Homemade taffy turned out too thick and hard

I had found a recipe to make homemade Tootsie Rolls which was essentially just chocolate taffy. I've tried it a few times with the same result; it turns into basically a somewhat chewy hard candy.

I'm not a candy making expert, but I think the problem might lie in either the heating of the mixture (ie- getting it to the right temp for the type of candy it is) or in the pulling.

Does that sound about right? Are there other things that I can check when making taffy that would turn it into a soft rock?

dessert taffy

Best Answer

Temperature is certainly important. If you start out with a hard candy straight from the pot you're gonna be largely out of luck regardless.

But really, the signature taffy texture comes from the continual pulling, folding, pulling that happens after you remove it from the heat. Pulling taffy works lots of air into it and stretches out the strands of sugar crystals into thinner, chewier shapes. So be sure you really work that taffy once you take it off the heat (and before cutting it).

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Why is my taffy so hard?

Hard taffy is almost a sure sign of cold weather, rather than staleness, unless it has been sitting in grandma's candy jar for the last two years...but I digress. Melted taffy undoubtedly got a little too warm on its journey to you.

How do you make hard taffy soft again?

If our taffy feels hard, it is most likely because it is cold; try holding the taffy snugly in the palm of your hand for a few moments, the warmth should soften it right up!

How do you make soft taffy?

Cornstarch - We use cornstarch to give the taffy a nice and smooth texture. You can use arrowroot powder if you do not have cornstarch. Corn syrup - Corn syrup acts as an "interfering agent". Without getting too technical, corn syrup helps the sugar in the taffy syrup from crystallizing.

How do you fix taffy?

First, don't panic! Taffy is just as sensitive to cold as it is hot, meaning that melted taffy is easily rejuvenated to its regular consistency. The best solution to melted taffy is merely to let it set unbothered at room temperature (72 for a period of 24 hours.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Klaus Nielsen, Klaus Nielsen, Julia Filirovska, Nothing Ahead