101 Days of Christmas: Peppermint Taffy

This peppermint taffy is milk-free, so it doesn’t have the creamy texture you associate with salt water taffy. Instead, it looks kind of like a jolly rancher but with a soft, chewy texture.

Although you need to use a candy thermometer to get your candy to the hard ball stage, this is really a pretty easy recipe; the hardest part is cleaning up the sticky pan when you’re done!

I used natural food dye from Chocolate Craft Kits, but you could use regular food dye or leave the taffy un-dyed as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• food coloring optional

Directions:

Grease a cookie sheet with butter and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine corn syrup and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Continue stirring until it reaches the hard ball stage (250 degrees on the candy thermometer).

Remove from the heat and add the extract, salt and food coloring. Stir well.

Pour onto cookie pan and let stand for 10 minutes. Divide in half with a knife. Butter your fingers and quickly pull each portion of candy until it firms up. Pull into a thin rope and then cut into 1″ pieces. Wrap each piece of candy in waxed paper and twist the ends.

Yield: 5 dozen candies

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Related Projects:

• Gingerbread Caramels
• Homemade Marshmallows
• Spicy Candied Walnuts

Join us as we celebrate 101 Days of Christmas with new DIY projects, gift ideas, traditions and more every day from now through Christmas!

	Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.