Brown Sugar Taffy Food

TAFFY

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, place all the ingredients except extracts, and gently stir them to combine. Place a candy thermometer on the side of the pan and bring to a boil, stirring only to prevent burning. Cook to hardball stage (265 to 270 degrees), remove from the heat, stir in the extracts, and pour onto a silpat-lined sheet pan or buttered sheet pan. Let it cool enough to handle then start rolling it into a log and stretching or pulling the taffy to work air in and make it white and opaque. Keep pulling and twisting until it hardens. Form long ropes of taffy, then cut them into pieces.
• Some tips when making taffy: Oil the top 1-inch of the saucepan's wall to keep the sugar from boiling over. Always use a pan bigger than you think you need to prevent boiling over. Always use a burner as big or bigger than your pan's bottom. Never scrape the bottom of the pan at the end, just pour out the syrup. Wash down the sides of the pan with a clean wet pastry brush to avoid crystallization.

OLD-FASHIONED TAFFY PULL

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Mix all ingredients except milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir often until sugar is completely dissolved. Increase heat and bring mixture to boiling. Slowly add the evaporated milk in a thin stream so boiling does not stop.
• Put a candy thermometer in pan; continue stirring. Cook and stir constantly until mixture reaches 248 F (firm ball stage). Dip the pastry brush in water and gently brush sides of the pan to wash crystals from sides of the pan. Do this a few times while candy is cooking.
• When candy has reached desired temperature, remove from heat, remove thermometer and without scraping sides and bottom of the pan, pour mixture onto a large platter which has been generously greased with margarine.
• Let the taffy mixture cool until it is cool enough to handle. Grease your hands with margarine; take a small portion of the candy and, using only the tips of your fingers, begin pulling. Candy should be white in color and no longer feel sticky when it has been pulled enough.
• Twist each pulled strip slightly and place on waxed paper. When all the candy is pulled, cut each strip into 1-inch pieces. Wrap each piece in waxed paper and twist ends. You can get a special colored paper for this. Store in a container with a tight-fitting cover.
• Serve and enjoy!

VINEGAR TAFFY

Steps:

• Butter a baking dish and set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, vinegar, butter, cream of tartar, and salt. Heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is melted. Do not stir once mixture comes to a boil.
• Cook candy until mixture reaches 250 to 265 degrees F (121 to 129 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball. Remove from heat and pour into prepared dish.
• Pull taffy by stretching out into a rope with buttered hands, folding the candy over and repeating, until taffy is white and porous and becomes too stiff to pull. Cut into 1-inch pieces with buttered kitchen shears. Wrap taffy pieces in waxed paper and store in an airtight container.

BROWN SUGAR BROWNIES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 x 9 x 1-3/4 inch pan.
• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.
• Stir in the flour mixture and the nuts until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.

SNOW TOFFEE

Steps:

• Go outside to collect fresh snow on a cookie sheet or a cassarol dish (or two). Make sure that the snow is very clean! Set aside for later use.
• Bring all ingredients to a rolling boil in a heavy pot.
• Boil till mixture is at the hard ball stage (when dripped into very cold water, it turns ito a firm ball).
• When the mixture has reached the desired temperatur, drizzle it over the collected snow. The mixture will cool and harden very quickly.
• This toffee can be eaten within a few minutes or stored in a cool dry place for a few days.

TIRE DE LA STE-CATHERINE

Steps:

• Place the molasses, corn syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, vinegar, cream of tartar and half the butter in a pot.
• Bring to a boil over low heat until the mixture registers 140° C (260° F).
• Stir for 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture has to reach the "ball" stage, meaning it's ready when you drop a little of it into a small bowl of cold water and it forms a ball.
• Mix in the baking soda.
• Pour into buttered dishes and let cool slightly until you can pick the taffy up without burning your hands.
• Butter your hands well and begin pulling: pull, fold in half, and repeat the process until the taffy is pale golden, and almost white. If it sticks to your hands, put a little more butter on them.
• Pull one last time and twist up tightly in small lengths. Cut into pieces with scissors.
• Place on a buttered plate or wrap in waxed paper.

TAFFY

Steps:

• Grease square pan, 8x8x2 inches, with butter. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in corn syrup, water, butter and salt. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook, without stirring, to 265°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into cup of very cold water forms a hard ball that holds its shape but is pliable; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into pan.
• When taffy is just cool enough to handle, pull it with lightly buttered hands until satiny, light in color and stiff. Pull into long strips 1/2 inch wide. Cut strips into 1 1/2-inch pieces, using scissors. (For easier cutting, wipe scissors with vegetable oil.) Wrap pieces individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper (candy must be wrapped to hold its shape).