Old fashioned potato candy is mashed potatoes, powdered sugar, and peanut butter rolled up and sliced into pinwheels. Three ingredients. No baking. It sounds strange until you taste it and then it makes perfect sense.
My grandmother made this every Christmas. It was her recipe, handed down, and now it is mine. I make a double batch because one log disappears while it is still chilling in the fridge.
Why This Old Fashioned Potato Candy Works
The potato is not there for flavor. It acts as a binder. It holds the powdered sugar together and gives the candy a smooth texture you can roll out like dough. You do not taste potato at all. What you taste is sweet, creamy peanut butter wrapped in a thin layer of candy.
Powdered sugar goes in a little at a time. If you dump it all at once, it melts into the warm potatoes and turns runny. Adding it in half cup scoops and kneading as you go lets the sugar build structure slowly. The dough should feel stiff but still pliable. Like playdough. If it gets sticky, add more powdered sugar. If it gets dry, you added too much. A tiny splash of milk brings it back.
Russet potatoes are the right potato for this. They are dry and starchy, not waxy. Waxy potatoes hold too much water and the candy will not set. Instant potatoes are even worse for the same reason. Boil a real russet, mash it smooth, and let it cool completely before you start.
The peanut butter layer needs to be thin. Too thick and it squishes out the sides when you roll. Just enough to cover the dough from edge to edge.
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Ingredients in This Old Fashioned Potato Candy Recipe
It only takes 3 ingredients to make this candy:
- 1 medium russet potato, boiled and mashed
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- creamy peanut butter
How to Make This Old Fashioned Potato Candy Recipe
- Scrub and peel the potato. Boil it until fork tender, then drain and mash until completely smooth. Let the mashed potato cool to room temperature before you touch it. Warm potatoes melt the sugar.
- Add powdered sugar half a cup at a time, kneading it into the mashed potato with your hands. Keep going until a stiff dough forms. It should hold its shape and not stick to your fingers. This takes about 6 to 7 cups depending on the potato.
- Dust a sheet of parchment paper with powdered sugar. Flatten the dough onto the parchment and shape it into a rectangle about a quarter inch thick. Place another sheet of parchment on top and roll it smooth with a rolling pin.
- Peel off the top parchment. Spread a thin, even layer of peanut butter over the dough, all the way to the edges.
- Starting at the long side of the rectangle, roll the dough up tightly like a jelly roll. Use the parchment paper underneath to help guide it. Wrap the finished log tightly in the parchment and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours. The dough needs to firm up before you slice.
- Once chilled, unwrap and slice into quarter inch thick rounds. Store in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers.
What's Needed to Make Potato Candy
- A saucepan is needed to boil the potatoes
- A sharp knife or potato peeler to peel the potatoes before boiling
- Potato masher to mash the potatoes for the candy base
- Parchment paper to keep the workspace clean and for rolling up the candy
Make Ahead and Storage
Potato candy keeps in the fridge for up to a week. Layer the slices between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container so they do not stick. It also freezes well. Two months in a freezer safe container. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Variations
Use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy if you want some texture. The peanut bits add a little snap to each bite.
Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the dough if you want a hint of vanilla. My grandmother never used it and I do not either, but it works.
More Holiday Recipes
No bake peanut butter balls have a smooth peanut butter center and a chocolate shell. Christmas crack is saltine toffee with chocolate and pecans, ready in 30 minutes. Both are on my holiday candy platter every December.
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Potato Candy
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized Russet potatoes
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Scrub and peel the medium potatoes and boil until fork tender.
- Once boiled, drain and mash until smooth.
- Allow the mashed potatoes to come to room temperature before using.
- Add about ½ cup of powdered sugar at a time to the cooled mashed potatoes in a large bowl, kneading the mixture until a stiff dough begins to form.
- Line a workspace with parchment paper, dust it with powdered sugar, and flatten and spread the dough out into a ¼-inch thick rectangle. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll it out using a rolling pin to spread the dough evenly.
- Spread a thin layer of peanut butter onto the dough evenly.
- To roll the dough up jelly-roll style, use the parchment paper under the candy, start at the long side of the rectangular shape, and roll the dough up tightly.
- Wrap the potato candy log tightly with parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours.
- Cut into ¼ inch thickness.
- Store candy slices in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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