Old Fashioned Taffy Pull

Old Fashioned Taffy Pull

I think back to my childhood and wonder what my favorite memory is. The first thing that comes to

my head is the good old fashioned taffy pulls my mom would set up with friends and family when my grandmother came to visit. It became a given when my Grandma Jenny visited, we were going to have a fun time with a taffy pull!

It would all start with the knocks on the doors and friends and neighbors and a few family members would show up. That came with loads of smiles and laughter and I am sure now that I am an adult and think back, there was cocktails included!

While all the conversing and acting out went on, my grandmother was in the kitchen getting all the ingredients ready, 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, 4 Tbsp. Light Corn Syrup, 1 Tbsp. Vinegar, and ¼ tsp. of baking soda. Next my Grandmother combined the sugar water and corn syrup and stirred over low heat until the sugar dissolved, all the while with me under toe, and probably in her way but she would never let on! She would then cook without stirring to light crack stage (270 degrees) and then removed from heat, added vinegar and soda and mix thoroughly. Next she would pour it onto a greased platter to cool.

Now came the time for the fun! The pull will begin! All the women would crowd into the kitchen, drink in hand, ready for the task at hand. My Mom would pass around some softened butter and the ladies would take just enough to grease their hands to keep the taffy from sticking. The women would then pull and pull on the taffy, until it was too hard to pull. When the taffy became too hard to pull, it was then twisted into a rope to desired thickness. Once cool Grandma would break into pieces. Each time making about 2 dozen pieces. The ladies would then refill their drinks and go into the other room while my Grandmother would repeat the process. This would be repeated over and over until all the guests and my Mom had their own batch of Taffy!

I really miss the good old days when a taffy pull would be a fun high light of the weekend, instead of all the complicated things of our tech filled world! Perhaps you should host a good old fashioned taffy pull with your friends and enjoy a day all together. It might just become a special highlight in your house!