Taffy Pull

I just watched Alton Brown's segment tonight on candies for Halloween, and it included making "Tootsie Rolls"... which are nothing more than old-fashioned pulled chocolate taffy.

It made made me remember Taffy Pulls from my teen years, and maybe it's time for a comeback?

Here's his Recipe for "Tootsie Rolls":

This is a homemade version of a Tootsie-roll like candy.
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
3/4 Cup Powdered Milk
1/2 Cup Baking Cocoa
2 Tbsp. Butter or Margerine
1 teas. Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup White Corn Syrup

Stir powdered sugar, powdered milk and cocoa together. Add butter, vanilla and corn syrup. Mix well. When coolish, pull into threads until coffee colored. Cut into small logs. Knead with your hands. Roll into small rolls. Air dry several hours. Wrap each candy individually in waxed paper.
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Here's 2 more General Taffy Recipes:

MOLASSES CANDY (OLD-FASHIONED PULL TAFFY)

2 c Molasses
1 c Brown sugar
2 T Butter
1/3 c Water
1 T Vinegar
1 pn Baking soda

Boil all together until a little tried in cold water becomes brittle.

Pour on a buttered dish and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle,rub butter on hands and pull the candy (small portions at a time) until light in color. Cut in small pieces.

Source: Pennsylvania Dutch Cook Book - Fine Old Recipes, Culinary Arts Press, 1936.
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OLD -TIME TAFFY PULL

1 c Sugar
3/4 c Light Corn Syrup
2/3 c Water
2 tb Butter or Margarine
1 tb Cornstarch
1 ts Salt
1 ts Vanilla
2 ts Almond extract
1/2 c Thinly sliced almonds
10 drops (or more) green Food coloring;

Butter baking pan 8 x 8 x 2 inches. Heat sugar, corn syrup, water, butter, cornstarch and salt to boiling in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 256 degrees (or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a hard ball), about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, almond extract, almonds and food color. Pour into pan. Let stand until cool enough to handle, 15 to20 minutes. (Taffy should be lukewarm in center as well as at the edges.)

At this point, your guests can fold, double and pull the taffy until it is light in color and stiff. Have them butter their hands lightly if taffy starts to stick (see note). Cut taffy into pieces with scissors. Guests can help wrap the pieces with plaactic wrap. (Taffy will lose its shape if not wrapped.) Makes about 1 pound of taffy.

NOTE: If taffy becomes too stiff to pull, reheat in a 350 degree oven 3 to 5 minutes.

DAFFY TAFFY: Omit almond extract, almonds and food color. Immediately after removing from heat, stir in the vanilla and 1 package (6 ounce) semisweet chocolate or butter-scotch chips. Pour into pan; cool. Cut into 1 inch squares. shape the candy into rolls, decorate with nuts or wrap the squares around miniature marshmallows.

Recipe from Betty Crocker's Step by Step Recipes.
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More Taffy Recipes here: http://www.recipesource.com/cgi-bin/search?search_string=taffy&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=0