Sweet Honeycomb - but lose the honey!


My all-time yummy best-in-the-world treat has got to be the Cadbury chocolate called Crunchie. Not because of the chocolate, oh no, but because of that crunchy heavenly goodness inside. I love that stuff.

So imagine my delight when, looking for a tutorial for honeycomb tucks (a sewing technique), I discovered that the delightful Crunchie crunchiness actually IS a candy with its own name and recipes? OOOOOOOH GOOOOODY!

 There were a bunch of recipes on the web, but I searched for something relatively simple and idiot-proof. Also, ADHD proof, as if it takes too long and my attention wanders, we could have burnt pots and no candy. Finally, I selected this recipe as having only 4 ingredients and 4 steps - fairly simple, right?

Er.. sure....

Well, it was edible, at least. Not exactly Crunchie quality, but a good low-cost alternative. And minus the chocolate, which is great, because it saves me having to ask Himself to eat it off first! :)


Lessons Learned:
1. The recipe says you can use honey or golden syrup. Lose the honey. It gives a weird taste that is not as sweet or as pleasant.
2. There is no cooking time given, but I've experimented and 10-15 minutes is the minimum. I made the mistake of stopping the cooking too soon because I was concerned that the sugar was burning, but it definitely has to cook for a while. There is a smell, akin to burning, but I think it's the sugar caramelizing. Just pay attention and you should be okay.
3. SLOW cooking and LOW heat. I definitely got a better mixture when I took more time and cooked on a lower temperature. 
4. Stir the mixture slowly while you're bringing it to the boil to make sure all the sugar dissolves, but once it is actually boiling, don't stir it again until you're stirring in the baking soda.
5. On that note, don't beat in the baking soda. Stir it in real quick! If you stir too long, you'll lose all the bubbles and your honeycomb comes out flat. I lost half of my "lift" - most disappointing.

Lessons aside, it's a quick and easy sweet treat to make when you're in the mood for a nibble and, although one batch came out virtually inedible, it does seem to be relatively indestructible. 

Enjoy!


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