Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Sponge Candy

Many people have never heard of sponge candy. Some people know it by a different name: hokey pokey, puff candy, cinder toffee, sponge toffee, seafoam, honeycomb, or honeycomb toffee (according to this site). The confection is made with the following ingredients: corn syrup or molasses, brown sugar, baking soda, and vinegar.

The above candy is made by Platter's. You can find them here. I highly recommend them. I find their sponge candy and chocolate to be one of the best I have ever had. It's very creamy. When it is fresh it is a different texture than when it is stale. I love it both ways. Some people like their sponge candy to get stale. They like to crunch. This may be the same people who like their Peeps stale. (ahem, Rossie).

If you want to make it at home, here is a recipe.

To make sponge candy at home, heat one cup of brown sugar, one cup of corn syrup, and one tablespoon of white vinegar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until the mixture reaches the brittle stage, around 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius). Remove the mixture from the heat, stir in a tablespoon of baking soda, and then pour it into a very well oiled pan to set. After the sponge candy has hardened, tip it out and crack it apart or cut it. Keep the candy wrapped in wax paper in an airtight container.

16 comments:

Lucy..♥ said...

I happen to be one of those that opens a package of peeps to harden. I recall having sponge candy many years ago and loved it!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I've never had that candy but have heard of it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
~ingrid

grace said...

well, this sounds like a fun treat to make, and i love the name for it. that's a lot of sweetness, and i like it. :)

Julia said...

I have never heard of sponge candy by that or any other name. They sound delicious.

Emily said...

I've never heard of this. How interesting! Looks yummy.

Jescel said...

didn't grow up in this country so i'm not familiar with this, but it sure looks good..anything with chocolate is! very interesting.

kat said...

I have a feeling I would like these crunchy

Mary Bergfeld said...

Lorie, I've never had sponge candy. It looks delicious.

Screamin' Mama said...

Yummmy! I haven't had sponge candy since I was a kid but I remember it was so delicious!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Oh, that's a delicious treat! what a great idea, yummy!

cheers,

Rosa

Maria said...

I don't think I have had sponge candy. Sounds good though! Thanks for introducing me to something new!

The Blonde Duck said...

I never heard of spounge candy! How cool!

Bunny said...

I've never heard of sponge candy either, it looks so good! Where have I been!!??

Joie de vivre said...

I've heard of seafoam (I think in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?) and wondered what sort of confection it was. It sure looks like something I'd love! Thanks for posting this!

Robin said...

I love seafoam candy but have never had the guts to make it so I keep buying it instead! There is a little candy shop at Cannon Beach Oregon that makes a good one. Haven't been there in years.

Jude said...

This sounds really familiar. I think it's called fairy food around here. Been looking for a recipe for this!