Description
Homemade Kool-Aid Taffy is a classic chewy candy with a delightful fruity twist. This easy-to-make recipe combines simple pantry ingredients with your favorite Kool-Aid flavor to create vibrant, flavorful taffy that’s perfect for candy lovers of all ages. With just 40 minutes and a few steps, you can pull, shape, and enjoy a nostalgic treat that is chewy, sweet, and bursting with fruitiness.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 packet Kool-Aid (any flavor)
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 ⅓ cups water
- 2 tablespoons butter (plus more for greasing hands and pans)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Grease the pans: Butter two large cookie sheets thoroughly and set them aside to prepare for pouring the hot taffy mixture.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a 2-quart saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until evenly mixed and smooth.
- Add wet ingredients: Stir in the light corn syrup, water, and butter into the dry mixture, mixing thoroughly before applying heat.
- Cook to hard ball stage: Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Continue boiling until the candy thermometer reads 250°F, indicating the hard ball stage. Avoid overheating.
- Add flavor: Remove the saucepan from heat immediately and quickly stir in the Kool-Aid powder and the optional vanilla extract to incorporate the fruity flavor into the hot mixture.
- Cool slightly: Pour the hot taffy mixture evenly onto the prepared buttered cookie sheets. Allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes cool enough to handle safely.
- Pull the taffy: Grease your hands with butter and begin stretching and folding the taffy repeatedly for about 10 minutes. Continue pulling until the color lightens and the taffy firms up to the right chewy consistency.
- Shape and wrap: Roll the pulled taffy into long ropes, cut into bite-sized pieces, then wrap each piece individually in wax paper to prevent sticking and preserve freshness.
Notes
- Ensure the candy thermometer is accurate for proper temperature guidance during cooking.
- Use gloves or greased hands to handle the hot candy safely during pulling.
- Customize flavors by choosing different Kool-Aid packet varieties.
- Store wrapped taffy in an airtight container to maintain freshness for up to two weeks.
- Be cautious while working with hot sugar mixtures to avoid burns.
