Unusual Ingredient in Candy

Are you a spud eater? Spuds, potatoes, or as I like to call them, taters, are probably America’s most favorite vegetable.

Potatoes, which are made up of 80% water and 20% solid, are one of the most versatile vegetables you will find in the garden. There are over 200 different varieties of potatoes, in the United States, but the most common are the Russet potatoes.

One reason this common vegetable is so popular is because it can be prepared in so many different ways, such as mashed, French fried, baked, hash browns, creamy au gratin, scalloped, soup, chips, tater patties or cakes, in casseroles, etc.

But one way you may not have heard of is, making candy. Honest. I am not pulling your leg. The peanut butter pinwheel candy that most people like, can be made from mashed potatoes.

When I was a young girl, I remember making Potato Pinwheel Candy with my mom using mashed potatoes, powdered sugar and peanut butter. I was telling a friend of mine about using mashed potatoes in pinwheel candy, and she thought I was crazy.

To prove to her that I was not, I googled and found the recipe. I decided to share it with you all also so that you can make it, too. It is fairly easy.

The potatoes make the candy creamy without making it taste overly sweet, such as in some pinwheel candy recipes. (This candy still isn’t good for diabetics. Although it doesn’t taste as sweet as the other Pinwheel Candy recipes, it still has a lot of sugar in it, and the potatoes are a starchy food, which is bad for diabetics.)

Potato Pinwheel Candy Ingredients

½ cup mashed potatoes

1 stick salted butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 to 7 cups of sifted powdered sugar

½ cup creamy peanut butter

Directions

Make sure the mashed potatoes are completely cooled to room temperature before moving on to the next step. (This is important. If the potatoes are still warm, the sugar will melt and your candy will become a runny, gooey mess. Also don’t try to cool the potatoes in the refrigerator at this step either, as condensation will appear and that will also ruin your candy.)

When the potatoes are cooled, with an electric mixer, mix the plain mashed potatoes with the softened butter, vanilla extract and one cup of the sifted powdered sugar. Add the remaining powdered sugar one cup at a time until the mixture is firm and the ingredients are well incorporated and easily moldable.

You can now place the mixture in the refrigerator for an hour to help it firm up. Once chilled, divide the mixture into two equal balls.

Spread wax paper on your counter or table, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Roll the candy out forming two rectangles (from the two balls) about ¼ inch thick on the waxed paper. Spread each rectangle with peanut butter, covering the entire surface.

Then starting with the longer side of the rectangle, roll the candy tight into a spiral like a jelly roll and then wrap it in waxed paper. Refrigerate for two hours or until it is firm enough to cut. Slice into ½ inch thick slices and serve.

TIPS: To keep the slices fairly round, rotate the log as you cut it, so the bottom doesn’t get squished. Also store the potato candy in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

I hope you enjoy this candy made with potatoes.