What Is Potato Candy — A Brief Background & Notes
Potato candy is a traditional no‑bake confection popular in American Appalachian and rural cooking, especially from times when ingredients were scarce or expensive. It uses mashed potato (white potato, usually russet) as a binder / starch base, mixed with large amounts of powdered sugar to form a pliable dough, which is rolled out, spread with peanut butter (or another filling), rolled like a jelly roll, chilled, and sliced. Despite using potato, you typically do not taste potato — the flavor becomes neutral, and the sweet + peanut butter dominates.
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Because the potato provides starch and moisture, you don’t need cooking sugar or heating — it’s essentially a “cold candy.” The technique is simple but demands attention to consistency (too wet and the dough won’t roll; too dry and it cracks).
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Ingredients — What You’ll Need & Why
Here’s a robust recipe (makes a sizable roll, several dozen slices). You can scale up or down, but this gives you good coverage for optional variations.
Ingredient Amount Role / Note & Optional Substitutions
Russet potato, peeled, boiled & mashed ~ ½ cup (≈ 120 g mashed) Provides starch binder. Let potato cool completely before use.
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Milk (or cream) ~ 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Helps with smoothness / pliability. Some recipes include more (2 Tbsp)
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Vanilla extract ~ 1 tsp Adds flavor (optional but common)
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Pinch of salt a small pinch Enhances flavor
Powdered (confectioners’) sugar ~ 6 cups (≈ 720 g) (plus extra for dusting) The bulk of the candy. Start with less, add gradually until dough form.
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Creamy peanut butter ~ ⅓ cup (≈ 80 g) The filling. You can increase slightly or substitute another nut / seed butter
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Optional / variation ingredients (choose some, not all):
Butter (a small amount, e.g. 1–2 Tbsp) for richness (some older versions include)
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Cocoa powder or chocolate (for a chocolate version)
Nuts (chopped) mixed in or as topping
Coconut, cinnamon, other flavors
Equipment & Prep Notes
You’ll want:
Pot for boiling potato
Mixing bowls
Electric mixer (or sturdy spoon / spatula)
Measuring cups & spoons
Wax paper / parchment paper
Rolling pin
Knife or pizza cutter
Plastic wrap or wax paper for wrapping the roll
Refrigerator space (for chilling)
Prep tips:
Cook and mash potato first. Use a white potato (russet) — avoid waxy new potatoes. Boil until very tender, drain thoroughly. Let it cool (even refrigerate) before mixing.
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Cool the mashed potato — warm potato may melt sugar prematurely or cause texture issues.
Have your peanut butter ready (at room temp) so you can spread it easily.
Dust your work surface and rolling surfaces with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
Work fairly quickly — the dough can dry out or crack if left too long.
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Step‑by‑Step Instructions (Old Fashioned Potato Candy)
I’ll break it into fine detailed steps, including optional branches and timing cues.
1. Cook & prepare the potato
Peel and cut potato into chunks.
Place in pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer until fully tender (fork pierces easily).
Drain thoroughly; transfer to bowl.
Mash or beat until very smooth, no lumps. Use mixer if available for extra smoothness.
Let mashed potato cool completely (even chill for 10–15 min) before proceeding.
2. Add milk, vanilla, salt & begin sugar addition
Stir in milk (or cream), vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Mix until well incorporated.
Begin adding powdered sugar gradually — start with 1 cup, mixing thoroughly, then keep adding in increments (cup by cup) until the mixture transforms into a dough-like consistency. Many recipes suggest up to 6 cups, but you may need more or less depending on the moisture of your potato.
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Continue until the mixture is thicker than cookie dough — you should be able to gather it into a ball that doesn’t stick excessively. If it’s too sticky, add more powdered sugar (tablespoon by tablespoon). If it’s too dry / crumbly, add a drop more milk.
3. Form the dough & roll it out
Form the candy dough into a single ball.
Dust a sheet of wax or parchment paper with powdered sugar. Place the dough on it.
Dust the top of the dough with more powdered sugar (so it doesn’t stick to rolling paper).
Place another sheet of parchment or wax paper over the dough (sometimes used to prevent sticking).
Roll the dough into a rectangle ~ 1/8 inch (≈ 3 mm) thick. Common dimensions ~10×12 inches (or proportionally).
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Some recipes trim edges to make neat rectangle.
4. Spread the peanut butter & roll
Spread peanut butter evenly over the dough surface, leaving a small margin (a few millimeters) on one long edge to allow sealing.
Using the parchment to guide it (or your hands), roll the dough jelly-roll style from the long side to long side, forming a tight spiral / log.
Wrap the log tightly with parchment / plastic wrap to hold shape.
5. Chill & slice
Chill the wrapped log in the refrigerator (or freezer) for at least 1–2 hours, until firm. Many recipes suggest overnight chill for easier slicing.
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Once firm, unwrap and use a sharp knife (or serrated) to slice into thin rounds (¼ inch / 5 mm or desired thickness).
Place slices on a tray, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until serving.
Timing & Workflow Table
Step Estimate
Peel, cut, cook potato ~20–25 min
Mash & cool potato ~10 min / chilling
Mix potato + milk + vanilla + initial sugar ~5 min
Gradual sugar addition to dough consistency ~10 min
Roll out dough & spread peanut butter ~5–10 min
Chill to firm 1–2 hours (or longer)
Slice & finish ~5 min
Total active time ~45–60 min
Total including chilling ~2 – 3 hours
You can overlap potato cooling with mixing and rolling prep.
Tips, Variations & Troubleshooting
Here are many tips, variant ideas, and help for when things go wrong.
Tips for success
Potato moisture matters: wetter mash = more sugar needed. If too wet, let it lose some moisture (air dry briefly).
Use powdered sugar only — granulated sugar will ruin the texture.
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Dust well with sugar when rolling so nothing sticks.
Work quickly — dough dries out / cracks if left too long.
Chill log before slicing to get clean slices.
Trim rough edges for uniform appearance (optional).
Slice thinly — these candies are sweet and dense.
Store cool; best kept in refrigerator.
Variations & twists
Butter / richness variant: Some older recipes include a bit of butter in the dough for richness.
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Chocolate / cocoa overlay: After slicing, dip or drizzle with chocolate. Some older family versions include a chocolate coating.
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Coconut or nuts addition: Mix in shredded coconut or chopped nuts into the dough or roll in outside.
Flavor variants: Add cinnamon, nutmeg, or flavor extract (almond, orange) to the dough.
Nut butter substitutes: Use almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter instead of peanut butter (for allergies).
Skip peanut butter: Some versions omit peanut butter entirely and shape the candy into small balls ("potato balls") with flavoring (vanilla, cinnamon) and roll in sugar.
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Make mini logs: Instead of one large roll, divide dough into smaller rolls for variety / gift giving.
Troubleshooting common issues
Problem Likely Cause Fix / Prevention
Dough too sticky / won’t roll Not enough powdered sugar or potato too moist Add more powdered sugar, let potato lose moisture, chill dough briefly before rolling
Dough cracks when rolling Too stiff, too dry, cold Work gently, use a bit more cream/milk, roll between parchment so stress is less
Filling squeezes out Spread peanut butter too thick or roll too tight Use thinner layer of peanut butter, leave margin near edge
Candy falls apart when slicing Not firm chilled, too soft dough Chill longer, use sharper knife, slice gently
Texture grainy / sugar harsh Sugar not fully mixed, or too much sugar Mix thoroughly; don’t overdo additions; use quality powdered sugar
Community memories & notes
Many people recall making potato candy during holidays or childhood, noting it “doesn’t taste like potato” and is addictively sweet.
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Some family versions include chocolate layers, coconut, or roll in nuts or coatings.
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One commenter says:
“1 cup mashed potatoes and 1 pound of powdered sugar mix till combined … roll up … chill … slice”
Another: older potato (drier) works better; new potatoes are too watery.
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Full Consolidated (Printable) Recipe: Old Fashioned Potato Candy
Here is a clean, printable version you can use:
Old Fashioned Potato Candy
Yield: ~30–40 slices (depending on thickness)
Time: ~2 – 3 hours (including chilling)
Ingredients
~ ½ cup mashed russet potato (peeled, boiled, cooled)
~ 1 Tbsp milk
~ 1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
~ 6 cups powdered sugar (plus extra for dusting)
~ ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter (or nut butter of choice)
Instructions
Boil, peel, and mash potato until smooth. Let it cool fully.
Stir in milk, vanilla, and salt.
Gradually add powdered sugar (about 1 cup at a time), mixing until a firm dough forms (thicker than cookie dough).
Form dough into a ball, dust with powdered sugar.
Place dough on sugar‑dusting surface, dust top, cover with parchment, and roll to ~1/8 inch thickness into rectangle (e.g. 10×12 in).
Spread peanut butter evenly, leaving a small margin.
Roll tightly jelly‑roll style (long side to long side). Wrap in parchment / plastic wrap.
Chill in refrigerator (or freezer) for 1–2 hours or more until firm.
Slice into ~¼ inch rounds. Serve.
Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.
If you like, I can convert this for you into a lower‑sugar version, or a vegan / dairy‑free version, or a variant using local ingredients (nuts, dates, etc.). Do you want me to send one of those?
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