Salt Water Taffy

Ever wonder what families did when they craved a sweet snack  long before you could just drop by a well-stocked neighborhood grocery store or take a short walk to the nearest convenience store.  Well they gathered a bunch of items from the cupboard in the pantry and made their own treats from one of the favorite family recipes that were passed down from generation to generation.  A sweet treat sure to be among those recipes was salt water taffy.  So fun to make and equally enjoyable to eat.  And if salt water doesn’t sound like a great ingredient, fret not.  The name “salt water taffy ” is a misnomer.  One of many stories regarding salt water taffy report that the name was the result of a flooded candy stand on the Atlantic City Boardwalk from waves coming in off an 1880’s storm on the Atlantic coast.  David Bradley owned that stand and while though very skeptical, he followed the advice of a customer and began calling his candy “salt water taffy”.  The flavor became extremely popular, the name caught on, and the sweet, slightly salty treat is still sold not only on the boardwalk today in two candy stores that are said to date back to the early 1900s.

Salt water taffy ingredients include sugar, butter, cornstarch, corn syrup, water, salt, natural and artificial flavoring.  Food coloring is optional.  You will need the following tools:  a saucepan, measuring spoons, candy thermometer, whisk, baking sheet or pan, knife, and square pieces of wax paper depending on the size of candy bites.  If you tire out pulling the taffy, get the kids involved.  They will love this task, as the warm butter slides through their hands and down the slippery ropes of taffy.  Making home made taffy is a fun activity for friend and family occasions. You can find instructions on-line from many different recipes and a great variety of flavorings that are available including vanilla, banana, mint, lemon, maple, etc., to name only a few.   No salty seawater!