Potato Candy

 

Potato candy.  I found out tonight that at least two of my friends do not know about potato candy and I am very scared there are more of you.  My mom made it time and again growing up and it was just one of those things that I assumed everyone knew about.  Apparently not and I’m here to fix that!

First, hang on to your seats folks because this candy is made from MASHED POTATOES!  OK before you check out, I promise it’s so yummy.  I wish I could just stuff a piece in your mouth and let it do the talking instead of trying to convince you but alas, it will have to do with a tutorial.

I’ll warn you, the recipe is kind of sketchy.  Anal bakers are going to hate this post.  But hang with me because the good part is it’s pretty hard to mess this one up.

This is the recipe you go to when you have that last 1/2-2/3 cup of leftover mashed potatoes and it’s not enough to go around for another meal.  It works best with real mashed potatoes.  If you’re not making The Pioneer Woman’s mashed potatoes you’re seriously missing out on life.  It’s not hard.  Really.

So if you have about 1/2 cup or so of potatoes left, put them in a mixing bowl with a teaspoon of vanilla.  Then grab a whole bunch of powdered sugar.  You’ll probably need about 5 cups for every 1/2 cup of potatoes.  Stir the powdered sugar in about a cup at a time.  It makes it really runny somehow, even if your potatoes were super thick.  So, add in a cup at a time, working it in until it turns into dough.  You’ll need to be able roll the dough out but you don’t want it crumbly.  Think about something slightly less stiff as fondant.

Once you get it to the right consistency, sprinkle your work area with powdered sugar and roll it out until it’s about 1/4” thick.  Parts of mine were a little too thick this time.

Now get your peanut butter out and spread a thin layer across the top.

You don’t want the peanut butter very thick because it will be messy when you roll it up.  I think I could have done this layer of peanut butter just a tad thicker.  But I can never get enough peanut butter so there’s that.  Ok.  Now carefully roll up the dough like a cinnamon roll.

At this point, you can cut the roll in half and put it in a gallon plastic bag or wrap it in wax paper and then put it in the fridge to harden.  Once it’s set about an hour or two later, take it out and cut it in 1/2” thick slices.  And bam!  Potato candy.  Clearly I couldn’t wait to taste it.

This basically tastes like creamy powdered sugar dipped in peanut butter. Maybe like a peanut butter fudge.  I don’t know.  All I know is it’s good.

My mom always kept it sliced up in a Tupperware container, separating the layers with wax paper.  Potato candy has a TON of sugar in it and it’s not good for you but definitely something you gotta try.