This crunchy, homemade honeycomb candy is made with real honey, making it a sweet snack or gift. Dip or drizzle it in dark chocolate, then top it off with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves for a unique twist on this honey toffee recipe.
Honeycomb candy is an old-school sweet that looks fancier than it actually is. Honeycomb, also known as honeycomb toffee, golden crushers, or cinder toffee, is, as these alternative names suggest, a lot like toffee.
But at the end of the day, it's just caramelized sugar that's aerated at the last second, forming a light, crunchy, honey-colored candy that snaps when you break it. If you've never made candy before, this is a great place to start.
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I first tried it years ago while traveling in England. My wife and I bought a small bag of honeycomb, not knowing exactly what it was, and we demolished it before we made it back to the hotel. Ever since then, honeycomb candy has been one of my favorite quick homemade treats-fast, cheap, and perfect for breaking up to snack on or dipping in chocolate. It's great at holidays, and it makes a nice gift, too.
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The candy is unique and impressive.
- It only takes a few easy-to-find ingredients.
- Honeycomb makes a great gift or treat for sharing.
If you like sweet treats as much as me, you'll also want to try my recipes for Coconut Honey Chocolates, Homemade Fig Bars, and Fresh Ginger Cookies.
🍯 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make your own honeycomb candy.
- Sugar: At its core, this candy is made from caramelized granulated sugar. It may be called honeycomb, but it's largely sugar. Honey alone won't behave in the same way.
- Honey: Use a strong, pleasant honey with a flavor that you enjoy. The purpose of the honey is to add flavor to the candy and give it its golden color. A very light honey may not add as much flavor. Learn about the different flavors of honey.
- Corn Syrup: A little corn syrup helps ensure that the candy achieves the correct texture. It helps stabilize the sugar and prevent crystallization. I know people don't love using corn syrup, but this candy is mostly science and has only a few ingredients, so I don't suggest substituting it for anything else.
- Baking soda: An essential ingredient in this candy recipe because it causes a reaction in the sugar mixture and produces tons of tiny bubbles that add air to the candy.
- Dark chocolate: I like to balance out the candy with a drizzle of melted dark chocolate. This adds a little depth and visual interest to the honeycomb.
- Thyme: Optional garnish for a hint of herbiness that helps balance the candy's sweetness. Thyme also complements the honey.
Check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🍫 Variations
- White chocolate: Instead of dark chocolate, drizzle or dip the honeycomb pieces with melted white chocolate.
- Caramel: Another topping idea instead of chocolate.
🔪 How To Make Honeycomb Candy
- Step 1: Combine the sugar, water, honey, and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Step 2: Stir just until the sugar has dissolved. Then let it cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Step 3: Cook until the temperature reaches 300 degrees F.
- Step 4: Whisk in the baking soda.
- Step 5: Quickly pour into a parchment-lined baking dish or pan.
- Step 6: Let it sit at room temperature until firm, at least 1 ½ hours. Then remove from the pan.
- Step 7: Roughly break into pieces.
- Step 8: If desired, drizzle with melted dark chocolate and some fresh thyme leaves.
✨ Top Tips
- Have all of your ingredients and tools ready before you start. Like most candy-making processes, you need to move somewhat quickly and don't want to waste time looking for a spatula.
- Pay attention to what you're doing. This isn't a recipe to walk away from or make while multitasking. Watch the temperature as the sugar mixture cooks, then move quickly after adding the baking soda to spread the candy out on the tray.
- If you have a lot of smaller pieces leftover that you're not sure what to do with, try using them as a garnish on desserts like Plum Fool and Eggnog Cheesecake.
🍳 Equipment
Thermometer: It's important to cook the honey and sugar mixture to the right temperature to achieve the correct texture, so either a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer is required.
🫙 Storage
Store your honeycomb candy in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to two weeks (or longer, mine just never lasts that long). Make sure your container is actually air-tight because moisture will turn the candy from crispy and crunchy to soft and chewy. You could even add a couple of silica packets to the container to help absorb moisture.
🙋🏻♂️ FAQ
Not in this recipe. The sugar, honey, and corn syrup may seem like a lot, but they all serve different purposes. The sugar creates the structure of the candy, the honey adds flavor, and the corn syrup helps prevent crustalization. If you used only honey, you would get a much different result.
It tastes like honey. The type of honey used in the recipe will determine the taste of the candy. Honey flavors can vary widely, so the candy's final flavor will as well.
It's crunchy and semi-hard. It's not as hard as a traditional hard candy, and it has some lightness to it thanks to all of the bubbles in it. If you have sensitive teeth you may want to avoid it or suck on it rather than chew it.
Yes. Honeycomb does not contain flour or other grains.
🍪 Pairing
Serve this honey toffee alongside any of these:
📖 Recipe
Honeycomb Candy
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 16-24 pieces, depending on size 1x
Description
This crunchy, homemade honeycomb candy is made with real honey, making it a sweet snack or gift. Dip or drizzle it in dark chocolate, then top it off with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves for a unique twist on this honey toffee recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup light corn syrup or agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 ounces dark chocolate, melted (optional)
- leaves from 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the pan. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan or dishwith parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to lift the candy out when it cools.
- Heat the sugar mixture. Combine the sugar, water, honey, and corn syrup in a medium to large-sized, heavy-bottomed pot. Set over medium-low heat and stir just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks clear. Stop stirring at this point to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
- Cook to hard-crack stage. Let the mixture cook without stirring until it reaches 300°F. This usually takes 10-15 minutes. Watch for visual cues: the bubbles will become tight and fast, and the syrup will turn a deep amber color.
- Add the baking soda. Turn off the heat. Immediately whisk in the baking soda until fully incorporated. The mixture will foam up dramatically - this is what creates the airy honeycomb texture. Working quickly, pour the foaming candy into the lined pan. Gently nudge it into the corners if needed, but avoid pressing or spreading it too much, or the bubbles will deflate.
- Cool. Let cool completely, at least 1½ hours, until firm. Lift the candy from the pan using the parchment. Break into chunks using the back of a heavy knife, a rolling pin, or your hands. Drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired, and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Notes
Make sure to store the candy in an airtight container. Humidity will make the honeycomb go soft.
Have all of your ingredients and tools ready before you start. Like most candy-making processes, you need to move somewhat quickly and don't want to waste time looking for a spatula.
Pay attention to what you're doing. This isn't a recipe to walk away from or make while multitasking. Watch the temperature as the sugar mixture cooks, then move quickly after adding the baking soda to spread the candy out on the tray.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Candy
- Method: Stovetop
🫖 More Honey Recipes
Looking for other honey recipes? Try these next:
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