My Family moved to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee when I was 10 years old, and since we moved from a very small town, it was like moving to Disney

World. My brother and I were fascinated by all of the sights, sounds and smells of the tourist area, but our favorite places of all were the candy stores!

Never in our lives had we seen chocolate candies dipped by hand or the glistening sticks of rock candy. We especially loved watching the taffy being made (probably because they gave us samples.)  It was a fun  place to grow up and I cherish the time we had there.

I came across this recipe for homemade taffy when my children were small and we make it every Autumn. We’ve spent many happy evenings pulling taffy to make the texture just right.

So fun to make and pull, but watch out!  It is messy!

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, plus additional for greasing pan and hands  

  In heavy medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add corn syrup, water, and vinegar to pan and place over medium heat. Stir until sugar and cocoa dissolve,

raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, clip candy thermometer to side of pan and cook until mixture reaches 260 degrees

Remove pan from heat, add the butter and stir. Butter edges of sheet pan, line with silicone baking sheet and pour on taffy. Allow to cool until you are able to handle it.

Once you are able to handle the taffy, butter your hands, and start  folding the taffy over and pulling it. Pull until it loses its shine and becomes stiff. Pull into ropes, and use scissors to cut into 1 inch pieces. Wrap each piece in waxed paper.. Make sure to keep pieces separated or they will stick to each other.

That’s the news from the homestead, see you next week!