Homemade taffy is good - and it's a lot of fun to make when more than one person is helping because everyone can help with the pulling and contribute to the project.
cook the mixture to 272 F (soft crack), remove from the heat, and pour it into a buttered cookie sheet. As soon as it's cool enough to handle start pulling it. (Be sure to butter your fingers before you touch the hot candy so it won't stick to you and burn you if it's still too to handle.) While it's cooling there are two things to do. First using a lightly buttered spatula turn the cooler edges in towards the middle of the candy so it will cool evenly - otherwise the cold outsid edge might not pull well and leave hard lumps in the candy. Second, add flavor by pouring it over light cuts made in the cooling candy (do this just before you start pulling, not when the candy is still hot enough to boil all the flavor off as soon as it's poured on.) The flavoring will spread out evenly as the candy is pulled.
vanilla taffy: add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla for full batch, or 3/4 tsp for a half batch.
mint taffy: add 1 tsp mint extract and a hint of green food coloring for a full batch, or 1/2 tsp and a hint of color for a half batch.
You can easily make both flavors at once by cooling the candy on two separate cookie sheets and pulling them separately. You can also make almost any flavor you'd like by adding the proper flavoring or extract before pulling. If the candy gets too hard before you pull it, place it in an oven at 300 F for a minute or two until it's warm enough and soft enough to be pulled.
Once you get the hang of it pulling taffy is easy and fun. First, lightly butter your hands (or dust them with corn starch) so the taffy won't stick (put more on your hands as needed.) Pick up some candy and slowly pull your hands apart, stretching out a rope of candy a foot or eighteen inches long. Then fold it in half twice and pull it apart again. As you continue doing this you will notice the candy gradually changing color. At first it looks almost glassy, but when it's done it will be opaque and white unless you've added coloring. When the candy is firm and a small piece place on waxed paper will hold its shape lay the candy down on a sheet of waxed paper in a long even rope. Then, using clean scissors dipped in hot water to keep them from sticking, cut the rope into bite sized pieces. Wrap them individually in waxed paper to keep them from absorbing water out of the air and getting sticky.