Turkish Taffy

It’s National Taffy Day, which makes me yearn for those long ago days of Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy. Vanilla, of course. The first one, the one and only, that sustained and satisfied before the company thought they had to expand the brand into chocolate, strawberry and, good lord, of all things — banana.

Banana turkish taffy should have been forbidden as a matter of law.

Bonomo Turkish Taffy was the movie treat of my day. My brother Jeff and I would go to the theater on a Saturday morning and see a double feature, usually a Western and a couple of cartoons and probably Movietone news — black and white images of stuff that was going on in the world, anything from the “Korean conflict” to the Miss America pageant.

Our parents gave us money for popcorn and, if they were feeling flush, some extra money for a second treat. Usually Bonomo Turkish Taffy. If I didn’t eat the whole candy bar at the flick, I would take it home and save it for during the week. It got hard as a rock and in order to eat it you had to bang it on the table. It cracked into a few pieces, which were really terrific to chew, somewhat like a burst balloon or a large wad of old used-up gum. Your jaw hurt by the time you were finished and the sugary melty candy seeped into every molar, which made for a terrifying number of cavities.

Wish I had one. There are all sorts of substitutes out there now, but none can come close.

Loft's Butter Crunch

Which was better, Loft’s Butter Crunch or Loft’s Parleys?

For you young ones, those are the two iconic candies once sold by Loft’s, a candy company that went out of business in 1990. I’ve been in mourning ever since.

Their Butter Crunch was always my favorite. My brother insisted that the better choice was the Parley, a giant milk chocolate cigar looking thing with soft nougaty stuff inside.

Parleys were okay but Loft’s Butter Crunch was incomparable. The toffee was thick and brittle. It snapped when you broke it. The chocolate layer wasn’t overly thick so it didn’t detract from the candy part. And the nuts on the outside were tiny and soft, a sensational contrast to the velvety-tender chocolate and the crunchy center.

As well balanced as a dinner straight out of the government’s food pyramid.

I have tried for years to find a Butter Crunch as good as Loft’s, to no avail. There are fancier ones, made with single-estate chocolate or 70% cocoa chocolate. Some really expensive stuff and others from mass producers. Nothing comes close. I will grant you that Loft’s probably didn’t use great chocolate. It wasn’t your most upscale store. It sold modestly priced candies.

It’s just that their Butter Crunch was the best I ever ate.

When I was pregnant with my older daughter I refrained from sweets, to keep my weight at a decent level. But right after she was born I polished off the 2 boxes of Loft’s Butter Crunch that someone brought to me as a gift.

I’ve been experimenting making my own version lately. I made the ones in the photo yesterday to bring as a dinner gift this evening. These are good, so I’m posting the recipe. If you make them with milk chocolate and in a smaller cake pan (8”x8”) they’ll taste like Loft’s. Otherwise use dark chocolate of your choosing and use the larger pan — most people like the crunch part thinner than I do.

Butter Crunch

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1-1/2 cups chocolate chips)

3/4 cup chopped lightly toasted almonds

Lightly butter a 9”x13” sheet cake pan. Place the butter, sugar, salt, corn syrup and water into a deep saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to bubble. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is golden brown (about 7-8 minutes) or until a candy thermometer reads 280 degrees. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Immediately sprinkle the chocolate on top. Let it melt briefly, then use a spatula or the back of a large spoon to spread the chocolate evenly over the candy. Keep spreading until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Sprinkle the nuts on top and press them in lightly. Let cool until the chocolate is firm and set, about 2 hours. Break into pieces. Makes about 1-1/4 pounds