Autumn has finally arrived in LA and I’m rolling in it like a dog in recently fertilized grass. Yesterday I put on my fluffiest of fluffy socks, put Notting Hill on the TV and baked my lil’ heart away—it was my favorite Sunday.
One of the things that has been on my to-make list forever is this—honeycomb! I don’t think it’s a big secret that I don’t love corn syrup. I’ll use it on occasion but I try and avoid it when I can; mainly because I hate the flavor. (I do love it in marshmallows though.) For me, corn syrup has this acidic flavor that hits me in the back of my throat that I don’t love. This honeycomb doesn’t have a drop of corn syrup, instead it uses honey because duh, that’s what honeycomb should be made with!
I used clover honey, but feel free to use wildflower or another type of honey that you like. I’d probably avoid raw, mainly because I haven’t tried it that way and I want you to actually end up with something edible, breakable and delicious.
The honeycomb is cooked in a large pot (I used a 5-quart Dutch oven). When you add everything to the pot, you’ll think it’s a bit silly and it’s way too big but when the baking soda is added, the whole thing bubbles up quite a bit so you want that extra space. SAFETY!
It really takes like 10 minutes to make. And after that you just transfer it to a baking sheet and wait for it to set, which is like a minute.
Breaking it up is maybe my favorite part.
If you’re like wondering what you could do with this, here are some options:
CHOCOLATE. Dip the broken pieces in chocolate and top with a bit of Maldon sea salt.
CAKE. Take a cake that’s basic AF to non-basic by garnishing the top with honeycomb shards. Instant drama.
MILKSHAKE. The best part about milkshakes are the mix-ins which give it a tremendous amount of texture to an otherwise silky smooth dessert. The honeycomb doesn’t get soggy, instead it provides this wonderful chewy consistency throughout.
And of course, you could just enjoy it on its own. Put it in a bag with a lil’ twine on top for a lil’ present.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon baking soda, sifted
- 1 1/4 cups white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- I am the laziest of humans when it comes to sifting ingredients but sifting the baking soda is really important. Be sure to do that before you start this project.
- This recipe goes very quickly so gather all of your ingredients and supplies. Line a baking sheet with parchment and have it nearby. A silicon spatula also comes in handy with this recipe.
- In a large pot (I like to use a 5-quart Dutch oven), pour in the sugar, honey and salt. Heat the sugar mixture to 295 degrees F, about 3 minutes, stirring it with a silicon spatula to ensure even caramelization. During this time it'll turn an autumn-like brown.
- Turn off the heat and then immediately add mix the vanilla extract and baking soda. The mixture will foam up quite a bit, continue stirring until the baking soda completely dissolves. Quickly pour the honeycomb mixture onto a sheet of parchment. Allow it to cool completely before touching it, about 2 minutes.
- I waited about 5 additional minutes before attempting to break it apart. I really wanted to make sure it was set. Break the honeycomb apart and transfer to an airtight container. Depending on where you live, the moisture can set in and make it a lot less crisp.
23 Comments
<3 I love this it sounds delicious. I never made honeycomb and I didn't know it's so easy. That cake looks absolutely delicous.
Thats one thing I really want to learn making, specially after seeing Last season of Master chef Australia! It sounds easy but its tricky too. Your post will be very helpful.
Ohmygod. A recipe for my favorite thing ever?! I never thought to make it at home, much less put it in a milkshake (!!), but this is amazing. Saving, pinning, holding close to my heart. You’re amazing.
xx Sydney
DUDE. You are blowing my mind lately with these recipes. Who knew you could MAKE honeycomb?!
Love everything about this! I’ve been meaning to make my own honeycomb for AGES. Thank you for finally giving me the push I need!
I love honeycomb but can never find it anywhere! I’m so excited to give this recipe a try.
oh my, honeycomb dipped in chocolate with sea salt is my jam! can’t wait to make this
This looks so delicious – I love the three ways you’ve given to use the honeycomb. I’ve only ever made honeycomb with golden syrup, I will definitely have to try making it with honey to see how different the flavour is.
Chocolate dipped honey is readily available in the UK in a chocolate bar called a ‘crunchie’ not sure if you have it there – but homemade is so much tastier!
Wow, this looks amazing! Thank you for the wonderful idea. I will definitely give this a try this weekend!
Here in the NorthWest [Oregon] we call it seafoam =) Every single candy shop carries it on the coast, nommage,
[…] Honeycomb, Three Ways–I LOVE honeycomb. These are just 3 more ways to love it. […]
Just the recipe I was looking for! I’m going to try making a Crannachie Cake … with ice-cream … derived from the Scottish sweet Crannachie, which is raspberries, honey, cream, oats and whisky 🙂 So am going to make honey ice-cream with honeycomb crunch pieces in it .. layered with sponge cake sprinkled with whisky ..and layers of fresh raspberries in raspberry jelly. Sounds great, doesn’t it? But I wonder how it will work out?
Sounds AMAZING. Those are the best combination of things ever.
Glad to learn something new. My sister’s birthday is coming and I have been contemplating of giving her something special and this dessert is a good one. Will practice this over the weekend.
You’d avoid using raw… honey? Raw honey is just honey that hasn’t been heat treated, and you’re heat treating it in this recipe. It’s fine.
It’s mainly because of the consistency. You want smooth, filtered honey.
[…] a little flaked sea salt. My first attempt which was wonderful was from Buzzfeed but I chose to try A Cozy Kitchen’s version for the […]
What heat should it be cooked at. Low, medium or high? Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks for a honeycomb recipe without corn syrup! I just made this as a surprise for my husband. It turned out pretty well, except when I broke it up it was super crumbly in the middle. I’d say about 1/3-1/2 of this just turned into sugar sized crystals and I had to throw it away. Now I still got plenty of edible chunks but I’m just wondering if you have any idea what I did wrong. Thanks.
Do we measure our baking soda before sifting or after? It would make a big difference in the actual amount going into the recipe I think.
It shouldn’t affect it too much. But yeah, you measure it out into the tablespoon measure and then sift it through a sieve. I push all of it through. 🙂
Thanks! Excited to try it out.
[…] *recipe from A Cozy Kitchen […]