Jessica made this candy years ago and put it in one of our journals. At the last minute one day I decided to whip up a batch. It was going so well, I thought I’d get a quick video. Quick and easy molasses candy is a recipe you’ll keep.
The molasses gives it a deep rich flavor that is so addicting! Just a few ingredients are part of this recipe. Remember, this is not taffy, and doesn’t stay soft long. You’ll have to work quickly.
Quick Molasses Candy Video Clip
Pour the molasses candy mixture into your two prepared pie pans, dividing it evenly between the two.
Once the candy is cool enough to handle, quickly roll it into ropes. Using the scissors cut it into pieces. This hardens up nicely and is fun to serve at parties.
Easy Molasses Candy
This is a simple molasses candy! Watch the video and make sure you read the instructions before starting.
Ingredients
- 1 c. molasses
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 Tbsp. white or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
Instructions
- Butter two glass pie pans and set aside. You will need a candy thermometer. In a 3 qt. heavy bottom saucepan, stir together the molasses, sugar, butter, and vinegar.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring just until the mixture comes to a boil. Clip a candy thermometer on the side, make sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan. Without stirring, boil over medium heat until the syrup reaches 265 degrees.
- Add the baking soda stir.
- Pour the molasses candy mixture into your two prepared pie pans, dividing it evenly between the two.
- Let the molasses candy cool until you can handle it but it’s still warm. Work with one batch at a time. Begin pulling the molasses candy into ropes. This is very simple! Pull the candy, double over and pull again. See the video.
- Continue pulling and doubling until the molasses candy is shiny and golden in color. Quickly stretch into a rope about 1/2″ wide. With a pair of kitchen scissors or just a sharp knife, cut the candy into 3/4″ pieces. Let all the molasses candy cool completely. Store in airtight containers. Makes about 6-7 dozen.
Notes
In the first video clip, I mention we are at high-altitude but became distracted and didn’t finish that sentence until the second clip. (hence, we ain’t doing quick clips anymore holding the camera ha!) So, boiling to 265 degrees is for sea-level. I explain a little in the video, but if you are high-altitude you’ll want to do a search for candy making at ‘your’ altitude.
If you haven’t tried to make candy, this is a great recipe for a beginner. Quick and Easy Molasses Candy is very simple and almost impossible to mess up. It doesn’t take much more than an hour to get these into a dish, and they are tasty!
A sweet reader pointed out that she thought the recipe was a taffy consistency – it’s not! As it cools it becomes harder to pull, which is why you need to be careful about how long you allow it to cool. This turns into a hard, delicious candy. (Easy to give as a gift!)
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On Joyous Home, we love publishing recipes, sewing and homemaking. We are children of Christ, and imperfect wives and homemakers. We’re happy you’re here!
Looks delicious!
These look so good!
These were so good!
Yes, sweetie, they were!
I’ve never had molasses candy. I have everything for this but the thermometer. A store trip I will need to make.
Let us know if you like it. It’s our favorite Christmas candy. Thanks for dropping by!
This looks like something that would be fun to make with my daughters.
We had fun with it. It doesn’t take long either! Thank you for dropping by!
T These look good!
They truly are! Thanks for coming by today!
I love molasses, so I bet I’ll love these! I wonder if they will break my teeth or if it’s sticky? Either way, YUM and probably worth it! And by the way, I’ve always avoided recipes that require a candy thermometer, even though I have one. It always seemed involved, but maybe I’ll actually give these a shot!
Well, don’t bite them, they might break a tooth! They are yummy. For a thermometer, I think I’m going to upgrade to a digital candy thermometer. The clip on ones work fine and are cheaper, but my daughter put mine in the dishwasher after that video. Not sure I’ll trust the temps now! Thanks for dropping by!
I have never made anything like this. Looks good. Thanks.
I hope you give it a try. It’s a great gift! Thanks for dropping by today!
this is one thing my young cookie baker has been trying to make without success — can’t wait to try your recipe!
Hope you like it, thanks for dropping by!
I will try this tomorrow with my children! I love molasses! Mmmm! Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! Thanks for dropping by today!
Oh my, this looks yummy. And I love the taste of molasses. So… I’ve just got to try this. 🙂
I would love to know if you like it! Thank you for stopping by!
I am thinking I will use this as part of my bake exchange recipe coming up!
It will be a hit! It packages pretty too. Have fun and thank you for visiting today!
This would make a nice Christmas gift. Thanks!
They are perfect for a gift! I hope you enjoy them! Thanks for visiting today!
It looks yummy! The only recipes I’ve tried making with molasses are cookies and gingerbread, but my dh is not a fan of molasses. I think our grandchildren would enjoy this treat though. 🙂
Have fun, our kids love them too! Thanks for visiting!
Old fashioned pulled candy . . . the apple cider and molasses provide nutritional benefits, too. Love!
Hi Kristi! Very yummy, make some for Christmas. Hugs to you all!
This is just what I’ve been looking for! We do a cookie/candy exchange and it’s a great change from our usual, I know I’ll be the only one who brings it.
Yes, they are unique! Enjoy and thanks for visiting today!
My son loves molasses, this will be a fun record to try with him.
I hope you all enjoy it. Such fun, thanks for visiting today!
Perfect timing, I just purchased a jar of molasses at the store, time to make candy!
Hi Nancy! I’m ready to make more. They really are good! Thanks for visiting again!
I love how the old fashion way is making a come-back. Thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome! Thanks for dropping by today!
sounds yummy!
I hope you try it! Thanks for dropping by!
Going to make this tomorrow!
Looks delicious, thanks!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
Tasty but…
I somehow had the idea that this was going to turn into a chewy taffy consistency so I kept pulling too long. Learned the hard way that you can’t let the candy get too cool while pulling. I made this mistake and it was impossible to then pull it into that half-inch rope for cutting, nor could I cut it with scissors or a knife at that point. I had to just wait until it cooled, and snap it off into relatively normal sized chunks. Still tastes amazing, but definitely not presentable! For dummies like me, you might add at the top of the recipe that this is a hard candy, not a chewy candy and include a note about just *how quickly* one must work near the end to not end up in my predicament. Thanks, and delish!!
Of course! Added in a comment. Hopefully, I mentioned this in the video, but it is candy, not taffy 😀 Thanks for the suggestion, yes that’s a hard one to fix once you get to the end! Glad you still thought it was delish. Blessings, Theresa
Can I use brown sugar instead of regular sugar? I’m out and I really want to make it right now! Lol
Hi Danielle,
I haven’t tried brown sugar but I probably wouldn’t substitute it, especially because of the intense flavor you get from the molasses, which really makes this candy! Hope you can try it!
What is the baking soda for?
We’ve had a lot of success making other candy when there’s vinegar, adding a bit of baking soda – it fizzes beautifully in this recipe, and makes it much lighter in taste. The recipe has a good amount of acid, so the soda helps neutralize. I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!
My mother made this for me70 years ago. I am going to make it ans some popcorn balls. I forgot how good they were