Desserts
Old-Fashioned Potato Candy Recipe with Peanut Butter
Simple and sweet, this reader-submitted retro peanut butter and potato candy recipe has only 4 ingredients.
By Aimee Tucker|Mar 06 2020|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanYield:
Ingredients
Instructions
I still make potato candy at Christmas. Some I color pink and add chopped maraschino cherries, some coconut…tastes like Mounds…and other varieties, I roll in a ball and dip in chocolate. In the old days my grandmother rolled it in a ball, flattened it and pressed a half walnut into it. I think the secret is making sure your potatoes aren’t cooked so long that they become “water soaked”. I don’t have all that moisture in mine.
Hi Joan! Those all sound delicious! Also, good tip! When I make this again, I’ll transfer the potatoes back to low heat after draining the water, then stir them until they’ve dried out more before mashing and adding the sugar. Thanks!
These bring back such great memories! My Aunt Arvilla used to make these every year at Christmas time! I’ve found that using a ‘drier’ potato, like a baking potato, and being sure it’s quite dry after it cooks, is a great way to start the recipe. I made the mistake of using leftover mashed potato but found it to be too wet with all the milk and butter in it. They do take some work and patience, but are absolutely worth the trouble!
Potato candy was a major part of the Christmas season at my home from infancy (1937 – ??). Dad had a good job with a power company though not a high paying one. As was typical then, Mom’s big job was taking care of the family, just the 3 of us. Money was always tight which I didn’t know wasn’t true for some other people we knew. Consequently in our household we never had a tradesman in the house that I recall, dad made soap with some of the lard from the hogs my grandparents slaughtered and we had a garden from which vegetables were canned. Buying candy just didn’t happen but for rare occasions and potato candy was a wonderful treat. Mom knew we liked it so sometimes made it at other times probably depending on whether she could afford the confectioners sugar. I loved it then and my wife still makes it from the recipe which may be her mother’s or mine. We don’t recall.
Hi. We here in MA and NH have never heard of this PB candy roll—-BUT friends in KY TN GA know about it. Just wondering why it is in Yankee Magazine …… ?? A Yankee recipe or Southeren sweet?? Thanks!
Thank you for reminding me! As a child, a neighbor would make “mashed potato candy” at Christmas and share only a few precious pieces. I would put them in the fridge and nibble so they would last all day! Yes, I think I’m going to try and make my own this year.
My dad always made this for Christmas and I am carrying on the tradition have for the last 5 years
I just made this recipe this past Christmas. My husband is from Quebec and his mom made it for him all the time growing up. I had never heard of it until I started seeing him. He’d made it many years ago and I had never tried until Christmas. We ran into the same problem thinking we messed up since wasn’t “dough” yet. So we put it into the refrigerator for an hour as well and it became more dough-like. Our hard part was flattening it. We discovered putting it on wax paper and then adding another sheet of wax paper on top of it (sandwich it in wax paper) and use a drinking glass or rolling pin to flatten it out and then peel off the top layer of wax paper works wonders! We then just put a light layer of peanut butter on top and rolled it like a sushi roll. I agree, you have to do this step quickly or else it gets too sticky to roll. After rolling, we put in the fridge again overnight and next morning before going to my grandparents, cut it into slices. It was a huge hit!! We made sure to only mash a potato, no milk or butter or anything like some other recipes call for because that makes it too wet. Going to make again this weekend, will try the trick of placing the potato back on low after draining to get some more of the moisture out of it and see if that makes a little easier too!
Great tips, Carolyn! I’ll definitely try putting it between the wax paper sheets to roll it out next time.
Maybe steaming the potatoes, rather than boiling them in water, would be beneficial.
If you put the jelly roll pan with the potato/peanut butter back in the frig and chill it, it will roll better. Mom used to make this at Christmas time.
Hello All and Happy Holidays!!! …I have made this several times…love it!! Remember… the larger the potato, the more powdered sugar that is required. Personally and as messy as it is, I “work” the sugar and potato into a “sugar dough”, by hand. Definitely a sticky mess, but be patient…keep stripping your fingers of gooey sugar, adding powdered sugar and folding the mixture until it becomes “dough”. You may have to divide the “dough” in order to “control the roll”. Lay out a sheet of wax paper and dust it with sugar…dust your rolling pin and roll out/flatten your “sugar dough”…spread on peanut butter…roll and slice. Simple…messy to prepare using this method, but very simple. Enjoy!!
Excellent tips, Corenda! It’s certainly a most unusual “dough,” but oh-so worth it.
I love this candy. My Grandmother always made it. When you mix the sugar and potato is the potato supposed to be hot or cold? Mine always turns out a disaster… so I was wondering if there was something to the temperature of the potato when you start mixing the sugar…..
Hello Jennifer! I don’t think that the temperature of the potato makes a difference, but I can’t say for sure. I have always let the potato cool enough that I can mash it with my hand and not get burned. Be sure you have enough powdered sugar on hand, and just keep adding sugar until your “mixture” looks like biscuit dough. Good luck!!
Interestingly enough, I was just describing this to my husband over the weekend and explaining how it was made. (FYI – We are from NC) I just described this to a co-worker and went online to find a picture. I’m 31 and my grandmother will be 89 in April. She taught me to make this when I was young and actually let me make it by myself a couple times. Thanks for the article!
I have made this candy for decades, as it was a favorite from my childhood. My mother and I always let the potatoes cool before adding the powdered sugar. And it always takes more powdered sugar than you think you will need.
The trick is the size of the potato. A small one is all you need.
Thank you for everyone who contributed to this! It is very much appreciated, all the cooking tips and stories are the best. Thanks again.
As a tradition, we make this every Christmas. My mom made this when I was growing up because her mother made it when she was little in the 1930’s. We sometimes use crunchy peanut butter/sometimes creamy.
My grandmother (dad’s mom) made this and then my mother. This was Easter candy. We made plain, peanut butter or coconut. They would fashion it with hands, into an egg shape, not roll it out. It would sit out over-night then was coated in semi-sweet chocolate the next day. I loved this candy as I have a wicked sweet tooth and always thought it was a “PA Dutch” recipe (they lived in PA).
I wonder if baking the potato would help. Baking would take out some of the natural moisture of the potato, boiling or steaming would only add to it. I make baked potatoes by first microwaving them until they are done, then heating them in the oven to crisp the skin and dry them out a bit. This is a lot faster than baking them. This method would also help remove some of the moisture in the potato. Just a thought.
My Dad would make potato candy using mint flavoring and adding food coloring to several batches making pink, yellow, green, and white patties. They were delicious and made a colorful dish to give someone…
My neighbor would make this esp at Xmas. She taught me and now I make it for friends to enjoy. The secret is to use a very small potato. It’s delicious.
Peanut Butter Pinwheels! We are Pennsylvania Dutch and always made these from Cold left over mashed potatoes. My grandmother made these her entire life. Using a peanut butter with very little sugar in it gives you a much better contrast to the sweet white candy, resulting in a much better taste. We also left them uncovered in the top shelf of the fridge once they were cut. This helps them to dry out and set up perfectly every time. Yummm
My dad’s sisters made this from their mother’s recipe. I’ve made it also, and agree with the great tips here. Use a small potato, have lots of confectioner’s sugar on hand (you will be surprised at how much you’ll need!), and have patience. Cold is the key. We are in Rhode Island, so this definitely has a rightful place in New England! My grandmother’s mom was born here. Thank you for taking me back; I haven’t made potato peanut butter candy in years, but I may surprise my family with it!
My husband’s family is from the SW Virginia/NE Kentucky area. They make a variation of this candy that they call “Snake Candy.” It looks the same, but they use butter to bind the powdered sugar. They vehemently deny that there was ever any potato used! The candy dough is mixed by hand on the kitchen table, patted/rolled flat and spread with creamy peanut butter, rolled up, and chilled. It too, is so sweet that it will set your teeth on edge.
Most people who had moisture problems with this recipe didn’t mention what kind of potato they used. A “baking potato” like an Idaho or russet cooks up dry and crumbly and doesn’t give you the gooey result of a boiling or all-purpose potato. They also work best for mashed potatoes, in my opinion.
I’ve made this for years my gramma taught me. Take a small potatoe about 2” in diameter boil until done put thru potatoe ricer to remove lumps. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or any flavor you’d like, add confectioners sugar until mixture holds its shape. Place in greased 8×8 baking dish. Spread melted chocolate bits on top and cover with shredded coconut. This may be shaped into balls and dipped in chocolate—instant bon bons. The potato absorbs more sugar than you’d anticipate. Hope this helps the readers.
My grandma used to make this with us. We made it at Easter with the peanut butter mixed in, formed it into small egg shapes, flattened on the bottom, and dipped it in melted chocolate…yum!
I remember this candy from childhood. I’ve made it a couple of times, with mostly good results. Thanks for posting!
My mother made candy like this using butter instead of potatoes. It never lasted very long.
Made Easter eggs with these ingredients with center colored yellow and dipped in chocolate! Secret is to start with smallest amount of mashed potato until desired consistency and you will discover a small amount of potato goes a really long way!
My mother made this every Christmas. I loved it, that’s probably why I have Diabetes know. lol I have made this for my grandchildren and I cook the potato just till fork tender and mash it mixing in the confectionery sugar just enough so I can handle it then roll it out and add the peanut butter. Roll up and place in refrigerator till the next day then slice. And YUM YUM
Potato candy is a very old recipe . I can remember my grandmother making this over 60 years ago.Very popular in NY
This was a tradition in my husbands family and he taught me to make it when we were dating. His gauge for the amount of powdered sugar needed was when you could stand a fork in the dough without it falling over. My sons have never had a Christmas without potato candy and when continue the tradition even after my husband’s passing..
My Mom used to make this when I was growing up. She recently put together a book of her favorite recipes and Potato Candy was in it. I never knew it was a depression era thing. In our house, it was just a normal thing.
My stepmother made this when I was a kid in the 80’s. Turns out, it is the one thing I can make in the kitchen that turns out well (along with spaghetti bread) and everyone loves it. The trick is to cut small chunks off of your potato, mash that into a large bowl and then add powdered sugar. Keep adding powdered sugar and potato until you get the quantity you want. The mixture will become thick and harder to stir and that’s when you know it is ready. If it is too firm, add a bit more potato, if it is too soft, add a bit more powdered sugar. Sometimes I roll it up like a log, but often times I roll it out and use cookie cutters to make potato candy “sandwiches” like flowers or seasonal shapes. When I make the potato candy “flower sandwiches” I brush on the slightest hint of food coloring to the top to add a bit of color to the flowers. You can also add food coloring to the potato candy as you mix it, but once you get to the kneading stage, you really have to work hard to get it mixed in thoroughly. This is also great to make scenes. I once used potato candy to make a Christmas scene. My son learned how to make it early and he loved making various scenes – almost like play-doh – and then eating it. Though a word of caution – a little goes a long way because this stuff is super sweet! You can use crunchy or smooth peanut butter. I prefer crunchy, but it depends on the person.
What is spaghetti bread?
Cut down the side of an empty plastic wrap or aluminum foil tube. After you roll up the candy into a roll, put it into this tube form and then chill it. I do this with short bread cookie dough before slicing also.
This is an ingenious idea! Thanks for the tip.
My mother made this all the time. She used a very small potato , cooked it, mashed it, & let it cool. Then she’d add powdered sugar a little at a time until she got a firmer dough. Then she’d roll it out and spread peanut butter on it, rolled it, then cut into small slices. The slices were never round. I believe she told us this was a WPA ( Works Progress Administration) recipe from war time when many things weren’t available.
My wife makes this. It was her families thing. She used leftover cold mashed potatoes about the size of a walnut. Mixes in enough powered sugar to make it like pie dough. Roll out smear with peanut butter roll up like a jelly roll, slice and enjoy
It’s funny I see several people say “my dad made this candy” when I can say the same thing. Dad would be 104 yrs old. I’m 73. I grew up in Reading-Lancaster area of PA. (PA Dutch area) Potato candy is an original PA Dutch concoction. Dad said his grandmother would make it. So it’s older than the Great Depression. I’d venture to say it goes back to old Germany and spread to U.S as Germans settled along the East Coast in 1700’s. Unlike today, everything was used up. Left over potato, make candy treat for the children. Heard of Funnel cakes? Left over pancake mix poured thru a funnel–treat for the kids. Most people had to be frugal, didn’t have everything we have today. We would make potato candy any time, not just for Christmas and Easter. I got carried away, just looking for a recipe to make it for my grand sons.
This seems very much like a buckeye, especially when you add chocolate. Peanut butter and powdered sugar are great together. I don’t imagine the potato does much more than bind- no flavor
I’m 70 and this was my favorite Christmas treat !