Honeycomb Recipe - melissassouthernstylekitchen.com (2024)

FAQs

Why is my honeycomb chewy not crunchy? ›

Chewy honeycomb happens when the mixture hasn't been cooked for long enough. This is most common when you don't use a sugar thermometer. If you don't heat the mixture to 149°C the sugar won't achieve the brittleness required for that crumbly, crunchy texture.

If your sugar syrup isn't hot enough, it will make your honeycomb very chewy. The best way to make sure your sugar is at the right temperature is to use a sugar thermometer. The mixture should be at the 'hard ball' stage, which is normally between 121-130 degrees Celsius.

White vinegar – one of the things that makes this candy unique is the light and airy texture of the toffee. We have the vinegar, in part, to thank for that! Vinegar reacts with the baking soda in the recipe to form little bubbles of carbon dioxide that give the honeycomb candy its airy, crisp texture.

Instead, if it is enjoyable as is, I would suggest just eating it as a toffee like candy. Otherwise, chalk it up to experience and watch the temperature more closely next time. I have a batch of gooey toffee now too. So im just either enjoying it as is or adding bit or chunks of it to my coffee or ice cream.

Choose the best honeycomb

It's all good unless the melted sugar is cooked for too long, when it will burn and the bitterness detracts from the acid-sweet pleasures expected. If you undercook it, it will not set properly.

Honeycomb is a crunchy, airy candy with a sweet honey flavor. Note: Total time required is 1 hour and 15 minutes. Yields one 8x8 pan.

If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

If your candied coating isn't hardening, the candying mixture did not reach a high enough temperature. Allow your candying mixture to cook until it bubbles, thickens, and turns a rich golden color, sort of like caramel. Then, quickly turn off the heat so it doesn't burn.

Temperature – allow the sugar syrup to reach the required temperature of 149°C known as hard crack. Taking the syrup off the heat too soon is a common mistake, causing the honeycomb to be sticky.

The Science

The heat causes the bicarbonate of soda (NaHCO3) to break down and release the gas, carbon dioxide (CO2). The gas gets trapped within the sugar, this results in the bubbles in your honeycomb.

What is honeycomb called in America? ›

Regionally it may be referred to as sponge candy, sea foam, fairy food candy, or old fashioned puff in the US, and in Britain, it is often called Cinder Toffee with variances of puff candy in Scotland, Yellowman in Northern Ireland and Sponge Toffee in Canada.

One of the simplest and most fun confectioneries to make at home is cinder toffee, also known as honeycomb or sponge toffee.

Why Is My Homemade Honeycomb Chewy ? The syrup is taken off the heat too soon, it's a common mistake and one I made! Underheating the sugar makes the honeycomb sticky so it won't set correctly. Keep your eye on the sugar thermometer and make sure the temperature reaches at least 146 degrees C or 295 degrees F.

Nigella's Hokey Pokey, or honeycomb candy, (from Nigella Express) is made from sugar, syrup and bicarbonate of soda and so theoretically should not turn bad for some time. The main problem is that it will soften over time, so the conditions of storage will be the main factor in how long the Hokey Pokey lasts.

Baking soda helps to neutralize the acidity in the candy, and in some cases makes it lighter. According to the book "Cookwise," by Shirley O. Corriher: Some specialty brittles on the market are very flaky and airy.

The light wax combs are 100% edible and filled to bursting with fresh, delicious honey that you can eat with a spoon. The wax combs are typically chewy and will ball up in your mouth similar to gum, some people spit out the comb but most will swallow it whole as it is completely safe to eat.

Low and slow

Simmering the syrup for English toffee to the requisite 300°F temperature can (and should) be a slow process — up to 20 minutes or so. Don't hurry this gradual transformation; syrup that doesn't reach 300°F, or close to it, will make candy with timid flavor and chewy (not crunchy) texture.

Honeycomb is nature's great delicacy. It is perfectly safe (and delicious) to consume both the honey and the waxy hexagonal containers of the comb. In fact, the added chewy texture of the comb is a bonus.

Beeswax has lots of volatile components when first secreted by bees, and these substances keep the wax soft. You've certainly noticed that new combs are bendy and tear easily, and only after time do they become hard and brittle. If you are going to eat the comb, it's best in its soft and tender youth.