Wednesday, 12 February 2014

Awesome Honeycomb / Puff Candy Recipe - Fast and Easy !



Ah - so who was it wanted this recipe again ?
Let me see...... I think it was almost all of out on our Facebook Page !

Sorry it's taken me so long. Time to get this little blog back up to date.

In the UK, we call this stuff honeycomb, hokey pokey and even puff candy. You'll know the stuff - it's like the inside of a Crunchie Candy Bar. However, if you have ever made it at home, you'll find it's never quite like the inside of a Crunchie bar.

The biggest differences are that the air bubbles in the home made stuff are normally much bigger.
It really sinks in the middle of the pan.
Impossible to score into chunks and shatters into crumbs or millions of pieces.
Sticks to your teeth and your jaws lock together.

Well - this recipe sorts out almost all of the problems. I say ALMOST as it's still a devil to cut.... but as long as you score and then snap, it's an awful lot better than the way most people make it.

I made the pretty Bird house gift box using the Crafters Companion Sweet Treats boards  - which lets you make loads of cute gift boxes in various shapes such as milk cartons and takeout boxes very simply with A4 card stock. Even better - currently comes as a bundle with a DVD.




You should be able to see from the photos that the air bubbles are tight and close together than when golden syrup is used. For this recipe, you DO need corn syrup - otherwise the texture and bite is very different. Most larger Tesco's now stock it in the American section - or you can buy it on Amazon.co.uk

This honeycomb candy will store for a few days only in an airtight jar - but if you dip (totally) in tempered chocolate, it stores well for a couple of months... if you can resist it that long.

1/2 tsp gelatin granules 
1 tsp of water
1.1/2 cups (375mls total measure in a jug) of white, granulated sugar
1/2 cup / 125mls corn syrup
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 cup / 125mls water
1.1/2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda (sifted)

Preparation is key here. Get everything ready before you start and have it all to hand.

Mix the gelatine granules and 1 tsp of water together and set aside.

Sift the bicarbonate of soda and set aside.

Keep both of these very close by you - along with a whisk !

Put the corn syrup, honey, sugar and water in a large heavy based pan. Give a little stir to combine and then put on heat and bring to the boil. DON'T STIR !

Brush the sides of the pan down on the inside with a wet pastry brush to make sure no sugar is crystallizing in the pan.

Using a candy thermometer, take the temperature up to around 146 > 148deg C. The syrup should be a mid honey colour.

Remove from the heat and let it sit until it stops bubbling. Whisk in the soaked gelatine granules until they melt - it's going to bubble up..... and put back on a medium heat.

The mix will start to loosen up again very quickly. Dump in the bicarbonate of soda and give it a good whisk. It will foam like a volcano. You need to mix in all the white powder - but it's critical to only just mix it in and no more. Whisk too much and the whole lot will go flat ! It only takes about 20 seconds.

Tip the whole lot out in one swift move into the 8" pan. It will rise a bit - probably above the pan - then fall back some.

Set aside (don't move it) for 3 or 4 hours to cool and harden.

Score with a serrated knife and snap into strips. You can then score again and snap into chunks.

Any left over rubble like chunks are awesome sprinkled over ice cream.

Sarah-Jane Nash - www.siliconemoulds.com - February 2014

Chocolate Baileys Salt Water Taffy Candies / Chewy Sweets




My poor blog is feeling somewhat ignored these days. I'm really sorry - but sometimes life takes over and other things get in the way ! Time to show you a few things I've been up to and share some recipes.

I created this Chocolate Baileys sweets just before Christmas. They've kept amazingly well and are still fresh as a daisy. These are verging on hard candies. They're not chewable - more like boiled sweets and last ages and ages in the mouth. If you want chewy, drop the temperature a few degrees.

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup of corn syrup
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons of corn flour
1/2 cup of good cocoa powder
1/3 cup water
1/2 a cup of Baileys Irish Cream Liquer

Combine all the ingredients in a large, non stick pan and stir to make sure there are no lumps.

Put on the heat and boil until temperature reaches 260deg F / 126 deg C

Pour out on to a well buttered / greased pan or on to a massive silicone work mat. Leave it for 5 mins to cool a little.

Put on two lots of vinyl gloves and grease your hands well with favourless oil or butter.

Pull and twist, pull and twist into ropes for about 15 minutes - until you can pull no more.

Cut into 1" long pieces with oiled scissors and allow to fully cool and harden before wrapping in silicone baking paper.


Sarah-Jane Nash, www.siliconemoulds.com - February 2014