Jackie’s Potato Candy

Jackie’s Potato Candy

by Anna
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It wouldn’t have been a Christmas get-together at Pat Carmen’s house without Jackie’s Potato Candy.

Jackie, my sister-in-law, always made this potato candy–strange ingredient?–to take to holiday parties at church or to homes of friends and family.  It has been decades since I have seen any, though. Maybe I should discuss this with her…

I made these a couple of days ago, and will admit it was my first attempt.  Don’t let “attempt” scare you.  These are really good and easy.  But I have since looked up other recipes and found one that I would like to try out for another time.  I will try to remember to update this recipe, if needed. But don’t wait until then to try these!

From the photo, you will see these are a little oval in shape. If yours turn out like this, make them into footballs for Super Bowl Sunday.  A pinwheel shape is cuter, but whatever.

Wondering how people came up  with making potato candy?  So was I, found this on Google:

“Potato Candy actually originated in the South during the Great Depression; making this tasty treat was a great way to create a delicious confection out of the little ingredients that were available during those trying times.”

I like that explanation, but you feel free to research some more, if your appetite is whetted for more.

Right now, I think I need to grab my Jackie’s Potato Candy roll out of the freezer and eat it with some of this hot chocolate. Too sweet? Maybe. Not gonna worry about it on this rainy, cold day.

Jackie's Potato Candy

Tasty candy using 3 simple ingredients--a potato, some peanut butter, and powdered sugar.
By:
Ingredients
  • 1 medium potato, boiled
  • 1 or 2 lbs. powdered sugar
  • 1 small jar of peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
Directions
Step 1
Boil potato until done, but don’t over cook. Let cool completely. Peel.
Step 2
Mash potato with a fork until there are no lumps. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until dough is the consistency of stiff cookie dough. I used a hand mixer for this and it got really watery, so I added more powdered sugar.
Step 3
Separate dough into 2 parts. Sprinkle the counter with powdered sugar and roll out 1 part of dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
Step 4
Spread peanut butter all over the dough and roll up like a jelly roll. Use a knife or spatula to pick dough up from counter. Repeat process with the rest of the dough.
Step 5
Put dough in freezer. It will make slicing easier (will keep for up to 2 months).
Step 6
When ready to serve, slice roll into 1/4-inch slices.

 

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