VANILLA TAFFY
About 12 ounces; about 60 pieces
Have ready an oiled marble slab or a chilled and oiled rimmed baking sheet set on a wire rack. Combine in a medium heavy saucepan:
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, without stirring, to 265°F, the high end of the hard-ball stage. (For a softer taffy, cook the mixture to 250°F; or for a firmer texture, cook to 270°F, the soft-crack stage.)
Remove from the heat and quickly stir in with a wooden spoon until completely absorbed:
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Carefully pour the syrup onto the marble slab or chilled baking sheet. Do not scrape the saucepan. Allow the mixture to sit until cooled to room temperature. Sprinkle any of the following over the mixture (food coloring is purely optional):
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- Up to 5 drops cinnamon oil (and 3 drops red food coloring)
- Up to 5 drops citrus or banana oil (and 3 to 5 drops yellow food coloring)
- Up to 6 drops peppermint or spearmint oil (and 3 to 5 drops green food coloring)
With a candy or bench scraper or metal spatula, start to fold the edges of the mixture into the center. Keep scraping and folding until the mixture is firm enough to handle. Then gather it up into a ball with oiled or buttered fingertips and begin pulling, folding, and twisting until the taffy is opaque and firm and holds thin ridges.
Dust a work surface with:
- Powdered sugar or cornstarch
Form the taffy into a long ¾-inch-thick rope, letting it fall onto the work surface. Cut into 1-inch pieces with buttered kitchen shears. Immediately wrap each piece of taffy in squares of wax paper and store in an airtight container.