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How to Make Laffy Taffy
The kids had leftover Laffy Taffy from Easter. While I enjoy the taffy piece, I also look forward to the “laffy part” in each pack.
I can almost hear someone say, “Wait, what??? Laffy part?!”
Well, if you notice, there’s a joke inside each wrapper and each joke was written and sent in by kids. Kids say the darndest thing, they say, so the pun in each wrapper gets people laughing.
See what they did there? There’s a laugh inside each taffy, thus the name Laffy Taffy. Brilliant!
But did you know that even with the popularity of Laffy Taffy, how taffy exactly started is quite unknown? Laffy Taffy started in the ‘70s as caramel with fruity flavors, but taffy, in general, started way before that.
And me, holding a watermelon Laffy Taffy made my foodie brain ask questions like how to make Laffy Taffy, is it something I can make in my kitchen, what flavors can I use if I make my own? You know, the foodie brain never rests. Unless I’m asleep, that is.
So I looked online on how to make Laffy Taffy and I finally found the perfect recipe that works best for me. I also wanted to share with you a recipe for making rock candy, another kid’s favorite!
But before that, here are fun facts about taffy to make this taffy experience more enjoyable.
Fun Facts About Taffy
- One of the most famous taffy is saltwater taffy, but it’s not made of saltwater.
It is referenced back to the time when ocean water flooded a shopkeeper’s store and soaked all the taffy. A young girl went to the store shortly thereafter to look for taffy and the shopkeeper reportedly told the girl to grab some “saltwater taffy” as a joke.
- People used to host parties called “candy pulls” back in the 19th century.
The event was about creating taffy candies and having two people pull the thick candies. People were raving about it and the activity was done in many social events such as birthday parties, school groups, and even church events.
- In the US, there is a National Taffy Day which is celebrated on the 23rd of May.
- There are over 100 taffy flavors in the market today but the most popular ones are peppermint, banana, watermelon, and chocolate.
- Because of modern technology, manufacturers can now produce 1,000 saltwater taffy per minute.
Additional Tips
- The secret of taffy pulls is the timing. If you pull it too soon, you will risk burning your fingers. But if you wait until the taffy has cooled for too long, you won’t be able to pull and shape the candy anymore.
- You may use any juice powder mix instead of Kool-aid.
- There’s a lot of color and flavor combinations you can play with. Feel free to explore.
Laffy Taffy Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 100 pieces 1x
Description
Laffy taffy is no laffing matter! It’s more about chewing :p With this Laffy Taffy recipe you’ll be whipping up chewy taffy goodness within a couple hours.
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 2 cups white sugar
- ¾ teaspoon rock salt
- 1 packet 6g Kool-aid mix or 1 teaspoon flavoring extract
- ¼ cup marshmallow cream
- 4 drops food coloring
Kitchen tools you will need:
- Baking sheet
- Cooking spray
- Pastry brush
- Candy thermometer
- Spatula
- Waxed paper or parchment paper
- Foodservice gloves
- Kitchen shears
- A friend to help you pull the taffy
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients.
- Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray.
- In a saucepan, combine the water, light corn syrup, sugar, and salt and cook over high-medium heat.
- Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, stop stirring or touching the mixture.
- Wet the pastry brush with water and brush the sides of the pan. This will help keep sugar crystals from forming on the sides of the pan.
- Keep your eyes on the mixture and put in the candy thermometer the moment it starts boiling.
- Continue to cook the sugar syrup without stirring until the temperature reaches 255 degrees Fahrenheit. NOTE: 255 degrees Fahrenheit will give you a soft and chewy candy. For a harder consistency, let the sugar boil until the temperature reaches 260 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When you’ve reached your desired temperature, remove the pan from the heat.
- Add in the butter and flavoring extract. Stir until well combined.
- Pour the sugar mixture onto the baking spray. It should spread and create a thin layer.
- Add the marshmallow cream and food coloring on top and leave the candy to cool for approximately 15 minutes without mixing.
- While you’re waiting for the taffy to cool, cut the waxed or parchment paper into 3 x 3-inch squares. These will serve as your taffy wrapper.
- Start folding the candy into the center over the marshmallow cream using a spatula. Then fold all the other edges into the middle to create a solid square.
- Ask help from your friend and put on foodservice gloves. Spray your gloves with cooking spray.
- Knead the taffy until the marshmallow cream and food coloring are well combined with the taffy.
- You and your friend should then hold one end each and pull the taffy away from one another. Twist the taffy when pulling to create a rope-like shape.
- Bring the edges of the taffy back together and hold one end each then pull apart again.
- Repeat steps 16 and 17 for 20 minutes. By then, the taffy will be more difficult to pull as it starts keeping its shape. When you start to see some creases when you pull, it means that the taffy is ready.
- Divide the taffy into 4 and roll into thin ropes about half an inch in size.
- Spray kitchen shears with cooking spray to keep the taffy from sticking once you start cutting.
- Cut the taffy into 1-inch pieces and wrap in the waxed or parchment paper.
- Thank your friend for helping you pull the taffy. ?
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Candy
