd National Taffy Day #NationalTaffyDay. As a child I had Taffy but it isn’t a #candy I much care for. David likes #Taffy a lot.
Before you ask what about Charlie he likes Taffy a little bit. What about you. Do you like Taffy and if so why? What is your favorite flavor of Taffy and why? David and Charlie like Laffy Taffy. What Taffy do you like and why?
On May 23rd, join us as we celebrate everyone’s favorite sweet and chewy treat on National Taffy Day. Did you know Taffy has a long history as one of America’s native sweets? Common lore has it that in the 1880s, a Jersey Shore Candy shop got flooded, soaking the shop’s Taffy stock with Atlantic Salt Water.
On a lark, the owner sold the candy as “Saltwater Taffy” and an American delicacy was born! Today it’s sold on Boardwalks up and down the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. and has even found its way to landlocked Candy Shops. Make sure you don’t miss National Taffy Day which is a #holiday to indulge in the sweet pastime of unwrapping that twisty wax paper and popping a chewy bit of Taffy into your mouth.
National Taffy Day Activities
- If you have the means and the opportunity watching Taffy being made is not to be missed! Most Taffy factories offer guided tours so that you can see how Taffy is heated in huge copper kettles, and then slowly cooled by hand on cold marble slabs and then put on a machine that now does the pulling.
- Gorging on Candy for National Taffy Day might not seem like the best advice, but then again it is the custom for other holidays having a few Taffies is a great way to celebrate!
- The best way to celebrate National Taffy Day is to actually make your own Taffy! Not only is this a fun activity, but it also means that you will have a good supply of Taffy to give out to your friends and family.
Why People Love National Taffy Day
Taffy has survived the test of time because of its unique texture, which comes in almost every flavor imaginable; including Vanilla, Maple, Mint and Watermelon, Raspberry, Banana and Licorice. Or anything else you can think of!
Not only is Taffy a delicious Candy, enjoyed by all ages, but making Taffy is also a real upper body workout! Nowadays Taffy is made by machines, but in the past, or if you are making Taffy at home, you use the ‘Taffy pull’ to add air to the Taffy mixture. This is what gives Taffy its distinctive texture.
People love that tasting Taffy takes Americans back to childhood memories of blissful Summers playing outside for house on end. Taffy is traditionally sold at Boardwalks, Taffy has been a staple of American Seaside resort towns for over one hundred years.
Recipe for Taffy
Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 20 mins
Servings: 40 Yield: 40 pieces
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup corn syrup
1 ½ cups water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange, or other flavored extract
8 drops any color food coloring
Directions
Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla, flavored extract and food coloring. Pour into a greased 8×8 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.
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.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
