You read it correctly: Potato Candy! This recipe has been a favorite in my family for generations. Don’t be alarmed by the potatoes, they’re a critical ingredient that you’d never guess is hidden in this sweet old-fashioned candy!
My family loves making this potato candy around the holidays, especially for Christmas and Easter. You might even recognize the candy base as I’ve shared it before in my Easter Egg Candy. Be sure to read through the post for all of my most important tips before you begin!
If you’ve read this far you’re either really, really intrigued or you grew up making your own Potato Candy and already know how amazingly delicious this recipe really is.
I’m guessing we lost some people with the title, but trust me, they’re missing out. You’re going to be so glad you stuck around (and I’m so grateful for you for trusting me on this one!).
This recipe came from my grandmother’s grandmother. While the potatoes may seem off-putting at first, I promise you that you won’t taste them in the finished product. They mostly serve to bind the candy “dough” together, and they do so without making it too sweet (if you left out the potatoes, you’d have a much too sweet buttercream candy that you couldn’t roll into this cute pinwheel shape).
I do have lots of tips and tricks for making this recipe, so let’s jump in. I highly recommend you read through this entire post before venturing out to make your own Potato Candy.
Tips for Making Potato Candy
- Let the potatoes cool completely. Don’t refrigerate them, just leave them at room temperature once you’ve drained them until they are completely cooled, and then mash them until no lumps remain. If your potatoes are still warm when you add them to your mixture, there’s a good chance they’ll melt your butter and your sugar, resulting in a watery dough that you’ll have to toss out.
- Add more sugar as needed. The dough will need to chill before you can roll it out, and it will be too tacky when first mixed up, but it should be somewhat shapeable. If it’s too sticky, you can always add more sugar, up to 2 cups more.
- Dust your surface and your rolling pin with powdered sugar, it will make the whole process easier and your dough less likely to stick.
If the Mixture Becomes Watery, There’s a Good Chance You’ll Have to Start Over
Here’s my biggest warning about this recipe, a mystery I haven’t yet been able to solve: Every so often I’ll have a batch that turns out watery.
The first time this happened, I thought I hadn’t cooled the potatoes correctly and they melted the sugar. While that is definitely your most likely issue (and why I included the notes above) I’ve found that sometimes, even when I follow every instruction carefully and precisely, occasionally my dough turns out too runny. So runny that no matter how much sugar I add I just can’t salvage it.
Why this happens is still a mystery to me, and my best guess at this time is that it’s an issue with the potatoes. Perhaps they’re too old? Perhaps they’ve been boiled a minute too long? Not long enough? It may even have nothing to do with the potatoes (could it be the humidity?)!
If you have any suggestions I am ALL ears, I’ve spent so much time trying to solve this and have finally conceded the fact that this is just a risk of making this recipe. It only happens rarely now, especially now that I’ve learned to be so careful with cooling the potatoes (again, your most likely culprit), but it does still happen from time to time and I want you to be fully informed. It’s an issue that would typically cause me to not publish a recipe, but this is one that’s been in my family for generations and I felt it deserved publishing, just with a warning.
Alright, hopefully you now feel fully informed to make your own potato candy! Enjoy!
More Recipes You May Enjoy
Potato Candy
Ingredients
- ½ cup (105 g) plain mashed potatoes* see recipe notes for cooking instructions
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter softened
- 6-7 cups (800-910 g) powdered sugar plus additional for dusting
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Creamy peanut butter for filling
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine mashed potatoes, butter, and one cup of sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to stir until combined.½ cup (105 g) plain mashed potatoes*, ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, 6-7 cups (800-910 g) powdered sugar
- Add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time and stirring until combined after each addition. Once you've added 6 cups of powdered sugar, check the consistency. If the dough is not moldable in your hands and can't be rolled into a ball, continue to add sugar until it is firm.
- Stir in vanilla extract.2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes (if you chill longer it may become too firm and brittle and will just need to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes until it is pliable).
- Once chilled, divide dough into two pieces and place one piece on a clean surface that you've generously dusted with powdered sugar. Dust the surface of the dough with additional sugar, and use a rolling pin to roll dough out into a rectangle about ¼" thick (about 8x12"). If your dough is too sticky or falling apart, you may need to add more sugar, re-shape it into a ball, and start over.
- Once dough has been rolled into a rectangle, spread evenly with peanut butter, leaving a small amount of space peanut butter-free around the perimeter of the dough.Creamy peanut butter
- Starting with the longer side of your rectangle, gently but tightly roll into a log.
- Use a harp knife to cut into slices about ¼-½" thick.
- Repeat steps 5-8 with remaining half of dough.
- Serve and enjoy. Store leftover candy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
*Potatoes
Use russet potatoes. I recommend piercing your potatoes all over with a fork and heating in the microwave, rotating the potato every several minutes, until potato is tender when pierced with a fork. Then remove the potato filling from the jacket/skin and mash until smooth. I used to boil the potatoes and while this often works, I found this can sometimes cause the potatoes to retain water and make the mixture too watery to use. 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.Cinnamon Cigars
Another (peanut butter-free) version of this candy can be made by rolling the filling into cigar shapes and rolling in 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon for Cinnamon Cigar Candy. I've also used this potato candy recipe to make my old fashioned Easter Egg Candy.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Kellie
I am 61 years young. My mom used to make potato candy around Christmas every year. As did my grandmother. A couple of differences…. I never put butter in it, but will try next time. Also, I put red or green food coloring in it for Christmas. Turns out the same as yours. Oh and I never heard of putting vanilla in it. Thank you for sharing and Happy New Year!!!
Sam
You’re very welcome, Kellie! I hope you love the potato candy, thank you for commenting! 🙂
Rhonda Clark
Grandma kept hers in the freezer. She would pull that roll out and slice each of us a serving. It was a Christmas delight!! She didn’t call it Potato Candy, peanut butter roll!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for sharing, Rhonda! 🙂
Mike Quesnell
Just made this for my wife to try,my mom always made it when i was a kid.Thanks for sharing this recipe it came out perfectly and i made one with Hazelnut spread DELICIOUS
Sam
Thank you so much, Mike! I am so glad you enjoyed the potato candy so much! 🙂
Liz Marion
One of the seniors I work with was talking about this today, I can’t wait to make it! So glad I read through all the comments.
Sugar Spun Run
I hope that you enjoy the potato candy, Liz! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Michelle
Dont boil the potatoes…i put them in the microwave and bake them this leaves no extra moisture like boiling does turned out great!
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for sharing, Michelle! 🙂
MaryAnn Perry
I was going to tell you that as well. My great aunt hila made this candy every year and she baked the potatoes.
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for sharing, MaryAnn! 🙂
Theresa
My grandma taught me to boil the whole unpeeled potato. She said it you didn’t, it would go watery. 🙂
Shawna Carter
Been making this YUMMY candy for years.
The best potato to use is the Russett potato with skin on.
The thicket the skin the better.
The starch in the potato is what binds all of it.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the potato candy, Shawna! It is a personal favorite of mine too. 🙂
Annette
It’s the butter. Nix the butter. Some recipes call for only 2T or none at all. A stick of butter makes it like a smoother buttercream icing. Too much moisture.
Sam
I totally understand your thought process but I don’t recommend omitting the butter as it’s critical to the flavor/texture. 95% of the time it doesn’t cause an issue and it’s how my grandmother always makes hers. I do really appreciate the suggestion, though!
Cheryl Hill
My great-great grandmother pasted down a recipe very similar to this but she used egg whites, vanilla, and powder sugar.
Sugar Spun Run
I am glad that this potato candy recipe could bring back wonderful memories of your great-great-grandmother, Cheryl! 🙂
C J Morris
I would be concerned about consuming the uncooked egg whites! Then again, when our Grandmothers made this years ago, there wasn’t as much concern over stuff like that!
Tara
Question ..can you frezz this? I would like to make it with my cooking class at school but everything we do needs to be able to frezz thanks..T.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Tara! I have not tried it, but I don’t think it would be an issue here. 🙂
Mary White
I found your recipe by searching for potato candy fails, because that’s exactly what happened to me. It instantly became a watery, soupy mess and in my attempts to salvage it, I now have about 5 lbs of peanut butter flavored potato dough sitting in my fridge..
So here’s what I did so no one makes my mistake.
My recipe called for 2-3 medium potatoes (which is probably the initial area I screwed up – as “medium” is subjective. So I grabbed 6 smallish spuds, washed, peeled, and boiled whole.
Also, the recipe said “cook, peel, and mash” in that order.. I thought it might have been a mistake, or at least not crucial to perform in that order, but like another reader suggested – it may be better to leave them whole, and unpeeled to boil, or bake them – which I immediately thought I should have done after I poured in the sugar and turned it into a sweet potato soup.
The recipe I used also called for 2 TBSP Butter (I used cheap margarine – and again – doubled the amount because I underestimated how much candy this stuff made.)
It also said to use 1 tsp vanilla (I used the El cheapo McCormick Vanilla flavoring – and didn’t measure.)
And finally it said to use between 1 1/2 -2 lbs powdered sugar. I only had one 2 lb bag.
My potatoes were still very warm when I threw everything in and mashed it into soup.
I tried to thicken it with heat – nothing.
I added about a lb of cornstarch – regret – it tasted odd. Still soupy.
I added sugar, tried cooking the water out – nada. Just sweet.
I added a whole box of instant potato flakes.. yes.. yes I did.
I solved the moisture issue! Lol. But the texture suffered. Badly.
I added an entire jar of natural peanut butter.
Then I tried to mix it in, and picked up the whole thing and the pot with the potato masher.
I added more margarine, Vanilla, sugar, cried, and finally dumped/scraped it out onto waxed paper and tried to knead it all together.
I fed it to my heathens one by one to gauge their level of disgust/tolerance for my culinary failure.
And lo and behold – they think it’s delicious!
So. I currently have about a half pound of it rolled in wax paper in the fridge to cut into slices, and the remaining 4.75 lbs in a large Ziploc bag awaiting its fate.
Don’t make these mistakes, folks.
Sam
Wow, what an adventure!! Thank you for sharing, Mary!! Glad you were able to make it work!!!
Toni
This is hilarious and EXACTLY what I did the first time I tried to make it on my own (my grandmother used to make)!! Thanks for sharing! I am going to share the recipe and comments with my daughter who has now also officially entered the club of watery potato candy dough after her first try!!
Glenda Schwartz
I live in the south and have found I never make this on a rainy or humid day….will always fail!
Lisa Davis
I don’t measure out the potatoes. I just start with a smallish whole potato, peeled and cut into chunks before boiling. A potato roughly the size of a medium egg is plenty!
I’m also in the camp that doesn’t bother adding butter, just the mashed potato, confectioner’s sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla. It’s always a good idea to have PLENTY of confectioner’s sugar available – like two pounds at least! I have made a variation and added a tablespoon or two of regular baking cocoa to the potato “dough”. There’s plenty of sugar in there already, so what you get is a “peanut butter cup” candy! You can also use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy if you want another variation, and I suppose any other nut butter, maybe even Nutella, would make even more variations!
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa! All the variations you listed sound wonderful. 🙂
Paulina
My mother always made this candy for Christmas but never put the potatoes in it and I do it the same way she did.
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for sharing, Paulina! I am glad that you are a fan of Potato Candy too! 🙂
Sherry
PAULINA, If your mother didn’t put potatoes in….how is it Potato Candy?
Kim Spicher
I’ve never heard of this, but it sounds delicious! I’m wondering if BAKING the potatoes would be better than boiling. Potatoes would be drier.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Kim! Potato candy is so delicious. I can’t wait for you to try it! You are welcome to try baking the potatoes as well. 🙂
Teresa Southard
what temperature do you bake these at?
Ashley
I’ve made potato candy since I was little but I’ve never added butter or vanilla? Just potato and powdered sugar and penut butter and I’ve never put it in the fridge before rolling it out. I’ve never had it come out runny. It my be the butter causing it to be runny? Just a thought
RAY GLOVER
Yep. I agree. I sometimes add REAL vanilla concentrate (when I remember) but have never used butter.
I am thinking that overheating the butter to soften it, rather than letting it sit (causing the milk fat and water to separate) or using margarine (chemically homogenized water and oil) might be the culprit for the occasional failure.
This candy is always a hit, even when made with only the basic three ingredients.
Sandy
Same way my grandmother showed me no butter or vanilla
Tina
I make it the same way no butter but I do use the clear vanilla!!! My family loves making this every year!!
Karen
I agree Ashley. My mother always boiled the potato with the skin on. When the potato had TOTALY cooled shed remove the skin, mash it, add sugar roll and spread the peanut butter and cut.
I think it’s the butter too.
Rae Lynn
I’ve never had or made this but I’m wondering if boiling the potatoes whole with skins on (like I do for potato salad) then peeling would help with the occasional watery problem? Idk, just a thought😊
Sam
Definitely something worth trying! Thanks for the suggestion, Rae Lynn!