How to Make Salt Water Taffy Recipe 

Have you ever learned how to make a salt water taffy recipe. Do you remember this candy from Stuckey’s. There are not many of these stores left any more. Every time someone in the family took a vacation they would bring back some taffy.

How to Make Salt Water Taffy RecipeHow to Make Salt Water Taffy Recipe

The problem for me is that I only liked the vanilla taffy so I started making my own. It is so much better!! When I had my children I always made a vanilla salt water taffy for Christmas.


When I learned how to make a salt water taffy recipe, I wanted to find a difference in this recipe from regular taffy. Although we call some “salt water taffy recipes”, there is really no big difference than those recipes by the simple name of “taffy”. The only “little” difference that I have seen is most “salt water” title recipes contain a small amount of cornstarch. There is no “salt water” in these recipes, as one might think. Instead the name coming from the ingredients, this name was given to a taffy recipe which originated along the Atlantic City Boardwalk area; the saltwater coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.


When learning how to make taffy, the higher the temperature to which a taffy is cooked, the harder it is. With the addition of butter or fat, it is less likely to stick to your teeth when eaten. You can handle and knead a taffy mixture into a mass desirable for pulling adding color and flavoring while doing so. If taffy is too sticky to handle dust hands with powdered sugar or rub butter on hands and work slowly until cool enough to handle. If taffy becomes too hard it can be held over heat to soften. During the pulling you will see a change in lightening in the color and the texture will become more elastic and glossy.

HOW TO MAKE SALT WATER TAFFY RECIPE

Vanilla Salt Water Taffy RecipeVanilla Salt Water Taffy Recipe
  • ¾ Cup light corn syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 2/3 Cup water
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Teaspoons vanilla

Combine the corn syrup, water, sugar, cornstarch, butter and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 266F degrees. Remove from the heat and add vanilla. Pour into an 8 inch buttered pan.  

With a spatula while it is hot pull in from edges to the middle to allow for even cooling.

Continue to pull with spatula until cool enough to handle with hands.

(Keep hands buttered lightly).

When cool enough to handle, pull the taffy until satiny and stiff. 

Pull into long strips and cut with kitchen shears into 1 inch pieces. Wrap each piece with wax paper.

CREAMY PULLED CANDY

Learn how to make a salt water taffy recipe with this cream pulled candy recipe.

  • 2 Cups sugar
  • ¼ Cup heavy cream
  • ½ Cup whole milk
  • ½ Teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, milk and cream; bring to a boil stirring constantly; cook to 250F degrees on candy thermometer.

Pour on a well buttered marble slab and let cool a little.

When candy mixture starts to cool add vanilla and salt; start pulling.

Pull into a long ropes and cut into pieces with cold scissors.

brown sugar taffy

BROWN SUGAR TAFFY

  • 1 Cup butter
  • 1 ¼ Cups brown sugar
  • 5 Tablespoons warm water
  • 1 Tablespoon corn syrup
  • ¾ Cup molasses
  • Nuts-OPTIONAL

Combine water, butter, sugar, corn syrup and molasses in a large saucepan; heat slowly until sugar dissolves.

Cook stirring constantly until candy thermometer reaches 254F degrees or to hard ball stage.

Pour mixture into a buttered pan. Nuts: Sprinkle over mixture now.

Lift corners of candy and fold to middle to cool evenly and keep soft.

Pull candy lightly about ten minutes; pull out in strips and cut in pieces and wrap in wax paper

SALT WATER TAFFY RECIPE

Vanilla Salt Water TaffyVanilla Salt Water Taffy
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2/3 Cup light corn syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • ½ Cup water
  • ¼ Teaspoon salt
  • Food coloring and flavoring if desired

Mix sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan; stir in corn syrup, butter, water and salt.

Cook mixture over moderate heat until thermometer reaches 254F degrees or until few drops in cold water makes hard ball.

Remove pan from heat; add a few drops of food coloring and flavoring.

Pour taffy into a buttered platter; cool 2 to 3 minutes until it can be handled without burning hands.

Butter hands and pull until light in color and firm enough to hold shape.

Stretch into roll 1 inch in diameter; snip off pieces with oiled kitchen shears and wrap in wax paper.