Honeycomb Toffee � Do the Hokey Pokey

This very easy to make candy goes by many names; cinder toffee, sponge candy, and my personal favorite, �hokey pokey,� but no matter what you call it, this eye-catching confection is a proven crowd-pleaser. And, that�s before you dip in in chocolate, as my British friends highly recommend.

It�s no big secret that people love sweet, crispy things, but this also features the most interesting melt-in-your-mouth texture, which is created by thousands of bubbles, trapped in the cooling sugar syrup. As you can see in the video, I did two batches with different amounts of baking soda, and while the second batch did look better, the first batch was crunchier, and didn�t have any kind of aftertaste.

Other than suffering a horrible burn, there�s not a lot that can go wrong with this recipe, as long as you heat the syrup to 300 F. I checked mine with a probe thermometer, although a candy thermometer that attaches to the side of the pan would be a lot easier. Some folks say you can simply go by appearance, and when the syrup goes from clear to slightly golden, it�s done, but that requires a certain amount of experience.

Another method to gauge the temperature is by dropping a little bit of the molten syrup in water to see if it instantly turns into rock candy. That will work, but since thermometers aren�t expensive, and every kitchen should have one, that really is the way to go. Regardless, as long as you promise to be careful, I really do hope you give this gorgeous, homemade honeycomb toffee a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup (or golden syrup)

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon baking soda (do not use baking powder)

2 tablespoons water

- Heat to 300 F. before adding baking soda

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