Honeycomb Recipe
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Honeycomb candy, sponge toffee, cinder toffee, hokey pokey… Whatever you call it*, this recipe yields a sweet crunchy candy with hallmark honeycomb-esque bubbles. Today I’ll be walking you through all of my tips for making this Honeycomb recipe in your own kitchen. I’ve also included a brief how-to video!
This is the second candy recipe in my series this week. Yesterday I shared my toffee recipe… stay tuned for more!
Welcome to candy recipe #2 for this week: Honeycomb candy!
Just 4 ingredients (sugar, corn syrup, water, and baking soda) are all that are needed to make this classic favorite. With its sweet golden exterior and those telltale honeycomb-styled bubbles, this recipe is popular all over the world under many different names.
My personal favorite way to enjoy this honeycomb recipe is to prepare it, break it into pieces, and then dip or drizzle with chocolate. Let’s go through some important tips, and then let me know your favorite way to enjoy!
Tips for Making Honeycomb Candy
If you’re following along with every recipe this week, I’m going to sound like a broken record with some of these tips. While they may be repetitive, they can make all the difference when you’re making your candy, so they’re worth reading over again (and again)!
Have everything ready before you begin.
You’ll be cooking your honeycomb mixture to 300°, but once it reaches that temperature you need to move fast or your candy will burn as the temperature continues to climb. Have your baking soda nearby and have your pan already prepared, that way once your thermometer reads 300F you are ready to roll.
Stop stirring once your mixture starts boiling
The temptation to keep stirring your syrup once it starts boiling is real, but it’s completely unnecessary with this honeycomb recipe. So long as you’re keeping your stovetop temperature at medium heat, it won’t burn.
However, don’t walk away from your candy! It takes time (more on that in a minute) but as soon as you turn your head for just a single minute to send one single simple text message (with the perfect gifs and all) to your sister, it will rocket up past 300°F and your candy will burn and you’ll have a mess and will have to start all over… ask me how I know.
Good candy takes time
The syrup will boil for a while. How long exactly will vary depending on your stovetop heat and the pan you use, but it does take time and a little patience. Don’t be tempted to turn up your heat past the medium temperature indicated in the recipe, or you’re more likely to scorch and ruin your honeycomb.
Can You Make Honeycomb with Baking Powder?
Unfortunately, no. You will need baking soda to make this honeycomb recipe and to get those signature bubbles.
How Long Can You Store Honeycomb Candy?
Honeycomb can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week. It tends to absorb moisture in the air and become sticky so it will not last as long in a more humid environment. Do not refrigerate your honeycomb.
Enjoy!
More Candy Recipes You May Enjoy
How to Make Honeycomb Candy:
Honeycomb Recipe
Equipment
- 9x9 baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) light corn syrup
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) water
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- chocolate for dipping or drizzling, optional, you can use melted chocolate chips, chocolate bars, or melting wafers
Instructions
- Line a 9x9" square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Before you begin, be sure to measure out your baking soda and set it aside, you will need to have it ready once your honeycomb candy comes to the correct temperature.2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until the sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil (this will take some time, don't turn up the heat above medium to speed up the process or you could ruin your candy).1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ⅓ cup (80 ml) light corn syrup, ⅓ cup (80 ml) water
- Once mixture begins to boil, attach your candy thermometer (make sure the tip of the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan) and don’t stir any longer.
- Without stirring, cook to 300°F (149°C). Once mixture reaches temperature (it will still be clear at this point, it is supposed to be), immediately remove from heat and stir in your baking soda (heads-up! It's going to bubble up quite a bit).
- The mixture will immediately begin to foam, stir until baking soda is completely combined and the color turns golden, but don't over-stir or you'll end up deflating your candy and won't have any holes.
- Once foaming stops and baking soda is dissolved into the mixture, spread into prepared pan. Cool at least 1 hour before breaking into pieces (you may be able to use your hands, or whack it with a knife or use a mallet to tap a knife into the honeycomb to break).
- If desired, dip or drizzle cooled broken honeycomb pieces with melted chocolate.chocolate for dipping or drizzling
Notes
Tip for Cleaning Your Saucepan after Making Honeycomb:
Honeycomb hardens quickly, which means it can leave your saucepan a mess. Here's how I clean mine: Let your pan cool (you don't want to warp it by putting cool water in a scorching hot pot) and then fill it over halfway with water. Return it to the stovetop and bring to a boil and the candy should melt away from the sides (use a heatproof spatula to help scrape the sides while it's warm). Pour out the water/candy mixture and allow it to cool before cleaning properly.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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*I’ve also heard some people call this candy “Seafoam”, but for me seafoam candy has always been synonymous with Divinity.
I haven’t made it yet, because I’m just now finding your recipe.. LOL.. but do you prefer a metal pot, over a coated one? I have one to use if I can get the oxidation out of it, otherwise, I’ll have to use my heavy aluminum one, you may have heard of the brand, Magnalite. but now I hear it’s not the best to be cooking with any longer. Thanks for any help you may have for me
Hi Cece! I like to use my enameled cast iron, but if you don’t have one, a heavy bottom metal saucepan will work. I am not familiar with the brand you are asking about. I hope you love it! 🙂
Recipe says 8 inch pan, but the video says 9 inch?
Sorry for the confusion, Donna! I would recommend the 8 inch, but either will work. A 9 inch pan will just make the honey comb a little thinner. 🙂
I really like a fluffy peanut brittle because it’s much easier on the teeth! Do you think I could add salted dry roasted nuts to this recipe?
Hi Jackie! I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure how it would work.
Love this quick and easy recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Shayla! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! 🙂
Followed directions exactly and it came out perfect!! I got so many compliments on it
Made this, and it was a success! Nice and airy. Hardened up perfectly. Covered it in dark chocolate. Thanks for the recipe!
I make a lot of peanut brittle, but I can’t wait to try this recipe
We hope you love it, Angelica! 🩷
made this on a whim, not expecting it to turn out. I was so wrong. I went slow and didn’t rush it. I used an 8×8 pan and dark corn syrup cause that is all I had. Well, it worked perfectly. Dunked the pieces in chocolate and sent it to my husbands work. I now am sharing the recipe with his coworkers.
Love this recipe! It’s easy and soooo good! I dip the tops in chocolate once cooled and broken up. Th am you for sharing!
I made this and the mixture burned. I doubled the recipe, is that why? I ended up taking the mixture off the heat early because it was burning. Otherwise, I followed the directions exactly.
Oh no! I’m so sorry that happened! Doubling it could have potentially caused you some issues. There’s also a chance your heat was just a bit too high. 🙁
any idea of the weight this recipe yields of final product, no chocolate?
Unfortunately I have not weighed it after making it. 🙁
This is how I clean my pan. Just when I’m ready to put the soda in, I turn on the hot water in the sink. Take care of the candy, then put the pan in the sink and just let the hot water flood and overflow the pan. If you have little ones in the house and have your water heater turned down, this might work for you. Hope this helps someone else.
Thanks for the tip, Jana! 🙂
. . . honey comb candy should have honey…..
A common misconception. It gets it’s name from it’s looks not the ingredients. 🙂
Can honey be substituted for the corn syrup?
Hi Dave! You can try substituting half the corn syrup with honey; a few others have done this with success. Hope that helps! 😊
Followed this recipe , first time making and eating this candy . Mine looks like yours and has a nice crunch . However , the taste is comparable to what cotton candy tastes like . Is this normal? I’m reading other recipes and there always seems to be 1-2 tbsp of honey added to mixture to get that honey taste. Again , I’ve never had it so the taste is not what I was expecting.
Hi Erin! This candy gets its name for its honeycomb-like appearance, not a honey taste. What you are describing sounds normal. If you’d like, you can try substituting half the corn syrup with honey; a few others have done this with success. Hope that helps! 😊
Okay! well if that is normal then great! I’m planning on mixing it into homemade graham cracker ice cream 😋 I made some homemade marshmallows the other day to throw in as well. I might try honey next time just to see if the taste alters. Also thank you for the clean up suggestion! Worked like a charm- threw my spatula and wooden spoon in for a few minutes and it melted right off too.
Actually it gets its name from both the taste and texture. The traditional candy is made with actual honey, and later versions sometimes used corn syrup instead. I was expecting to see in your notes that this recipe is an alternate to the original candy. The texture is the same for both but the flavor is different. I made a honey version and your version. I like for different reasons but favor the honey version a little bit. The corn syrup version is reminiscent of cotton candy. This makes it taste a little more artificial. I plan to make a future version of your recipe using blue raspberry flavoring as a way of taking the candy even farther in a cotton candy direction.
Hmm, interesting, I’ve never heard that before and can’t seem to find a source saying it was traditionally made with honey, though the addition of honey isn’t a bad idea, at all! However even the oldest recipes I can find were not made with honey, they were just named for their honeycomb-like appearance.
Made this for Christmas gifts and everyone flipped over it!!! Sooo good and easy to make🌸
Can you use brown sugar instead of regular granulated?
Hi Samantha! I’m not sure how it would work due to the molasses in the brown sugar. It could cause some issues.
I followed the recipe and the Wax paper stuck to the Candy
Unfortunately I would not recommend using wax paper for that very reason. I recommend using parchment paper, it should not stick to that.
Followed ingredients and instructions to the letter….sooooooo easy…came out absolutely perfect!!!
I love this candy but have recently discovered that I have to be totally grain free which means I can’t eat any corn, rice or oats as well as the usual gluten foods. Is there a substitute for the corn syrup?
Hi Barb! You may be able to use glucose syrup or golden syrup. 🙂