taffy pulling

A good thing to do with kids in the summer is an old fashioned taffy pull. Taffy is an excellent sculptural material and we don't often get to eat our art. Just try it. Sometimes I pull a bunch of colors ahead of time and let art students play with the edible taffy sculptures like you would with playdough, but older kids will love the entire process.

You will need candy flavorings and colors and a candy thermometer. In Madison we have a specialty candy store called the Vanilla Bean which is an excellent source for inspiration.
I use a regular, heavy 2 qt. saucepan and butter cookie trays for the cooling stage. The kids will be fascinated by the alchemy of sugar boiling and all the sugar stages. The smell of the sugar changes as the process progresses and you can see the consistency and color of the the sugar change magically before your eyes. The entire process takes about fifteen minutes of suspense on the stove before you reach the soft boil stage (260 degrees). Adding the colors and mixing the dyes into the sugar is exciting for the kids, and watching the taffy cool down takes another five minutes. Let the kids poke at the cooling taffy and dimple the surface as it cools. Buttering your hands and preparing to pull is quite sensual. Pulling the taffy once it is manageable to touch is a physical experience unlike any other. It's hard workiong the taffy at first and takes a little messy practice, but pulling small bits is easier and you can't really screw it up that bad anyway. Keep adding butter to your hands as you pull. My favorite part of pulling taffy is the irridescent color of the candy as the air is added. I cover the entire table with a plastic tablecloth and have the students set down pulled taffy as they go and mix colors and play on the smooth, washable surface.

A general taffy recipe I use is as follows:

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbls. butter
1/4 tsp. flavoring\few drops coloring

In saucepan combine sugar, syrup and salt. Stir over medium heat until boiling. Clip candy thermometer to side of pan. Cook over medium heat without stirring to 260 degrees (soft boil stage). Takes about 15-20 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in butter. Let cool for a few minutes. Add flavor and color. Cool for five to ten minutes on buttered counter or cookie sheets until easy to handle. Butter hands. Pull each piece until it turns a creamy color.

There are lots of tips about taffy pulling around on the web if you feel intimidated at all by the process. Good luck.