8 hours ago, cakewalk said:That's a new one for me. What have I been missing?
I learned to make it from the neighbors when I was in elementary school in Appalachia. Take a small peeled, boiled potato (if you are boiling them for dinner just make a spare) and let it cool to room temp. One small potato the size of a tangerine will soak up an amazing amount of sugar and make PLENTY of candy. Do not use a refrigerated potato. Mash the potato and add a drop of vanilla and confectioner's sugar until it's firm, or like Elaina says, soft clay -but not too soft, closer to Play-Doh. We always rolled it out into a rectangle about 1/3" thick, then spread it thickly with peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, your choice), roll up and slice into pinwheels. Store between sheets of wax paper so it doesn't dry out, try to eat it within a few days.
I did some online research on this candy. Some people, wrongly, claim that it was pioneer food. (confectioner's sugar? really? and PB isn't that old...) Turns out that this candy originated during the great depression, in Pennsylvania.
