I failed at making taffy the first three times I tried, but it is worth it in the end. It is a good idea to keep your
cooking space clean with this one so that you can repeat it if you fail. Kids will love this, the pulling of taffy is a great
afternoon project.
There are recipes that call for more sugar and less syrup, but the corn syrup is vital. This goes back to the crystal structure bit, the corn syrup serves as a form. This is also not salt water taffy, the two have many differences that start with taste.
Combine
vinegar,
syrup, and
sugar. Bring to a boil without stirring. Cook to between 250 and 252 (Just beyond
firm ball and in the early hard
ball stage). Pour into the pan and let it sit until it's cool enough to
handle (doesn't have to be
cold).
Add a small amount of your flavoring and coloring at this point.
Take a handful of the taffy and pull it out into a thread, double it up and pull it again. When you have pulled it enough it'll be opaque and white (if you colored it it'll be that color). You can test it, just pull off a bit. At the desired consistency use clean scissors to cut off inch lengths, wrap them in wax paper.