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Honeycomb Candy is one of my favorites – it’s a delightfully crunchy burnt sugar candy that’s great plain or dipped in chocolate. And it’s fun and easy to make at home and so much better than the packaged stuff at the store
What is Honeycomb Candy?
This recipe has many names: Honeycomb Candy, Sponge Toffee, or Sea foam Candy. It’s a crunchy burnt sugar tasting candy that’s airy and sweet and nostalgic. It’s not quite toffee and not quite peanut brittle, but sort of a combination. The name honeycomb comes from the fact that little air bubbles form in the center creating pockets, like in a honeycomb (or in a sponge or sea foam, hence the other names). Homemade Honeycomb Candy reminds me of my childhood best friend; we’d often go to the local candy shop and buy bags and bags of honeycomb candy all summer long.
Ingredients Needed
- White Sugar – Granulated sugar causes the caramelization needed to achieve the honeycomb flavor.
- Corn syrup- Light, no substitutes
- Baking soda – this helps the candy puff up – no substitutes
- Chocolate chips- Milk or semi-sweet chocolate or even baking chocolate or candy melts. This is optional because you can leave it plain or you can dip it.
How to Make Honeycomb
- Add sugar, water, and corn syrup to a saucepan; stir to combine, and place on the stove over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and heat without stirring. Let it heat until a candy thermometer reads 300°F.
- This is where the magic happens! Stir in baking soda making sure there are no lumps at all. Do this by sprinkling it over the mixture. Don’t just pour it in! You will see the candy bubble up and turn into an amber color.
- Immediately pour onto a prepared baking sheet. Let it harden completely, then break into pieces.
- Melt the chocolate chips. Add a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil if you need help making them liquify. Dip the hardened honeycomb candy in the chocolate and place on wax paper to set.
Expert Tips
- It’s VERY important to read the recipe and gather all your ingredients before you begin.
- You MUST use a candy thermometer.
- Be careful not to splash the sugar on the sides of the pan when stirring; this will cause crystallization and ruin your candy making.
- Take the honeycomb candy out of the pan as soon as you see it bubble up and change color. You don’t want to leave it in long after you add the baking soda or it will burn up and the ruin the consistency.
FAQs
Yes it is! They are the same candy, both getting their names from the bubbly spongy texture and appearance of the treat.
You totally can freeze seafoam candy. Make sure it’s completely cooled and store it in an airtight bag for up to 2 months.
Honeycomb Candy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (59ml) water
- ¼ cup (59ml) light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 cup (170g) milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Generously oil a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with vegetable oil. Set aside.
- Add sugar, water, and corn syrup to a saucepan, stir to combine, and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and heat without stirring, until a candy thermometer reaches 300°, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in baking soda (make sure there are no clumps in your tablespoon, and sprinkle it over the candy mixture, don’t just dump it in; you don’t want lumps in your finished product) and pour quickly onto the oiled baking sheet. (The candy will bubble up and become amber in color when you add the soda.) Let harden completely, then break into pieces.
- Melt chocolate chips, adding a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil (or shortening) if needed. Dip the hardened honeycomb candy in the chocolate and place on waxed paper to set. Enjoy frivolously.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
How to make Honeycomb Candy – this easy sponge candy or seafoam candy recipe is a crunchy sweet treat with or without chocolate. It’s an old fashioned candy recipe we love.
I’m positive that you are an American, so I am very surprised that you do not refer to nor include the most common North American name for this confection — SPONGE TOFFEE. Honeycomb Toffee is its name in Britain, Australia and South Africa. You can also get a better rise to the mixture is you add a bit of vinegar to react with the baking soda. Makes it lighter, less like hard candy.
Thanks for the tip Beth! Before I’d posted this a few years ago, I’d never heard of it being called sponge candy. It was always referred to as Honeycomb where it was sold in my town in CA, and I never knew there was another name, even though, yes, I am an American. I guess different locales call things by different names.
We call it Sea Foam in Michigan!
Yep… sponge toffee it is! I was puzzled at first myself. 😉
I am buying myself a candy thermometer JUST to make this recipe, btw. An early Christmas gift to me from me! The results of owning it will be the gift for everyone else! LOL!
Enjoy!
Add peanuts and you have peanut brittle.
It would be a crumbly peanut brittle – this candy melts in your mouth when it touches your tongue!
Yummm! Honeycomb looks amazing! Do you think it would freeze alright?
Honestly…I don’t know. I’ve frozen fudge but never a sugar-based candy. If it’s totally coated in chocolate I can see that it might work…but I can’t promise anything! Let me know if you do it, and how it turns out!
Could we maybe add a flavor oil just before mixing in the soda? and then it could be different flavors.
hmmm, could this possibly be the candy part of peanut brittle? I remember my mom making brittle and she would spread it out thin on a cookie sheet. I would eat around the nuts bcuz I loved the candy part. Thanks for sharing… gonna give it a try =)
I’m not sure, but it does look the same! Not peanutty at all though, and a little more airy! 🙂
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