Friday, December 21, 2012

Sponge Toffee Candy

This recipe is for a special childhood treat that is like the inside of a Cadbury's Crunchie candy bar. [I wonder if those only sold in Canada?] It is light as air and tinged with honey flavor. Dipped in chocolate or plain, this was yummy as well as fun to make. Words of caution: Make sure you are strong enough to lift the pot and its contents. I used a heavy dutch oven to make this and when it came time to dump it into the pan, I found myself struggling with the pot - filled with scorching hot sugar - because it was so heavy. Thankfully, I manoevered it without any injury, but next time I would definitely use a second pair of hands to help with this step.

Sponge Toffee Candy or Seafoam Candy1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda, finely sifted
chocolate, for coating (optional)

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, honey, and water, and using a wooden spoon, stir constantly over low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved.

2. Put candy thermometer into the mixture to monitor temperature, increase the heat and boil mixture to exactly 270 degrees F (132C).

3. Reduce heat to as low as possible and maintain the temperature 270F for exactly 15 minutes.

4. It is very important that the temperature of the mixture does not fluctuate; if the temperature begins to rise, remove the pan from heat occasionally to reduce the heat.

5. After the temperature has been maintained for 15 minutes, remove the pan from heat, take out the thermometer, and allow the bubbles to subside.

6. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in finely sifted baking soda.

7. Immediately and quickly pour the mixture into a large oiled baking dish.

8. (Please note, important: the pouring step requires strength and you'll be handling extremely hot liquids; if you're not strong and agile enough you might want to leave that step to a strong and able assistant.) When candy has completely cooled, remove from pan and break into pieces and dip into chocolate if desired.

10 comments:

Connie the cookie monster said...

so this is what sponge toffee candy is! does it taste like toffee but with holes ?

Anonymous said...

I've always known this to be called "honeycomb". Whatever its called... its tastes fantastic and is highly addictive.

Unknown said...

I love that candy...although in the US I've only ever seen it in British specialty shops and the occasional candy store.

I've had that moment of terror trying to pour syrup out of a heavy pan when I think, "Was it worth the 3rd degree burns?" but fortunately it all works out. I bet the candy was worth the struggle!

Anonymous said...

Also known as "Hokey Pokey" in New Zealand, where we do indeed have Crunchie bars. A great favourite to make with children during school holidays.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the moment of candy nostalgia. As kids, in Canada, in the 60's, we'd buy little bricks of this stuff, and it was heavenly.

Anonymous said...

Hi! Thanks for this awesome recipe. I had it when I went to Niagara Falls and then found it in Rochester. Question, how much sugar does the recipe call for? it's not included in the ingredients. Thanks again! Cheers. Vicky

Unknown said...

Any chance you can share how much sugar is required to make this?

Anonymous said...

I would like to make this recipe and am also wondering how much sugar is required.

Tia said...

Sorry! I have updated it to include the sugar amount :)

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