Pull Candy Recipe - making candy the old fashioned way (2024)

by Chloe Tuttle

on January 2, 2014

inHeritage,Recipes

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Pull Candy Recipe – Old Time Stewed Sugar

Pull Candy Recipe - making candy the old fashioned way (1)

Old Fashioned Pull Candy is still the best!

My mother called this wonderful confection pull candy or stewed sugar. Some folks call it taffy. When she described a child’s pretty blond hair she would say it was the color of stewed sugar — a gorgeous translucent white color with a faint golden tint.

Making this recipe during the holidays or in the New Year seems appropriate for me – it brings back memories of winter on the farm in the kitchen with my mother who was also named Chloe. She told me that when she was growing up, folks in the neighborhood would have a Candy Pulling party and they had so much fun.

Print Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert, Treat

Cuisine: American, American southern

Keyword: pull candy, pulled sugar candy, stewed sugar, taffy, toffee

Servings: 25 servings

Calories: 62kcal

Author: Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/4 pound butter for greasing hands and surface

Instructions

  • You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe.

  • 1. Stir together the sugar, water and vinegar in a heavy saucepan. Clip on candy thermometer and don’t let it touch the bottom of the cooking pan.

  • 2. Heat the sugar syrup until the candy thermometer reaches the hard ball stage or 260-265 degrees. Don’t stir while it is cooking.

  • 3. Slowly pour the syrup onto a buttered surface like a large cutting board. Be very careful — this is a molten mass of hot syrup. DO NOT scrape bowl. Just let whatever candy comes out, come out. Allow candy to cool for a few minutes.

  • 4. As soon as the syrup is slightly cooled, scrape it into a large ball. If you are going to add any flavorings like vanilla or peppermint, now is the time to do this. Flip the ball of candy over several times using some sort of scraper like a candy scraper.

  • 5. When it is cool enough to handle, gather the ball of candy into your well-greased hands and pull the candy using both hands until you have reached as far as you can. Fold the pulled part over and repeat. Do this for about 4-5 minutes or until the candy is getting stiff and has turned a beautiful white color.

  • 6. Once this happens, pull out a long rope of candy about 1/2" thick. You can twist this if you want a twisted look for your candy. Lay it out on waxed paper to cool.

  • 7. When it has thoroughly cooled, break it into 1 1/2 ” pieces. Wrap each piece of candy in waxed paper and store in airtight container. If candy is sticky, store it in the refrigerator.

Notes

This candy is messy to make - but it is worth it. There also seem to be MANY different Pull Candy recipes on the internet, and they are all a wee bit different.

Nutrition

Calories: 62kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Potassium: 1mg | Sugar: 15g

Like this recipe?Follow us on Pinterest: @bigmill or tag #bigmillbb

Pull Candy Recipe - making candy the old fashioned way (3)

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This is an old recipe. I haven’t seen or heard of it in many years. It also is very inexpensive to make, which may explain why it was so popular in its day. If you are going to try this, remove your rings or else they will be sticky mess.

To make this candy I used my mother’s Betty Furness Candy Thermometer that she bought in the 1950s.

Pull Candy Recipe - making candy the old fashioned way (4)

Note how the candy turns a glistening white color – the color of stewed sugar.

.

Pull Candy Recipe - making candy the old fashioned way (6)

PS: I wanted to include a video of the “pulling” phase, but I didn’t have enough hands on deck to pull it off (bad pun). I did find a video on YouTube of two folks pulling taffy(they call it “cream candy”)that’ll give you a good idea of how it’s done.

Chloe is the Innkeeper at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast, Williamston, NC 252-792-8787

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Pull Candy Recipe - making candy the old fashioned way (2024)

FAQs

How to make candy step by step with pictures? ›

Hard Candy Recipe
  1. Step 1: Hard Candy Ingredients. To make hard candy you will need: ...
  2. Step 2: Aluminum Foil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. ...
  3. Step 3: Mix the Candy Ingredients. ...
  4. Step 4: Cook Hard Candy. ...
  5. Step 5: Final Ingredients. ...
  6. Step 6: Pour. ...
  7. Step 7: Mark the Candy. ...
  8. Step 8: Candy Time.

What happens when you pull candy? ›

hard candy

With suitable ratios of sugar to corn syrup, pulling will bring about partial crystallization and a short, spongy texture will result.

What are the main ingredients in candy? ›

Sugar, mainly sucrose from sugar beets or sugarcane, is the major constituent of most candies. Other sweeteners employed in candy manufacture include corn syrup, corn sugar, honey, molasses, maple sugar, and noncaloric sweeteners.

Why do candy makers pull candy? ›

Using hands, the batch is repeatedly pulled and put back for at least 30-60 minutes. This is necessary to help incorporate air bubbles into the batch. Aeration of the batch helps in making the candies lighter thus easy to chew. Pulling is done repeatedly until the batch turns white.

What are the steps of candy? ›

There are seven stages of candy making: thread, soft-ball, firm-ball, hard-ball, soft-crack, hard-crack, and caramel. Different types of candy, from fudge to lollipops, need to be cooked to different stages to get the desired results.

What are the 6 stages of candy making? ›

The Cold Water Candy Test
  • Thread Stage. 230° F–235° F. sugar concentration: 80% ...
  • Soft-Ball Stage. 235° F–240° F. sugar concentration: 85% ...
  • Firm-Ball Stage. 245° F–250° F. sugar concentration: 87% ...
  • Hard-Ball Stage. 250° F–265° F. sugar concentration: 92% ...
  • Soft-Crack Stage. 270° F–290° F. ...
  • Hard-Crack Stage. 300° F–310° F.

Is it OK to eat a little bit of candy? ›

If you're a cookie-and-candy-craver, don't despair. Sweets can be part of a healthy, lifelong eating pattern. But for the least harm and -- don't forget this -- the fullest enjoyment, they should be eaten in moderation. That means in small amounts, or only a couple of times a week.

How much candy a day is ok? ›

They won't notice if you eat one or two. Or two or three. But before you dive in, remember that you shouldn't get more than 10% of your daily calories from added sugar -- that's around 200 if you typically aim for 2,000 a day -- and candy is loaded with it.

What is the oldest candy in the world? ›

The two oldest candy types are licorice and ginger. The historical roots of licorice are found in the early years of man's appearance. In particular, many licorice were eaten by Pharaohs and Prophets. The licorice comes from a plant called “Glycyrrhiza” which in Greek means «sweet root».

What does butter do in candy making? ›

Butter is added in the final stages to add flavor and smoothness and inhibit large crystal formation. Use unsalted butter so you can add a small amount of salt (¼ teaspoon per stick of butter) to the sugar/liquid mixture. Salt tends to stabilize the mixture and keep it from foaming as much.

What makes candy sour? ›

If you ever wonder what gives off a burst of tartness, then it is likely citric acid. Citric acid is derived from lemons, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits. As you can imagine, this is what causes the sour tang to many sour sweets.

What is the most popular candy maker? ›

2021 Global Top 100 Candy Companies | Candy Industry
Company NameLocation# of Plants
1. Mars Wrigley Confectionery, div. of Mars Inc. Hover for More InfoChicago, Ill., USA53
2. Ferrero Group Hover for More InfoLuxembourg, Italy31
3. Mondelez International Hover for More InfoDeerfield, Ill., USA150*
53 more rows

Why do you need to pull candy? ›

The pulling process aerates the taffy, incorporating tiny air pockets into the stiff candy mixture. The taffy is transformed into a light, fluffy, and easy-to-chew candy. It's a truly addicting candy that has stayed popular throughout the years!

How to make candy Crush easy? ›

Reshuffle the board if it looks too challenging.

Once you become better acquainted with the game, you will be able to tell when a game board will be too difficult to complete. You can reshuffle the board using boosters or by exiting the game before you perform any moves.

What do you wrap homemade candy in? ›

Cut in squares and wrap in waxed paper or parchment paper.

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