Cookbook:Honey Taffy

| Confections

This recipe entails a good workout with the reward of unmistakably honey-flavored candies. This recipe can be completed by a single chef, but is much more fun with the help of friends and family.

Ingredients

 * 2 cups (450 g / 16 oz) white granulated sugar
 * ½ tsp salt
 * 2 tablespoons cornstarch
 * 1 cup (325 g / 11.5 oz) liquid honey (any variety)
 * ¾ cup (185 ml / 6.3 oz) water
 * 2 tablespoons butter

Procedure

 * 1) In a 3–4-quart (2.8–3.8 L) heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, and cornstarch until uniform.
 * 2) Using a wooden or metal spoon, stir in the honey and the water. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and continually stir until all the sugar dissolves.
 * 3) Continue to stir the mixture until the mixture begins to boil. Once boiling begins, let the solution cook undisturbed until it reaches 270&deg;F/132&deg;C also known as the soft crack stage. Add the butter.
 * 4) Remove the hot mixture from heat and pour onto a greased, lipped cookie sheet, a greased marble slab, or a silicone mat, such as a Silpat.
 * 5) When taffy is cool enough to handle with greased cleaned hands, gather the taffy and continually stretch, fold and recombine it until it lightens in color and gains a satiny gloss. This step is best accomplished with a friend and requires 10–15 minutes of continuous pulling.
 * 6) Once taffy has been properly pulled, roll into ½-inch ropes and cut into 1 in long pieces with a knife or greased scissors. Once all the taffy is cut, wrap in small squares of waxed paper and twist the ends.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * Be extremely careful around the boiling syrup, as it gets extremely hot and sticks like tar.
 * Use a wooden or metal spoon for this recipe, as most plastic spoons will melt or deform. A wooden spoon is best because a metal spoon will get very hot in the sugar syrup.
 * You can add extra flavoring or coloring to the taffy if you mix it in at the same time as the butter.
 * If you don’t like honey, or don’t want to use a lot of it, you can substitute corn syrup for equal parts of the missing honey.
 * If you want some extra reward for extra effort, try making two batches with different colors and/or flavors at once, and twisting or braiding the taffy ropes before cutting to make interesting combinations.
 * If you don't have cornstarch, you can use 1 tsp of vinegar instead to help prevent recrystallization.