Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (68 page)

General Description:

Richly flavored and amazingly chewy, molasses taffy is the original form of taffy
. It has a strong molasses flavor and dark brown color, unlike the variously colored and flavored
saltwater taffy
. Molasses taffy is
firmer and even chewier than regular taffy because it is cooked longer.

History:

Molasses taffy, also called
pulled molasses candy
, was first made in the United Kingdom in the 1820s. By the 1840s, taffy-pulling parties were common social events. Young courting couples used the excuse of pulling candy to spend time in close proximity. The name
taffy
has evolved so that today British
toffee
and American
taffy
refer to very similar candies.

Serving Suggestions:

Since molasses taffy requires a lot of pulling, you could have an old-fashioned taffy-pulling party and send your guests homes with homemade taffy.

Candy-Making Notes:

This taffy recipe contains baking soda to produce bubbles that give the mixture a light texture. When you cut the taffy into pieces, wrap them in wax paper so that they do not lose their shape.

Recipe:

1.
Coat a marble slab or baking sheet with cooking spray. Lightly spray a pair of kitchen shears. Have
wax papers ready for wrapping the pieces of taffy.

2.
Combine sugar, molasses, 1 cup water, butter, and salt in a saucepan.

3.
Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

4.
Without stirring, cook to 260°F, hard ball stage.

5.
Remove from heat. Stir in the baking soda and vanilla.

6.
Turn out onto the baking sheet. Flip the mass a few times so it cools evenly to room temperature.

7.
Butter hands and pull taffy, stretching and gathering it together until it becomes opaque and difficult to pull.

8.
Pull the taffy into a long rope about ½ inch thick. Cut it into bite-size pieces using the shears.

9.
Wrap each piece in wax paper. Let cool before storing.

Yield:

About 50 pieces of molasses taffy

Storage:

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

General Description:

Nougat comes in an amazing variety of forms: hard, soft, chewy, studded with nuts, used as a filling, or eaten on its own
. All nougats are made by whipping a hot sugar syrup with egg whites. This aerates and lightens the nougat. The mixture is then pressed into a compact slab and cut into pieces, which are wrapped in rice paper to prevent sticking. Nougat can be mixed with honey, nuts, or dried fruit. Classic nougat is white and tastes sugary sweet; dark versions are made with chocolate or caramelized sugar. The word
nougat
is also used as a general descriptor for the soft, whipped, chocolatey fillings in many commercial candy bars;
see
chocolate nougats
.