Molasses Taffy
A fuss-free vegetarian built around fancy molasses and cream of tartar — roughly 60 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for saucepan and pan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Lightly butter a large baking sheet and set it aside, and keep a bowl of cold water nearby for testing the candy.
- Combine the molasses, sugar, vinegar, water and cream of tartar in a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar fully dissolves.
- Clip on a candy thermometer and boil the mixture, without stirring much, until it reaches the hard-ball stage at 255 to 265 F, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the butter and baking soda; the mixture will foam up, so work carefully.
- Pour the hot candy onto the buttered sheet and let it cool until it is just safe to handle but still warm and pliable.
- Butter your hands, then gather the taffy and pull it, stretching and folding repeatedly for about 10 to 15 minutes until it turns lighter, glossy and firm.
- Twist the taffy into a rope, cut it into bite-sized pieces with buttered scissors, and wrap each piece in wax paper to keep it from sticking.
You'll use: Saucepan · Pan · Baking sheet
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Tips & common questions
How long does Molasses Taffy take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Molasses Taffy vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Molasses Taffy is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: The Childrens Party Book - Molasses Taffy.png (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.