Old Fashioned Mashed Potato Candy Recipe, Whats Cooking America (2024)

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Since this Mashed Potato Candy recipe is an unique and unusual recipe, I thought everyone would enjoy seeing it and perhaps making them. This is also a great recipe to use up extra mashed potatoes.

No one will guess that you have used mashed potatoes in this recipe, unless you tell them! Mashed Potato Candy is an old family recipe that has been passed down for generations.

Also learn how to make Mashed Potato Fudge – This candy taste kind of like Almond Joy (Mounds Bar) candy bars, but without the almonds.

More wonderful Candy Recipes.

Potato Candy History:

It is difficult to find written documentation or early cookbooks on the history of potato candy. Most people that remember this candy as a child recall the recipe being passed down from Grandparents and Great Grandparents of German or Irish descent. Many believe the recipe to be introduced by the Pennsylvania Dutch. A common frugal German practice was to find delicious food uses for leftover potatoes.

The most popular recipe version is a rolled candy with a sweet filling in the center where other versions cut the candy into small squares or rolled them into balls. Different fillings that were used range from chopped nuts, candied cherries, coconut or chocolate. Sometimes coloring is added to the potato dough for festive holiday colors.

It was during the depression era in the United States that potato candy grew in popularity where cooks had to learn to be resourceful with less expensive ingredients. The addition of peanut butter filling is definitely an American tradition introduced during this time. “All the ingredients were easy and cheap to come by even during the dust bowl, which left most other crops devastated. Peanuts and potatoes tolerate and even replenish harsher soils’ nutrients and powdered sugar is cheaper than pure sugar. It was the ideal sweet for a bitter set of years.”

Source: Reader comment added to page of Ethnic Scrapbooking – What’s the Potato Candy’s Ethnic Origin.

1929 – The Candy Cook Book, by Alice Bradley, Little, Brown, and Company: Boston, 1929 (p. 29-30):

Potato Cocoanut Candy.
1 medium sized potato
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 cups shredded cocanut
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate.

Boil or bake potato until well done, and force through a coarse sieve or a potato ricer. There should be half a cup of potato. To this add sugar, cocoanut, and vanilla, working together until well mixed. Press one inch thick into small bread pan, and spread top with a thin layer of melted bitter chocolate or sweet chocolate. When chocolate is firm, cut in small squares. This can be varied by using nuts or fruits instead of cocoanut.”

1958 – The New Pennsylvania Dutch Cook Book, by Ruth Hutchison, recipe contributed by Mrs. Elwood Shaub, 1958

1 baked potato Confectioners’ sugar Vanilla Melted chocolate. As soon as the potato is baked, warm a mixing bowl and scoop the potato from its skin. Mash and add confectioners’ sugar, stirring and adding until mixture can be kneaded with the hands. Knead well, keeping warm, add vanilla and form into small balls. Dip quickly into melted chocolate kept warm over hot water and drop on waxed paper. Or shape like Easter eggs and dip. Potato balls can be flattened and topped with English walnut halves, the mixture can be used to stuff dates, which are then rolled in sugar, or it can be rolled out like dough, spread with peanut butter, rolled up and sliced, then dipped in coconut.

Old Fashioned Mashed Potato CandyRecipe:

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Old Fashioned Mashed Potato Candy Recipe:

Prep Time

20 mins

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:German

Keyword:Old Fashioned Mashed Potato Candy Recipe

Author: What's Cooking America

Ingredients

  • 1medium bakingpotato*
  • 1/2teaspoonpure vanilla extract,maple flavoring, or almond extract (your choice)
  • 2poundspowdered sugar(confectioners' sugar), sifted**
  • 1/2cupcreamy peanut butter

Instructions

  1. Bake or microwave the potato until a fork pierces it easily.

  2. While the potato is still warm, scoop out the contents of the potato and mash well.

  3. Mix in vanilla extract, maple flavoring, or almond extract, and powdered sugar into the mashed potato mixture until you have a stiff, workable dough. As the remaining sugar is added, the mixture will become very stiff and difficult to stir.

  4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to stiffen the dough.

  5. Place a large sheet of parchment paper or an Silpad on a large cutting board. Sprinkle powdered (confectioners' sugar) on the board. Using a rolling pin, roll the chilled dough into a large rectangular shape, approximately 1/4-inch thick. Add additional powdered sugar if dough gets too soft.

  6. Spread the top of the dough with the creamy peanut butter. Roll up the dough into a jelly roll shape (just like making a cinnamon roll). Roll up in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

  7. To serve, slice the chilled rolls into approximately 1/2-inch pieces.

  8. Store candy in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature to serve. Keep candy pieces covered as they will dry out quickly.

    Old Fashioned Mashed Potato Candy Recipe, Whats Cooking America (2)

Recipe Notes

* Learn how to makePerfect Mashed Potatoes. You can also use instant mashed potatoes to make this candy.

** Potatoes are different sizes. If you end up with more potato, you will need more confectioner's sugar.

Related Recipes

Categories:

Christmas Fudge Recipes Heirloom Recipes Mashed Potatoes Mid-Atlantic

Comments and Reviews

4 Responses to “Old Fashioned Mashed Potato Candy Recipe”

  1. Joan Bushnell

    Would like recipes.

    Reply

    • Nancy

      The recipe for Old Fashioned Mashed Potato Candy is down the page, either use the red “RECIPE” button at the to top of the page or, scroll down below the history.

      Reply

  2. Jack B. Evans Jr.

    My Granny passed down a family secret recipe for potato candy. I’ve got COvID19 and don’t have anyone to leave the secret to, so here you go. Potato-less Potato candy.
    8TBSP of Butter or Margarine softened;
    1TSP Vanilla Extract;
    1 Box Confectioner Sugar;
    1/2 Cup Peanut Butter.

    Set aside enough Powdered Sugar to dust your workspace and your rolling pin.

    Using your hands combine the sugar and butter until it creates a ball of dough.
    From this point work quickly as the dough will dry out quickly and crack when you roll it.
    On a sugar dusted workspace, using a sugar dusted rolling pin, Roll out the dough into a rectangle, don’t roll out too thin. You want a good 1/8 ” thickness. Then quickly spread the peanut butter on the rolled out rectangle. Roll the long side of the rectangle so that the ends are the short sides. Then slice your Potato Candy Roll and store in an air tight container. The secret is out. I hope someone will use this recipe to create some family fun like my granny did with our family and her sister’s family.

    Reply

    • Nancy

      Thank you for your Granny’s recipe, I do hope that you are feeling better?

      Reply

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Old Fashioned Mashed Potato Candy Recipe, Whats Cooking America (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of mashed potato candy? ›

Origins of the candy could possibly be traced to recipes brought to America by Russian, Irish, or German immigrants to the country during the late 18th and early 19th century, though no concrete proof of origin exists and the recipe only appears to be popular in the United States.

What is potato candy made of? ›

Chances are, you already have all of the ingredients to make this delicious sweet treat right in your kitchen. One potato (russet is recommended) serves as the core ingredient. A not-insignificant amount of powdered sugar takes the lead role. Milk, vanilla, peanut butter, and salt are the four other ingredients.

What do Americans call mashed potato? ›

Mashed potato or mashed potatoes (American, Canadian and Australian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butter, salt and pepper. It is generally served as a side dish to meat or vegetables.

Does potato candy have to be refrigerated? ›

Place the roll in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until it stiffens enough to cut. I recommend keeping the sliced potato candy in the refrigerator and covered when not eating it, as it can get dried out very easily. Keeping it cold will make it less sticky as well.

What country did potato candy originate from? ›

Potato candy came to the U.S., somewhere around the turn of the century, reportedly from Germany.

Is potato candy made from potatoes? ›

Mix together potatoes, butter or margarine, and milk. Add enough confectioners' sugar to make a stiff dough. Roll out on a flat surface sprinkled with powdered sugar. Spread on a layer of peanut butter and roll up.

Why is my potato candy runny? ›

Mashed potatoes must cool completely before adding sugar. Otherwise they will melt the sugar and you will end up with a very runny mess. I recommend allowing them to cool at room temperature rather than the fridge, as sometimes the condensation from the fridge can also make the mixture runny.

What candy came out in 1930? ›

Snickers Candy Bar. Introduced in exactly 1930, the Snickers Candy Bar is an old-fashioned candy bar that has been feeding our chocolate cravings for generations!

What is Irish potato candy made of? ›

The candies have a coconut cream inside (generally made from some blend of coconut, confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and cream or cream cheese) and are rolled in cinnamon on the outside, resulting in an appearance reminiscent of small potatoes.

What do British call cucumbers? ›

Amazingly enough, we call them cucumbers. If you go to a greengrocers, you may see it abbreviated to “cues”.

What do Americans call cucumber? ›

American cucumbers, whose seed is called Americana Slicing Hybrid, are the variety you're most likely familiar with at the grocery store, and are often simply labeled "cucumber." The skin of these cucumbers can be tougher than other varieties, and some you buy at the grocery store may have been coated in wax to help ...

Why do they yell mashed potatoes in golf? ›

Mashed potato came from one golfer wanting his mum to spot him on TV.

Where is potato candy popular? ›

So, Here's What We Know about Potato Candy

It's a favorite Christmas candy in Appalachia. It's good all year. Its origin is a mystery.

Where did Irish potato candy come from? ›

They were invented by Irish immigrants in Philadelphia—a candy-making capital in the early 20th century—likely in the 1800s or early 1900s, a time when the city was experiencing a huge influx of Irish immigrants.

What is the history of Irish potato candy? ›

Its roots can be traced back to the late 19th century when Irish immigrants in Philadelphia sought to celebrate their heritage in the United States. As they faced economic challenges, these immigrants adapted traditional Irish recipes to suit the ingredients available to them in their new homeland.

Who invented candied sweet potatoes? ›

The Origins of Candied Yams

The tradition of cooking sweet potatoes in a sugary syrup can be traced back to West Africa, where the tuber was a common staple food. Enslaved Africans brought this culinary practice with them to America, where it eventually evolved into the dish we know today as candied yams.

Why do they scream mashed potatoes? ›

This shout might be the worst of all. Mashed potato came from one golfer wanting his mum to spot him on TV. Andrew Widmar first shouted it at the 2011 Chevron World Challenge after Tiger hit a stinger.

Can you still eat gummy mashed potatoes? ›

So if the potatoes are getting near the end of their storage life there will be insufficient starch left to give the mash a light fluffy texture, and the mash ends up “gluey”. This is still quite edible but doesn't give us the light fluffy texture we all like.

Why do we eat mashed potatoes on Christmas? ›

Mashed potatoes hold a special place during Christmas for their comforting and versatile appeal. As a timeless comfort food, they evoke a sense of tradition and togetherness, making them ideal for festive family gatherings.

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