One more quick candy for any really severely last minute holiday emergencies you are having. Honeycomb or sponge toffee is a light, crispy, foamy candy - it's what's inside a Crunchy bar. It's great with chocolate on top, or with maple syrup and toasted walnuts as I did here. It's quick, it's an excellent stocking stuffer and you will find watching it magically bubble up strangely soothing in the midst of seasonal panic. Or at least I did. If the foaming isn't quite soothing enough, there is also some very cathartic smashing to look forward to. It puffs up so much it seems impossible. Make sure to choose a large enough pan to contain the foam explosion.
I hope you have a lovely, happy Christmas or holiday or your choice!
maple walnut honeycomb
adapted from Merrill Stubbs at Food 52
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbs baking soda
- 1/3 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- big pinch flaky salt, if you wish
Line a cookie sheet with parchment and place this on a heat tolerant cutting board or trivet.
Heat sugar, syrup and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl mixture a couple times but do not stir. Cook until mixture reaches 300°F on a candy thermometer.
Remove the pan from heat and very quickly stir in baking soda. Mixture will foam up a lot so stir rapidly to mix soda thoroughly. Add half the nuts and dump mixture out onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle remaining nuts and salt on top.
Let toffee cool completely and then smash it up into bite size chunks. Store in an airtight container, toffee will wilt and weep if left out for too long.
Photos: Tyrel Hiebert