Why Is My Chewy Chocolate Taffy Turning Crumbly After A Few Days?

by Brad Sturm
(Morelia, Mexico)

Chewy Chocolate Taffy

I have been trying to make a chocolate taffy, which has turned out great...for the first few days, then it loses it's elasticity and my chewy taffy becomes crumbly.

I live at just over 6000 foot elevation and this is the method I use.

1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of Karo syrup
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/4 cup of condensed milk
1/4 cup of butter, salted
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 Tbsp. of vanilla
1/8 Tbsp. of salt

I combine all these ingredients and bring them to the temperature of 234 F. Next, I follow these steps.

Let candy cool for 10 minutes.
Pull the taffy for 10 minutes.
Let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Pull taffy for another ten minutes.
Pull it into ropes, cut, and wrap in wax paper.

It tastes great and remains chewy for two to three days, maybe a bit more, but then becomes crumbly. How can I fix this? Is there some preservative I can use? Thanks for your help.

Comments for Why Is My Chewy Chocolate Taffy Turning Crumbly After A Few Days?

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Jan 18, 2012

Had the same problem NEW
by: Anonymous

My taffy did the same thing after 3 days. I did have it wrapped and stored in an airtight container. In my recipe I used sugar, corn syrup, cornstarch, butter, salt, flavoring and coloring. I know some recipes call for glycerin. Maybe we can try that.

Tina

Feb 11, 2010

Use Vinegar
by: Anonymous

You need to put in some vineger to keep the sugar from crystalizing. If you add a tablespoon (15 mL) of vinegar to the rest of the ingredients when you start, it will keep the taffy from getting crumbly. You won't be able to taste the vinegar so don't worry about that.

Mar 28, 2009

taffy
by: Anonymous

I dont think you should be using condensed milk just try cream and see how that works out for you.

Feb 27, 2008

Chocolate Taffy Troubles
by: Angie

Hey Brad,

You've stumped me! :-) I'm not exactly sure why your taffy is going crumbly for you. I could see if it was grainy or crumbly from the start, but for it to start out great and only go funny after a few days is a bit of a mystery to me.

How are you storing it? It is important to keep it in an airtight container even though you have it wrapped in waxed paper. Could that be the problem?

If you are storing it properly, then it must be something else.

I have seen several recipes that call for a bit of cornstarch (cornflour). I wonder if adding about a Tablespoon to the mixture would help the problem at all.

The other difference I noticed is that some recipes call for a splash of vinegar. Perhaps adding a Tablespoon of vinegar to the pot would solve the problem.

Help! Does anyone else know the answer to this one? Brad and I would both be grateful, I'm sure. As much as I love making and eating various chocolate candy recipes, I don't always understand the science behind how it works. :-)

I have to say, just taking the time to try to find this answer for you has been maddening. I'm dying to get in the kitchen today and make some taffy myself. There's only 2 problems with that.

1. It's humid and rainy today - definitely not a good day for candy making.

2. I'm supposed to be dieting this week. Ugh!

Well, let me know if one of these suggestions does the trick for you.

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