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| Confections

Honey Taffy – This recipe entails a good workout with the reward of unmistakably honey-flavored candies. This recipe can be completed by a single chef, but is much more fun with the help of friends and family.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup liquid honey, any variety
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter

Procedure

1. In a 3 or 4 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan combine the sugar, salt and cornstarch until uniform.
2. Using a wooden or metal spoon, stir in the honey and the water. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and continually stir until all the sugar dissolves.
3. Continue to stir the mixture until the mixture begins to boil. Once boiling begins, let the solution cook undisturbed until it reaches 270°F/132°C also known as the soft crack stage. Add the butter.
4. Remove the hot mixture from heat and pour onto a greased, lipped cookie sheet, a greased marble slab, or a silicone mat, such as a Silpat.
5. When taffy is cool enough to handle with greased cleaned hands, gather the taffy and continually stretch, fold and recombine it until it lightens in color and gains a satiny gloss. This step is best accomplished with a friend. This step requires 10 to 15 minutes of constant pulling.
6. Once taffy has been properly pulled, roll into 1/2 inch ropes and cut into 1 inch long pieces with a knife or greased scissors. Once all the taffy is cut, wrap in small squares of waxed paper and twist the ends.

Notes, tips, and variations

• Be extremely careful around the boiling solution, as it gets extremely hot and sticks like tar.
• Use a wooden or metal spoon for this recipe, as most plastic spoons will melt or deform. A wooden spoon is best because a metal spoon will get very hot in the sugar syrup.
• You can add extra flavoring or coloring to the taffy if you mix it in at the same time as the butter.
• If you don’t like honey, or don’t want to use a lot of it, you can substitute corn syrup for equal parts of the missing honey.
• If you want some extra reward for extra effort, try making two batches with different colors and/or flavors at once, and twisting or braiding the taffy ropes before cutting to make interesting combinations.
• If you don't have cornstarch, you can use 1 tsp. of vinegar instead to help prevent recrystallization.