Make Honeycomb

Honeycomb is a delicious treat that you can make using only water, honey, corn syrup, baking soda, and sugar. Even better, it only takes about 30 minutes or less to make. It's perfect as a simple dessert or as a tasty snack you can doctor up with melted chocolate.

Ingredients

Essentials

• 1/4 cup (75g) honey
• 1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon (140g) light corn syrup
• 2 cups (400g) fine white sugar
• 3 1/2 teaspoons (20g) baking soda
• 1/4-1/2 (2-4 oz) cups water
• Butter, for greasing

Optional Additions

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• Pinch cream of tartar

Steps

Making Honeycomb

1. Sift your baking soda ahead of time to remove any chunks. This is very important -- the baking soda is added and whisked very quickly, and any chunks of powder might not incorporate if you're not careful. Use a sifter to complete sift the powder, or whip it up with a fork if you don't have a sifter.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with lightly buttered parchment paper. Smear a little butter on a paper towel and wipe down the pan and parchment paper to prevent the honeycomb from sticking as it cools. You can also use aluminum foil, or an ungreased Silpat (silicone) mat.
3. Measure your ingredients in advance. This recipe moves very quickly, which is why everything, from the baking soda to the sugar, must be ready to add at a moment's notice. No matter which recipe variety you're using, get everything measured out before proceeding.
4. Combine the honey, corn syrup, and sugar in a very large heavy-bottomed pan. Your recipe will quadruple in size as you cook it, meaning you need a very high-sided pot to pull the recipe off. Furthermore, it must have a thick, heavy bottom (at least 1/4"), otherwise the heat from the stove will be too close to the sugar, burning it.
5. Add just enough water to wet the sugar, about 1/4 cup. You just want the sugar to be damp, not swimming. There should be no dry patches of sugar. Make sure you wipe down any spare sugar crystals off the sides of the pot as well using a rubber spatula.
6. Set the heat to medium-high and cook without stirring. Stirring will cause the candy to crack, but you want a nice, smooth caramel. Keep an eye on the candy as soon as the heat comes on -- this moves quickly. It should begin to boil within 3-5 minutes.
7. Cook until the mixture is a light amber color or a candy thermometer reaches 300F/150C. If you have a candy thermometer, this is easy. Even if you don't, the recipe is forgiving enough that you should be fine. Simply cook, never stirring, until the mixture reaches the color of a slightly worn penny.
8. Remove the pan from the heat to start cooling. While not strictly necessary, some recipes call for speeding up the process by plunging the bottom of the pan into a sink full of cool water. Whether you choose this strategy or not is up to you. But, whatever your strategy, do it quickly, and get to the next step.
9. Dump in the sifted baking soda and whisk the pot vigorously and quickly. Spare no time between dumping in the baking soda and beginning to mix. While a large, long whisk is the best option, a slotted wooden spoon is equally effective. Stir until the whole thing is frothing and foaming.
   • As soon as you add the baking soda, be ready for the whole thing to bubble up like a volcano.
10. Immediately pour into the prepared baking sheet and cool at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Once the honeycomb is hard and crumbly it is ready to eat. Remove from the pan, snap or cut into bars or chunks, and enjoy!

Making Honeycomb Variations and Dishes

1. Mix a teaspoon of vanilla extract in with the water for a change of flavor. Before adding the water, mix the teaspoon of vanilla into it to ensure the flavor distributes evenly. Then cook the recipe like normal.
2. Add a pinch of vinegar and cream of tartar for a lighter, more airy candy. This recipe adds a little tang and promotes a greater bubbling, leading to bigger, broader honeycombs. To make it, simply add 1 teaspoon white vinegar and a pinch (under 1/2 a teaspoon) cream of tartar along with the sugars, then cook like normal.
3. Replace the honey with maple syrup, then garnish with sea salt, for a decadent fall treat. This will make a slightly richer, salty-sweet treat that is nearly impossible to resist. To make it, all you have to do is substitute pure maple syrup for the honey -- no other changes needed. While cooling, sprinkle the tops with sea salt for a light garnish.
   • This recipe is great when served with melted semi-sweet chocolate, as well.
4. Melt some chocolate over a double boiler to dip your honeycomb in. Once the honeycomb has cooled, set a shallow pan of water on high heat. Dump a bag of your favorite chocolate into a smaller sauce pot and cook the chocolate in the hot water bath, stirring until smooth. As soon as it is hot and liquidy, dip half of each honeycomb chunk into the chocolate for a decadent treat.
   • Feel free to use whatever type of chocolate -- milk, dark, semi-sweet, etc. -- you'd like. They all go well with honeycomb.
   • This is the easiest way to make honeycomb-based candy bars like Violent Crumbles or Crunchies.
5. Finished.

Tips

• Keep the finished honeycomb out of the fridge, as it will absorb water and get sticky.

Warnings

• Caramelized sugar is extremely hot -- be very careful when working with it.

Things You'll Need

• Tall saucepot
• Pan
• Parchment paper, aluminum foil, Silpat mat
• Wooden spoon or whisk
• Sifter

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Frosted Rose Petals
• Make Burnt Sugar Lollipops
• Hide Candy in Your Room
• Make Candy Apples
• Make a Candy Lei
• Make Buckeyes
• Make Chewing Gum
• Make Edible Teacups
• Make Irish Potato Candies
• Make Chocolate Whipped Cream

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